What Are the Symptoms of Anemia?

What Are the Symptoms of Anemia?

Anemia is a blood condition that often goes undiagnosed because so many of the symptoms are common in other health problems and you can have a wide array of symptoms, making it more difficult to determine.

By the time you feel symptoms, your body’s supply of iron is already too low for your body to be healthy. The only sure way of diagnosing anemia is by having your doctor perform a blood test.

Most people who are diagnosed with anemia are labeled because they began to notice fatigue that hasn’t gone away. At first, most people blow off or explain away this very common symptom as having worked too hard or not getting enough rest.

When you have anemia, you become fatigued because you’re not getting the right amount of oxygen, so that makes it difficult for your body to work right. You feel sluggish even doing simple tasks and you feel tired, but not necessarily sleepy.

Anemia causes the skin to become abnormally pale and it can also cause people to experience dizziness. You may have a sensation of the room spinning even when you’re lying down.

You may also experience a sense that you’re walking off balance. Experiencing dizziness is one of the most common symptoms found in anemia that’s caused by an iron deficiency.

People with anemia can also experience mood swings, especially irritability and periods of extreme lethargy. Difficulty concentrating can also be a symptom of anemia. You might also notice that your hands and feet are cold or you have trouble getting them warm enough to feel comfortable.

At night, you might also notice restless legs, leg cramps or charley horses in your muscles. Having frequent headaches can occur because the brain isn’t getting enough oxygen.

Feeling like you can’t breathe well, like you can’t draw in a deep enough breath can also be a sign of anemia. Chest pain, fast heartbeat and an arrhythmia can occur when someone has anemia because a the heart isn’t getting the oxygen it needs from the blood cells.

People who have anemia can experience muscle weakness ranging from mild to severe. If you struggle to lift a half gallon pot of water by the handle using one hand, that can be a sign that you have muscle weakness.

One of the lesser-known symptoms of anemia is a mild to severe craving for ice. Called pagophagia, this type of pica occurs when the body doesn’t have enough iron.

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