www.womanthismonth.com November 2016 44 LIFESTYLE | wellbeing Whether you are super-mum, super-student, supercareer-woman, or a lethal combination of any two (or all three, for that matter), chances are that ‘I’m exhausted’ and ‘I could use a nap’ cross your overworked mind many times during the day. Well, copious amounts of caffeine may not be the long-term solution to avoid a serious burnout. Dr Sunil J Rao, pictured, far right, an expert in internal medicine at Royal Bahrain Hospital says tiredness and exhaustion are symptoms frequently encountered by women and are common reasons for consulting a physician. He discusses the plausible physiological causes, ranging from the most basic to the not-so-common. Iron Woman “Iron is an important component of haemoglobin, the red pigment in our red blood cells that helps to carry oxygen to our For those of us whose energy levels flag, Behnaz Sanjana brings you the how and why for sprightlier days. Beat The Slump tissues,” says Dr Rao. A deficiency in iron is termed as anaemia and is a consequence of inadequate oral intake of the mineral (through a healthy diet or supplementation), together with the loss of iron in the body during the menstrual cycles. In rare cases, this may be caused by a chronic loss of blood through the urinary or gastrointestinal tract. “As the levels of iron in the blood reduce, the body empties the iron stores from the bone (ferritin), to maintain the level of haemoglobin. Further deficiencies cause low levels of haemoglobin in addition to low levels of ferritin in the bone,” he adds. Anaemia can be confirmed through a simple blood test. “Your physician will check for your haemoglobin levels in addition to other iron parameters in the blood and ferritin to confirm a diagnosis of iron deficiency. It can be treated with a course of iron supplements taken orally,” explains Dr Rao. The most commonly seen symptoms of anaemia are lethargy, shortness of breath, a pale complexion and heart palpitations.
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