Feeling run down? Tired all the time?!
Question: I've been a bit run down recently. I've had a touch of the cold for weeks now, which neither seems to be getting any worse, or any better. I've had sore heads all week (perhaps due to period pain) and also seem to be tired all the time, and sleeping a lot - up to 12 hours some nights.
Would taking a vitamin help me? What type of vitamin supplement would be best? How long would it take to start working?
Is the tiredness/sore heads perhaps just due to my period? Does anyone else feel this way, or has done in the past?
Answers: I've been a bit run down recently. I've had a touch of the cold for weeks now, which neither seems to be getting any worse, or any better. I've had sore heads all week (perhaps due to period pain) and also seem to be tired all the time, and sleeping a lot - up to 12 hours some nights.
Would taking a vitamin help me? What type of vitamin supplement would be best? How long would it take to start working?
Is the tiredness/sore heads perhaps just due to my period? Does anyone else feel this way, or has done in the past?
Hi there Hoozahunny. You poor thing, yes taking a multi B complex supplement would vastly improve the way you are feeling.
Fatigue and exhaustion is a symptom of vitamin B12 deficiency. Eat more foods rich in this vitamin ie: organ meats such as lambs fry and kidneys, skimmed milks and cheeses, fish and eggs.
It is really important that you supplement your diet with a multi B complex tablet on a daily basis if you aren't eating a well balanced diet or if you are lactose intolerant or a vegetarian. The B complex of vitamins is essential for healthy immune, neural and digestive functioning. Get one including all the B's ie: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12 as they work best as a group.
The B complex of vitamins is a water soluble complex and as such our bodies can neither store or produce them. therefore, we need to ingest them on a daily basis or suffer the consequences as you unfortunately appear to be ....
When you take your daily supplement ensure that you take it with some type of calcium rich food ie: low fat cheese (which is really low in lactose) or milk or a calcium supplement as B12 needs calcium to be properly assimilated by the body......... also calcium needs vitamin D to be properly absorbed so get at least 10 minutes of sun each day or eat cold water fishes such as tuna, sardines, whiting and salmon. These fishes are also rich in magnesium, which is known as the antistress mineral .... which is another thing you need to focus on. Your stress levels. Your magnesium supplies are probably also low. Eat more foods rich in magnesium. ie: leafy and green vegies, nuts and seeds, wholegrains and cereals.
When our bodies are placed under added stress ie: sickness, new home, new job or just the grind of daily life really ...... the B complex of vitamins will usually be the first group to get used up and we therefore need to adjust our intake accordingly.
having your menses would also be depleting your vitamin B12 and iron supplies......... so increase your intake of vitamin B12 during these times.
Be carefull though, if you choose to also supplement your diet with an iron tablet as the liver has a hard time excreting too much iron from our bodies ..... you'd have to consult a Doctor if you did that.
................ Other symptoms of B complex deficiency you may be suffering from are excessive sweating, numbness and tingling and prickling sensations in the outer extremities (hands and feet and arms and legs), intolerable dry mouth, excessive urination and nighttime muscle spasms and leg cramps, insomnia, dizzy spells and loss of balance, inability to concentrate clearly, irritability and moodiness, nausea and vomiting, constipation, headaches and migraines, depression and even chest pains and heart palpitations......... !!
Quite scary actually if you don't reaise the vitamin factor.
When you are getting any stress related symptoms or any of the above mentioned symptoms simply take another vitamin B complex tablet. As they are water soluble, our bodies will simply excrete any excess in our urine.
Another good point to make here would be that if you are deficient in vitamin B12 then any iron that you are eating will never be assimilated (absorbed) effectively by your body as iron needs ample supplies of vitamin B12 for proper absorption. ..... therefore, you would also be exhibiting symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia.
Drinks loads of fresh filtered water too, as the healthiest and happiest body will always be the most hydrated one.
Try to cut back on the things that will rob you of your precious B complex of vitamins too ie: caffeine, sodas and soft drinks, alcohol are all brilliant B complex thieves ---- things such as the oral contraceptive, antidepressants, antibiotics, eostroegen supplementation, laxatives, aspirin, diuretics will also do a great job of robbing you of your B's.
****edit****
Oops !! About the cold .....
Have you made sure that you are supporting your immune system with the proper nutrition?? Your body needs the water soluble vitamins C and the B complex of vitamins replaced on a daily basis.
Go get yourself a powdered form of ascorbid acid (vitamin C) with bioflavonoids from either the health food store or chemist. The bioflavonoids will increase the effectiveness of vitamin C 10 fold. Have 3,000 - 4,000mg (3 - 4 teaspoons) daily mixed with water until the cold subsides then maintain your immunity with 1 teaspoon daily.
Most health food stores also sell a product called Zinc Fix which combines the power of vitamin C with Zinc in a powdered form. The Zinc bolsters the effects of vitamin C and this is my powder of choice for a cold.
Drink vitamin C rich rosehips tea as this is the richest known source of vitamin C. (the organic loose leaf variety - it may be a bit more expensive but as it is organic you can generally reuse the spent leaves a couple of times as the essential oils are so potent).
Increase your intake of vitamin C rich foods on a dialy basis to prevent any further infection ie: citrus fruits, berries, leafy and green vegies, tomatoes and red and green peppers.
Loads of freshly squeezed juices are good too.
Ensure you are drinking or eating something with Beta - carotene in it daily to heal quicker and in future to prevent further colds and infections, as Vitamin A will aid in the proper function of the immune system, shorten the duration of illnesses and generally bolster the health of the mucosal lining of your ear nose and throat ie: carrott juice, pumpkin soups, eggs, milk and dairy products.
happy holidays
Good luck
CHEERS
?
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tiredness and sort of a cold for weeks could be hundreds of things - a few serious. all i can suggest is that you go to the doc.
hiyer i always get really bad head aches and pain when I'm on my period and i take vitamin c all the time that usually helps me a whole lot. xx
sounds like you might be anemic,maybe you should ask the doc to prescribe you some iron tablets.
My mum gets very tired - she went to the doctor and he told her she had a vitamin B12 deficiency, and now she has monthly injections for it, and is much better.
I had headaches/tiredness for about 6 weeks, and went to the docs. I was referred to a neurologist who ran tests and said I just had a stubborn viral infection that was taking its time to clear - I just had to let it run its course. I'm now absolutely fine.
If you don't get enough vitamins in your diet then maybe consider taking multivitamins?
Either way I'd go visit the doc, just to rule out anything else.
Hope this helps
try ginseng tea..
also check if you have anemia
sore head/tiredness during period is common
go to the doctor. it could be anything: stress, anemia (low levels of iron in the blood), or even mononucleosis (sometims called mono or the kissing disease).
to be honest my first thought was mono.
See your Doctor. It could be any number of things, including anemia, or thyroid problems, which both require medication (for the thyroid) or iron (for anemia), but only a blood test would tell. It also could be a mild depression. And a doctor would have to diagnose the headaches too. GO TO A DOCTOR.
You could try taking a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement, but you know what, you could be a little bit anaemic, best to go to your docs and have a new year health check up, they would also be able to offer you advice about lifestyle changes and diet etc. If you have a persistent headache it could well be down to your period, I get a week long headache that doesn't shift no matter how many pills I take, but get your eyes checked as well, you could need glasses. It's January, loads of people are run down, a little bit blue after Christmas and all the over indulgence can leave you feeling tired and sluggish.
Women need iron, and the whole group of B vitamins will help you. B-1 B-6 B- 12 all are need for good sleeping and health for a women. Your doctor can give you a B-12 shot, or you can get it at a health food store in pill form about a day.
This is the same as drinking a energy drink, but from the body's blood system without the sugar and etc.
I was the same and now I take multi vitamins with iron, ginsinc, st johns wort and evening primrose oil vitamins, they start working quite quickly
having a cold for this amount of time probably needs to be checked with your dr. the headaches is possibly from a sinus infection due to the lingering cold! many people right now have this going on. it almost sounds like you have had a touch of the flu that is keeping you so exhausted! i would suggest a dr. visit where he can get you on an antibiotic if needed! also in the mean time try a womens multi vitamin. drink penty of fluids and eat a healthy diet. the vitamin will take a couple of weeks though to settle into your system. its never to late to start ! i hope you feel better soon!!!
You might be suffering a little depression, it makes you feel tired all the time and you sleep longer than usual. It can also make it take longer for you to heal from sicknesses.
Vitamins can help you immune system fight off the flu, but check with your doctor if its been on for longer than it should be. I usually get over a sickness after a day to a week.
Did you get your flu shot? I hope you did, my teacher says the flu virus changes every 2 months which is why we have to be immunized for the new viruses.
I think you might have gotten sore head due to your period since you bleed right, if you bleed more than usual you should see your doctor.
I have had a time where I felt like crap for a really long long time, then my aunt moved out and I got better again. The reason why was because the sickness kept passing in a circle from her family to ours. My brother also sleeps extremely long, he needs someone to wake him up or he will just keep sleeping. Once he only got 4 hours of wake time, today he had about 8. I had to pour water on his face. He didn't get mad, he knew it was to wake him up or he will keep sleeping.
Does your period come?
Sorry if I am wrong but it sounds like you are pregnant?
Pregnant women do feel like that.
I just wanna say what a fab imformative answer from minx.
Liked your question as I often feel tired and run down and have taken note of all her comments.
Well Done you !
take some vitamin c and if it doesnt get better after a while go and c a doctor
get well soon
Take a good B Complex 2 x a day (morning and late afternoon).
Oftentimes we are low on B vitamins and fatigue follows us around. You might also have low iron. Iron supplements can make you constipated though, and don't necessarily work that well. They may even be too much for what you need. But, a good handful of organic raisins a day will help with that. Also, good organic, non-alkali processed cocoa is a great source of iron. We get our from Frontier Coop and make a cup of hot chocolate daily (with turbinado, not white sugar). Then you also get a good dose of fiber.
Something else to consider is whether your adrenal function is low. You might want to read about it some. Or, you could be having some thyroid issues. The symptoms for both of those include fatigue, but other symptoms are obviously different. Both can be treated naturally. I used to have a website for comparing/listing symptoms, but not sure where I misplaced it. I'll look for it, and if I find it edit.
Finally, for the fatigue, it could be winter fatigue brought on from lack of sun, which translates into lack of Vit D. D will help elevate your mood if you get some. The best way is from the sun, but winter makes it hard to expose enough skin to absorb sunlight. So, find a D supplement to take.
For the cold symptoms, have a nice hot cup of mullein tea, available at health food stores. Take some extra Vit C - with meals. You can also increase your garlic intake and take a tsp of apple cider vinegar a day. We take ours in apple juice to make it palatable - only 100% juice though.
Make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Don't do refined sugars or artificial sweeteners. Use honey, molasses or turbinado. For a sugar substitute use the super sweet plant dirivitve Stevia.
Hope you find something to help re-energize you.