Iron deficiency can develop quietly, and some of its earliest signs are surprisingly easy to dismiss.
Your energy never quite returns
Feeling tired or weak are two of the most prevalent symptoms of low iron levels. Iron is essential for your body to produce hemoglobin, which allows your red blood cells to transport oxygen where it needs to go. When your iron is low, normal tasks may become harder than they once were.
You may wake up feeling tired even after a good night’s rest. You may feel drained all afternoon or find yourself low on energy. There are many causes of fatigue, though, so feeling tired doesn’t necessarily mean you’re low on iron.
The stairs suddenly feel harder
Iron deficiency can be a cause of feeling winded after climbing a flight of stairs or taking a short walk. When iron deficiency becomes anemia, your body may not have sufficient healthy hemoglobin. You may breathe faster to keep up with your body’s need for oxygen, causing mild activities to feel exhausting.
In some people, this is first noticed with exercise. More severe cases of anemia can cause shortness of breath with normal daily activities.
The mirror looks different
Pale skin colour can sometimes be another sign of iron-deficiency anaemia. Because haemoglobin causes blood to be red, lower-than-normal amounts may make your skin or mucous membranes look paler than usual. It may be obvious on your face, lips, gums, nail beds or the insides of your lower eyelids.
Pale skin can be difficult to tell from skin colour differences alone, especially when comparing people with different skin tones. That’s why your doctor won’t diagnose you with iron deficiency just by looking at you. Pale skin that occurs with persistent tiredness or shortness of breath may warrant a blood test.
Your head keeps complaining
If iron deficiency has progressed to anemia, headaches, dizziness, and light-headedness can result from a reduced oxygen-carrying capacity. These symptoms are very common, however, and can also be caused by dehydration, low blood pressure, insufficient sleep, infections, etc. When they occur in conjunction with other symptoms like persistent fatigue/weakness or abnormal breathlessness, they may indicate iron deficiency.
You can suddenly feel every beat
Palpitations, feeling your heart race or pound or having an abnormally noticeable heartbeat, can be a symptom of severe iron-deficiency anemia. Iron deficiency may cause your heart to beat faster or more strongly to make up for the blood’s reduced ability to transport oxygen. Exercise may bring on palpitations in some individuals, but people with this symptom due to iron deficiency may realize they have a rapid heartbeat even when sitting still.
A mild iron deficiency may not result in this symptom. Additionally, there are many causes of heart palpitations.
Ice becomes strangely irresistible
Another interesting clue is pica, which is the desire to eat or chew things that aren’t normally food. Cravings for ice, clay, dirt, or paper have been linked to iron deficiency. Pagophagia, which is an extreme craving to chew ice, is one of the more well-known connections to low iron. The cause of this behavior isn’t fully understood, but an excessive, unexplained urge to chew ice is definitely something to share with your doctor.
Small changes start showing
Brittle nails and noticeable increases in hair falling out can occur with iron deficiency, especially severe or chronic deficiency. With advanced deficiency, fingernails may become thin and concave, or spoon-shaped (koilonychia). Hair may look thinner or fall out more than usual.
However, hair loss and nail changes can be caused by many nutritional, hormonal, and medical conditions. So these symptoms alone are not diagnostic of iron deficiency, but can indicate low iron levels if they occur with symptoms such as tiredness, paleness, shortness of breath, etc.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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