Serious Signs Anemic Individuals Often Exhibit

Insomnia

A commonly unthought-of manifestation of anemia is a disorder called insomnia. Insomnia is a sleep disorder where the affected individual has problems falling and or staying asleep. Although fatigue is the hallmark symptom of anemia, fatigue is not the same feeling as sleepiness. An affected individual can feel fatigued constantly, but they may not actually feel sleepy when it is time to go to sleep. In a sense, an individual who experiences constant fatigue may be too tired to actually fall asleep.

Additionally, many iron deficiency anemia patients suffer from restless leg syndrome. This syndrome is a condition characterized by the constant movement of the legs that occurs most often at night when trying to sleep. These movements occur because the affected individual feels an uncomfortable sensation in their legs that is alleviated by leg movements. Because of these sensations, the patient moves their legs constantly making it challenging to fall asleep. Furthermore, when either restless leg sensations or another form of stimuli wakes an anemic individual from sleep, they are often unable to fall back to sleep.

Discover another indication of anemia now.

Pica

Pica is an eating disorder where the affected individual consumes substances that do not contain any nutritional value and may not be considered food on a regular basis. Pica may be an indication of anemia due to the fact many forms of anemia are the result of a nutritional deficiency. When the body is deficient in a nutrient, the brain often attempts to compensate in an unusual way by making non-food substances desirable to the individual. The body does this intending to ingest something that can replenish the shortage of the said nutrient.

Substances often consumed by individuals who have pica include soap, hair, wool, chalk, paint, metal, charcoal, clay, ice, paper, cloth, string, soil, talcum powder, gum, pebbles, ash, sand, and starch. In order for a diagnosis of pica to be made, the pattern of eating the non-food substance must last for a minimum of one month. Often times, individuals with pica induced by anemia will also present with symptoms like nausea, abdominal pain, bloating, and fatigue. These additional symptoms occur due to the effects of the repeated ingestion of a non-food substance on their digestive organs.