Feeling Low? This Common Nutrient Deficiency Could Be Why

 Feeling Down? This Common Deficiency in Nutrients May Be the Cause

Sarah gazed down at her coffee mug, not understanding why everything was so weighed down these days. The job wasn't extremely taxing, the relationship was okay, but she couldn't help feeling this constant downness. Sound familiar?

 

What Sarah didn't realize was that the blood test she'd had in the past month revealed something her doctor didn't quite discuss - low iron. "Just have a bit more spinach," was the flippant counsel. Oh, but there's so much more to it.

 

The Iron Truth Nobody Discusses

We are all aware that iron prevents anemia and makes us less tired. But here's something most people are overlooking  iron doesn't merely influence the amount you have in energy. It has a direct influence on how your brain functions and the way you emotionally feel.

 

Consider it in the following way. Your brain functions like a working factory that is always in operation. To continuously make you feel good by producing serotonin and other chemicals like it, it requires constant deliveries of oxygen and nutrients. Without adequate iron, the factory begins to run dry.

 

Why Does Your Brain Require Iron to Be Happy?

Iron plays a starring role in making neurotransmitters. These are the brain's messengers that tell you when to feel happy, calm, or motivated. When iron levels drop, your brain literally can't make enough of these feel good chemicals.

And it isn't merely theory, either. Studies have found that iron deficient people are much more prone to depression and anxiety. The association is so tight that some doctors now check iron in conditions where the patient complains of chronic low moods.

The Subtle Signs You May Be Overdoing It

Iron deficiency does not always herald itself by conspicuous fatigue. Occasionally it presents in forms you would never think to relate to nutrition.

You could end up feeling annoyed over minor issues that would otherwise not annoy you.

 Perhaps you can't focus at work or you lack the enthusiasm to do things you would often find fun.

 Some experience feeling more worried than normal or emotionally numb.

 

Such symptoms are usually dismissed as stress or aging. But they might be the body telling you it requires added iron.

 

Who becomes most vulnerable?

Women are most affected by iron lack, primarily at their reproductive ages. Periodic menses result in routine iron loss, and most women are unable to make up for it.

 

There are special challenges for vegetarians and vegans. Because vegetable iron isn't so easily absorbed as iron in meat, you have to consume much larger quantities of leafy greens to yield the same iron boost in the blood as a small slice of red meat.

 

Athletes, male and female, lose iron at a higher rate than other individuals. All that exercise raises iron requirements but most don't make appropriate changes to their diets.

 Individuals who have digestive diseases such as celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease usually have difficulty absorbing iron despite their iron-rich diets.

 

The Hidden Connection to Restless Thoughts

Here's something you didn't know  low iron can make your mind as well as body feel sluggish. Did you ever realize how sometimes your mind feels distracted or you can't focus? Iron deficiency impacts the area in the brain that deals in concentration and attention.

 

This establishes a vicious cycle. You are in a mental haze, making daily activities more difficult, making you feel stressed and depressed. While the actual offender  low iron  escapes attention.

 

Easy-to-Use Steps That Really Work

The positive is that correcting iron deficiency can significantly aid the way you feel in the brain. But it requires the right strategy.

 

First, get tested. Don't speculate about your iron levels. Request a full iron panel from your doctor, not the normal hemoglobin. You want to have your ferritin levels included  that measures the amount of iron you have stored up.

 

When your levels are low, it makes sense to highlight iron-rich foods that your body can make use of. Red meat, chicken, and fish are great examples. Vegetarians can rotate iron-rich veggies like spinach and lentils and vitamin C-rich foods like bell peppers or citrus fruit. The combination makes your body absorb more iron.

 

Also, try not to drink tea or coffee at meals containing iron. Tea and coffee contain chemicals that inhibit iron absorption. Reserve your morning coffee for between meals.

Try taking an iron supplement if you can't get it through food, but discuss it with your doctor. Too much iron can have issues too, and the correct dosage is based on your particular circumstances.

When to Expect Changes

Do not hope for a night-and-morning wonder. The body requires time to replenish the iron stores and to adjust the brain chemistry. The majority of individuals will experience improved mental health in 4-6 weeks once iron deficiency has been treated.

 

The physical energy usually comes back first, then mood and concentration improve. Some describe it as a mental clarity immediately the work previously so threatening becomes manageable once more.

The Bigger Picture

Iron-deficiency mental health isn't simply something that happens in isolated cases such as Sarah's. It is something extremely common that gets omitted in mental health discourse. We often have people for months or years attempting various strategies for low mood when the solution to the problem could be identified by one simple blood test.

 

That doesn't imply that every instance of feeling depressed has low iron as the cause. Depression is a complicated illness, and there are various issues at play. But it does imply incorporating iron testing into any holistic strategy for feeling improved mentally.

 

Sarah's happy ending. Three months after beginning iron supplements and making some dietary changes, she reported to me that the heavy feeling was gone. "I didn’t know how poorly I felt until I began to feel well again," she said.

 

Sometimes the answer to feeling depressed is simpler than we make it. Your mental health matters, and making sure your body has the nutrients it needs to support your brain is a good beginning.

 

If you have been feeling chronically low and can't identify why, you might want to discuss iron testing with your doctor. It could be the piece you've been missing.