Anemia: Why You May Feel Tired and Fatigued

Do you experience an inexplicable feeling of tiredness or weakness all the time? Or finding it difficult to get up enough energy to do your normal activities or routines? Your answer may be as simple as making some focused diet adjustments.

Anemia is a lower than normal red blood cell count. Feeling tired or weak is a common symptom of anemia. Other signs and symptoms of anemia include:

  • Green Leafy Vegetables
  • pale skin
  • dizziness
  • headache
  • chest pain
  • shortness of breath
  • coldness in the hands and feet

If you are anemic the reason you feel tired, along with these other symptoms, is because your body is not receiving enough oxygen. In addition, your heart has to work harder to pump more oxygen-rich blood throughout your body.

Feeling Tired All The TimeIn severe or prolonged cases of anemia, the lack of oxygen in the blood can cause serious and sometimes fatal damage to the heart and other organs of the body.

Some types of anemia are caused by low levels iron in the body. Your body needs iron to produce hemoglobin. Iron found in meats, especially red, is more easily absorbed into your blood than the iron found in vegetables and other foods. Other foods that are good sources of iron include:

  • eggs
  • prune juice
  • peanuts, peanut butter, almonds
  • dried fruits ~ raisins, apricots, peaches
  • spinach, other dark green, leafy vegetables
  • peas, lentils, white beans, red beans, baked beans

In addition to increasing your intake of iron you may also need make sure that your diet includes rich sources of Vitamin C, Vitamin B-12 and Folate, as these all play red blood cell enhancing roles.

Filed under: Fatigue

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