HEALTH & WELLNESS: Ten (10) signs your body is telling you that you could be iron deficient.

 Author: S. Gordon-Jeffery

Hi folks! How are ya? As promised, today I will be discussing with you ten signs that show you're iron deficient. There are several more, not just ten, but I identified these symptoms because they are subtle signs which you may ignore, like I did. These signs or symptoms reveal however that there is something wrong and taken together are solid indicators of iron deficiency.

As I mentioned in the previous blog  - 'Can't sleep? Your body may lack this important nutrient', I was experiencing some of the symptoms on and off - the rapid heart rate, the difficulty sleeping and later the fatigue. Just thinking about it now, I would never have thought it was anything serious. When you work long hours you're bound to feel exhausted most times, and because you work so late and work hard sometimes your nerves get set on edge, adrenaline is pumping so it takes a little while for you to fall asleep. 

How do I explain the rapid heart rate?

I can't really.

I just hoped it would go away, like the first time I had the problem after I caught chicken pox and it gradually got better. The recent consistency in the condition was what made me realise that something was amiss. I am explaining this to show you that if one is not careful, you could easily think the symptoms I mentioned were just due to mere stress. 

Who knows?! Maybe stress had a hand in it, if anything, it probably uncovered the fact that I wasn't taking care of myself and I needed to make some changes.

Okay, let's start this section of the blog by laying some foundation. Why do our bodies need iron?

What iron does for your body?

The body doesn't make it's own iron. It needs the mineral from food sources whether plant based (green leafy vegetables, legumes and peas) or animal based (chicken, fish, beef and other red meats). The human body uses iron to make a protein called hemoglobin in the red blood cells. In fact, hemoglobin is what gives blood its rich red color! Hemoglobin is used to transport oxygen through the red blood cells from the lungs to all over our bodies. 

If there is not enough iron in one's diet or there is a sickness that inhibits red blood cell production such as sickle cell disease [1], iron deficiency or anemia can develop. Not enough red blood cells means low levels of  hemoglobin, which in turn means oxygen flow to the body is affected. 

Here are the 10 symptoms which reveal you could be iron deficient or anemic.

1. Fatigue/Tiredness *

Courtesy of 123 photos

Tiredness; a feeling of fatigue is one symptom I experienced. You feel tired, no big deal but, when you feel tired to the point you have to lay down to relax and catch your breath, that is serious fatigue. 

Our bodies need a healthy supply of oxygen to function properly, not enough leads to feeling tired, worn out, and straight fatigue. Which happened to me!

2. Shortness of Breath *

I experienced this a few times last year (2020). At first, I didn't know why it was happening, but after doing more reading I realised that it was caused by the lack of iron. For persons who have asthma, it probably feels the same way. Your chest tightens up and it's difficult to breathe. Breathing is shallow so you automatically breathe faster to compensate for not being able to breathe deeply and properly. Yeah. It happened to me. Was I scared? Very. I would not want to experience that again.

3. Rapid heart rate, chest pain*

Rapid heart rate, also called tachycardia, is a condition where the heart beats over 100 beats per minute while you're resting, as in you're not doing anything [2]. For me, the rapid heart beats would sometimes be accompanied by chest pain. Sometimes I had to lay down and relax. Drinking hot ginger tea helped, just in case you wanted to know an immediate relief remedy.

4. Headache, dizziness or lightheadedness *

I experienced all three (3). It feels like the room would spin in a nauseating way. I would feel nauseous and generally unwell. My head would pound and the headache could last for days! These were clear signs of iron anemia, but at the time I had no clue.

5. Cold hands and feet *

Yes! I remember tucking my feet under hubby's thighs on the couch to keep my toes warm! After a while of doing this, I decided to pull out some old pair of thick socks I had in a 'forgotten items' drawer, and started wearing them in the house. I was teased about this regularly, lol. Thankfully I don't need to wear them now, even if the time is a bit chilly, I am okay. 😊

6. Unusual craving for ice, chalk, dirt, starch, etc *

Thankfully, I never had this problem. When I was a teen I had a friend who loved to eat baby powder! She would shake out the talcum in the palm of her hand and eat it up like it was milk powder. It was weird. All of us as her friends would say, "Girl something wrong wid yuh, yuh lack sumn!" We would tease her about it, she didn't care. It was all in good fun though. Now I realise that she probably did lack something -- in her diet. She could have been iron deficient or anemic and we didn't know.

7. Pale skin *

This means pale, lack luster skin that not even lotion can help. Dull looking; no vitality.

8. Brittle nails *

Every little thing you do your finger nails break. Your toe nails are also brittle.

9. Inflammation or soreness of tongue *

Can't recall if I experienced this one. But if the symptoms I experienced were anything to go by, this one would probably be very uncomfortable.

10. Insomnia

According to the experts, the insomnia I experienced/experience occasionally, is not a direct result of iron deficiency but rather a spin off effect. Because I get really tired or fatigued my poor body being out of whack will sometimes suffer irregularities in sleep. Think of it as you're so tired, over tired that you are too tired to sleep or sleep restfully. There is however this condition called Restless Leg Syndrome, which is where persons feel a creepy, crawly or "pulling sensation in the legs that worsens at night and can disrupt sleep, leaving sufferers tired upon awakening" [3]. This syndrome has been shown to be linked to iron deficiency anemia.

Out of all the symptoms I listed above I may have experienced 6 of them: the shortness of breath; insomnia; tachycardia; cold hands and feet; headache, dizziness and lightheadedness and fatigue. Now I experience them from time to time, and with varying degrees of intensity. For example, if I am stressed I may feel really tired, have difficulty sleeping and may feel winded and slightly out of breath. I do monitor myself though and I am much more aware of when to rest and take a break. 

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Thank you so much for reading 'Ten (10) signs your body is telling you that you could be iron deficient'. 🙏

While reading the article you may have noticed I mentioned iron anemia or iron deficiency anemia a few times. That is because persons with iron deficiency anemia suffer more severely from these symptoms. A person who has a slight deficiency in iron may or may not experience the symptoms I shared above. 

There is a difference between being iron deficient and suffering from the anemia. The iron deficiency anemia is more severe and may encapsulate most if not all the symptoms I listed above and then some, including depression. If you wish for me to write an article about iron deficiency anemia, its symptoms (those not discussed in this article) and its causes, please comment below. 😃

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this article. Leave any questions or observations in the comments box below. God bless!

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References

 * List of iron deficiency symptoms acquired via Mayo Clinic 'Iron deficiency anemia' - https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/iron-deficiency-anemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355034

1. Macon, Brindles Lee. 'Blood diseases: White and red blood cells, platelets and plasma'. Healthline. Published September 29, 2018. https://www.healthline.com/health/blood-cell-disorders
2. Feldman, Adam. 'Everything you need to know about tachycardia'. Medical News Today. Updated September 29, 2020. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175241#causes
3. Grant, Pia. 'Lack of iron and insomnia'. Livestrong. https://www.livestrong.com/article/517941-lack-of-iron-insomnia/