Many people don’t pay attention to health issues like iron deficiency. However, they should as it affects their quality of life, especially women. Low iron is not a condition that easily makes itself obvious, so you must know the symptoms to lookout for.
Low iron is easy to deal with once the diagnosis has been made. Iron deficiencies are more common in women because they sustain regular blood loss every month. However, knowing the early symptoms of low iron is good for anyone. These are some early symptoms of low iron intake for women.
Fatigue
If you feel like you’re constantly tired and have issues with sleep, then the chances are that you’re running low on iron. Dozing off frequently and being tired is not something that you should be used to. You must have the right amount of iron in your body to have enough energy to carry out your daily tasks.
Pale Skin
If your skin appears to be much paler than normal, then there are extensive chances that you have low iron. Some people have pale skin. To begin with, these people will often have a yellower hue to their skin instead of flushed skin.
Rapid Or Irregular Heartbeat
Heart palpitations can also occur sometimes, indicating that you have lower iron in your blood. Hemoglobin is the molecule necessary for transporting oxygen all around your body. Hemoglobin needs iron. Thus, having less iron may inevitably affect the amount of oxygen in your lungs and how hard your heart will have to beat to make up for the lack of oxygen.
Shortness Of Breath
Like the rapid or irregular heartbeat, the lack of iron may lead to a lack of oxygen being carried to the cells that need it. Your lungs might respond by trying to provide more oxygen at a quicker pace, which might cause you to be short of breath.
Dizziness
If you feel like you’ve been getting dizzy more often, this may be an early symptom that you don’t have enough iron to cope with your body’s demand. Everyone faces some dizziness; however, if the flashes are more frequent, you should visit a doctor’s office.
Headaches
If you feel like you’re constantly getting headaches, especially when menstruating, it may indicate you have low iron in your blood levels. If you get headaches easily, you might have an iron deficiency.
Restless Legs
Restless legs syndrome is often related to a lack of iron in women. The condition often means you have a strange sensation of always wanting to move your legs even if you’re sitting in one place. It may also manifest as a crawling feeling in your feet.
Irritable Behavior
If you’re feeling angry or short-tempered for a long while, it may not be a behavioral issue but an effect of having low iron.