A lack of iron in your body can lead to several problems, including sleep issues. It can disrupt your sleep cycle and lead to problems like periodic limb movement disorder and insomnia. A lot of people tend to overlook the signs of iron deficiency or anemia, but it is vital to keep its level in check.
Yes, being deficient in iron has been linked to sleep issues. If you are having trouble getting to sleep at night, it might be best to ask a doctor to ensure you are not iron deficient.
Without enough iron, your body can't produce enough of a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen (hemoglobin). As a result, iron deficiency anemia may leave you tired and short of breath.
Iron helps support your energy levels, therefore you should expect to feel less tiredness and fatigue.
Having an iron-deficiency may not cause insomnia or sleep problems but it can make you feel exhausted and overtired, which in turn may hinder your efforts to fall asleep in the first place!
Taking the supplement before bedtime also ensures increased iron absorption, as your stomach will most likely empty before bedtime. Eating your meal at least two hours earlier before sleep would help increase iron absorption.
In many cases, mild iron deficiency anemia comes on so gradually that you may not even know you're anemic. Symptoms of mild anemia are subtle and include feeling grumpy, weak or tired more often than usual and getting headaches or perhaps having problems concentrating.
Severe iron deficiency anaemia may increase your risk of developing complications that affect the heart or lungs, such as an abnormally fast heartbeat (tachycardia) or heart failure, where your heart is unable to pump enough blood around your body at the right pressure.
Specifically, iron plays an important role in how your body makes the neurotransmitters called serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine – all of them important in mental health. Research suggests a connection between low iron levels and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia, Levin and Gattari write.
According to a specialist, you should take iron early in the morning to have a good effect, because at this time the body has just undergone a long sleep and this period is when the calcium and iron levels in the body are at a low level. best. Therefore, every day taking iron in the morning is what experts recommend.
You may also find that low iron causes weight gain. There are a couple of reasons for this; firstly, your energy levels are low and so your exercise levels reduce; secondly, iron is essential for thyroid function, and an underactive thyroid will lead to weight gain.
Common causes of chronic insomnia include: Stress. Concerns about work, school, health, finances or family can keep your mind active at night, making it difficult to sleep. Stressful life events or trauma — such as the death or illness of a loved one, divorce, or a job loss — also may lead to insomnia.
Research suggests that people with anemia may have a high risk of depression. This may be due to low oxygen and a lack of physical activity as a result of anemia. If a person experiences symptoms of anemia, depression, or both, they should contact a doctor immediately.
In adulthood, the behavioral disorders linked to iron deficiency are depression, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, and psychotic disorders [16].
– It usually takes 2 to 3 weeks of taking regular iron supplements before your symptoms start to improve. – You may need to keep taking iron for several months to build up your iron reserves and keep your anemia from returning.
Eye symptoms of low iron can include a pale coloring of the inside of the lower eyelids. In moderate or severe cases of iron deficiency anemia, the inside layer of the lower eyelid is very pale pink or yellow instead of red. Rather than low iron, one common cause of blurry vision is dry eye.
Several treatments can be used to treat anemia. Iron supplements, also called iron pills or oral iron, help increase the iron in your body. This is the most common treatment for iron-deficiency anemia. It often takes three to six months to restore your iron levels.
"If you actually ask women who have iron deficiency what their symptoms are, fatigue and tiredness is there but right at the top of the list is brain fog and that's what women described — it's the inability to think clearly," says Professor Toby Richards.
Red blood cells use hemoglobin, a substance made of iron, to bring fresh oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. When you're not getting enough iron, it produces a kind of domino effect on energy levels, which impacts your ability to lose weight efficiently.
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You can quickly raise your iron levels by drinking iron-rich drinks like Aviva Romm's iron tonic, spinach-cashew-raspberry smoothie, pumpkin juice, mulberry smoothie, and Prune juice. Eating dark green leafy vegetables, legumes, broccoli, fish, meat, and fresh citrus fruits will also help raise your iron levels.
You may need to take iron with a small amount of food to avoid this problem. Milk, calcium and antacids should not be taken at the same time as iron supplements. You should wait at least 2 hours after having these foods before taking your iron supplements.
In iron deficiency, low levels of haemoglobin mean the heart has to work extra hard to carry oxygen. The lack of oxygen available to body tissues in iron deficiency may also cause feelings of anxiety. However, this tends to improve or resolve as iron levels are corrected.
Having a mineral deficiency like iron deficiency anemia can predispose people to hyperventilate and experience panic attacks at a higher rate than those without anemia. The presence of heavy metals in nervous system tissue is also linked with mental health issues.