Feeling sleep-deprived? Try the Popeye diet to treat anaemia

by FSP Health team, 08 April 2013

If it's becoming harder to get out of bed in the mornings, you're not alone. The covers are warm, your brain hasn't kicked into gear yet, and it's a great feeling to snuggle down for just a few more minutes of sleep. But constant sleepiness could be a sign of anaemia - here's how to treat it with a diet full of iron-rich spinach!

More people are struggling to wake up and start the day when the alarm goes off.

Especially as winter’s just around the corner, meaning the sun’s rising later so we delay getting out of those warm covers for as long as possible.

In fact, UK company Premier Inn's sleep report shows that the average person hits the snooze button at 6.22am and gets out of bed 10 minutes later, says iAfrica.

Here’s why you shouldn’t hit the snooze button…

But ‘hitting snooze’ causes one in three to underperform at work as they’re so stressed about being late.

"Waking feeling refreshed and able to face your day is the hallmark of good quality sleep. If your alarm rings, it's telling you to get up but if your body is frequently too sleepy to respond, it’s probably telling you to go to bed earlier," adds iAfrica.

Feel like you hardly got any sleep? Tell your doctor

You’re likely to feel tired during the day when your immune system’s run down, especially when you have a cold, flu, or some other viral infection.

But if you struggle day after day to get out of bed and you’re not snuffly, pay attention.

If you have chronic fatigue, you’ll wake in the morning feeling as though you've not slept, even if you’ve had a full eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.

This could be a sign of a more serious sleep disorder, says WebMD.

Constant fatigue could be a sign of anaemia

And for women in their childbearing years, anaemia or iron deficiency is a common cause of fatigue.

This is especially true for women who have heavy menstrual cycles, fibroid tumours, or uterine polyps.

Because this excessive bleeding means your tissues and organs don't get enough oxygen, so you feel exhausted, unable to get up and be active.

Luckily, iron deficiency is easy to treat.

You can take iron supplements, and stock up on iron-rich foods like spinach, broccoli and red meat.

Taking vitamin C with your meals or with iron supplements can also help the iron to be better absorbed and improve your symptoms, explains WebMD.

Bonus: Vitamin C will help keep your skin healthy this winter as it brightens your skin, even out its tone, and fights off the free radicals that cause signs of aging, says FSP Health.

You’ll soon find you have more energy and it’s easier to stop sleeping in!

Tags: anaemia, sleep, fatigue, iron, iron deficiency

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