For the past few years I have struggled with energy; I was finding it difficult to get out of bed, I was running for coffee at 3 pm, I was yawning non-stop, and just feeling exhausted overall. I finally went to see my doctor and a Naturopath to get to the bottom of it. I found out I was deficient in Iron (amongst a few other things, like hormone imbalances and nutritional deficits). Having a Kinesiology background, I know that iron deficiency is quite common in females, but I didn’t consider this for myself. Iron deficiency can have serious side effects; aside from the ones I was experiencing related to fatigue. These side effects include: concentration and memory problems, weakness, headaches, breathlessness, fainting and so on.
My doctor suggested taking Iron supplements. I admit I am terrible at remembering to take supplements. I’ve tried keeping them on my desk at work, keeping them by my toothbrush, using a daily pill sorter, setting alarms on my phone but none of these strategies worked. What has finally helped is keeping them on the kitchen table so that I take them every night with dinner. My blood iron levels have improved and I am starting to feel better. Hopefully I won’t have to take the iron supplements for much longer, as long as I incorporate iron-rich foods into my diet, such as: green leafy vegetables, red meat, eggs, oysters, cereals, and baked potatoes.
My sister who recently had twins, also found out from her OB that she was deficient in iron during pregnancy. Again this is VERY common during pregnancy, which can be harmful to both baby and mom. So get your iIron levels checked mammas to be!
Are you feeling fatigued? If so, it might be worth getting updated blood work from your doctor to check your Iron levels.
- Andi
Registered Physiotherapist and Kinesiologist
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