Have You Felt Exhausted Lately? Low Iron May Be To Blame
Iron is a vital mineral responsible for carrying oxygen in your red blood cells. Red blood cells transport oxygen from your lungs to the organs and tissues throughout your body. Iron is important in producing new and healthy cells, keeping hair, nails and skin healthy, as well as helping the immune system fight off infection.
If your body doesn’t have enough iron, your tissues and muscles won’t get enough oxygen and be able to work effectively. The body struggles to effectively transport oxygen leaving you feeling fatigued, both physically and mentally. It is called iron deficiency anemia. Low iron is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide. Almost 10% of women are iron deficient.
What Happens If You Don’t Get Enough Iron?
Tiredness: A lot of people with iron deficiency experience low energy alongside weakness, feeling cranky, difficulty concentrating or poor productivity at work. The reason for that is when your body doesn’t have enough iron, less oxygen reaches your tissues and muscles, depriving them of energy. In addition, your heart has to work harder to move more oxygen-rich blood around your body, which can make you tired.
- Paleness: If you pull your lower eyelid down, the inside layer should be a vibrant red color. If it is a very pale pink or yellow color, this may indicate that you have iron deficiency. The hemoglobin in red blood cells gives blood its red color, so low levels during iron deficiency make the blood less red. That’s why skin can lose its healthy, rosy color in people with iron deficiency.
- Shortness of Breath: Hemoglobin enables your red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body. Without healthy levels of iron, hemoglobin will be low and your red blood cells cannot effectively provide oxygen to your cells and tissues. This means your muscles won’t get enough oxygen to do normal activities, such as walking. That is why you will have shortness of breath and your breathing rate will increase as your body tries to get more oxygen.
- Restless Leg Syndrome: Low iron may cause restless leg syndrome which is a strong urge to move your legs at rest. It is usually worse at night, so sufferers may struggle to get enough sleep.
- Dry Hair and Skin: When your body is iron deficient, it directs its limited oxygen to the most important functions, such as organs and other bodily tissues. In this case, skin and hair don’t get enough oxygen and they become dry and weak.
How To Get Iron?
Iron is an essential nutrient, so you must get it from food. Starting at adolescence, a woman's daily iron needs increase because they lose blood each month during their period. That's why women from ages 18 to 50 need to get 18 mg of iron each day, while men the same age can get away with just 8 mg.
Top healthy iron-rich foods are; beef, liver, lentils, spinach, sardines, black beans, raisins, wheat and oatmeal.
Iron also has a role in creating energy from nutrients. If you have more iron than is needed, it’s stored in your body for future use. Vitamin C improves the absorption of iron. So it is best to take it with a good source of Vitamin C. There are also iron supplements available but you should talk to your doctor before you take iron supplements.