
Rapid fatigue and constant drowsiness for no objective reason can signal a deficiency of vitamins and trace elements in the body.
To get rid of such unpleasant manifestations, you need to replenish the stocks of useful substances.
Deficiency of minerals, vitamins and drowsiness
Common causes of chronic sleepiness:
intensive sports training;
lack of sleep;
stress, excitement, anxiety;
insufficient rest;
illness;
the effects of taking certain medications;
high sensitivity to time;
hormonal deficiencies;
bad habits;
lack of oxygen.
You probably remember the long voyages to discover new lands. Then, due to a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables, sailors developed scurvy.
The disease began with exposure of the gums, muscle pain. Later, if enough vitamin C is not taken, the outcome is fatal.
In fact, many more men died from this than from fighting with natives. Vitamin C was discovered in 1934, and in 1933, vitamin B12 (cobalamin) was discovered.
In the 20th century, more vitamins were discovered, and scientists were awarded Nobel Prizes.
Here are some of the symptoms that betray a lack of vitamins:
Weak nails and hair.
We have already written that the appearance of nails can determine the overall state of health of a person.
Healthy nails look smooth and evenly colored.
As people get older, vertical lines often occur or nails become more fragile.
It is harmless and not a symptom of disease. Spots that are caused by injury grow with the nail.
Nails are only a small piece of the puzzle of the human body.
Their appearance is never enough to make a specific diagnosis, but it can be beneficial to doctors who, together with other symptoms, a physical examination and various tests, can specify the disease.
Pale nails, for example, are common in iron-deficiency anemia, white nails are due to liver diseases, yellow ones are associated with a fungal infection, bluish ones indicate a lack of oxygen, transverse white lines appear in arsenic poisoning, etc.
Cracks in the corner of the mouth.
They are caused by a lack of iron, vitamins B1 and B3. Diversify your menu with more green leafy vegetables and poultry. Vitamin C is known for its benefits for the skin.
Bleeding gums.
Before you start buying specialized toothpastes and mouthwashes, see if this is due to a lack of vitamin C.
This is the first sign of scurvy. In fact, gums are a type of connective tissue made up of gingivial fibers collagen, and a lack of vitamin C stops the synthesis of new collagen and therefore teeth begin to wobble.
Bacteria collect in the subgingival pockets, which lead to the development of subgingival caries.
Keep in mind that smoking requires you to take more vitamin C and can also cause gum problems.
Weakening of vision.
It can also be due to a lack of vitamins.
Lack of vitamin A leads to night blindness, in which it is difficult for a person to distinguish objects after dusk.
On the other hand, once they enter the eye, the signals are transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve.
VitaminB12 lips lead to damage to the myelin sheath of this nerve and optic neuropathy with blurred vision.
Early graying of hair.
Just as skin color is different for different races and ethnicities, there is a difference in the years when graying of hair begins.
We are talking about early graying in people under 30 years old in Europeans and people with white skin, under 40 years old for Asians and under 50 years old in African-Americans.
Sometimes this is due to genetic factors and smoking.
Hair follicles are formed during human embryonic development.
They are located in the middle layer of the skin – the dermis.
Scientific studies prove that a lack of vitamin B12 can lead to hair discoloration even in 3-year-old children, as well as teenagers.
Alopecia.
A person has between 100 and 150,000 hairs on the scalp of his head.
We have the right to worry when more than 100 hairs fall out daily. This may be due to a lack of vitamins B3 and B6.
Difficult wound healing.
With a deeper injury to the skin, in which bleeding is observed, tissue is lost. Regeneration processes follow.
Collagen is the body’s glue that sticks to and restores the skin’s former appearance. As we said, vitamin C plays a particularly important role in the synthesis of new collagen.
And how the wounds heal depends on special topographic lines on the body, called Langer lines.
For planned and plastic surgeries, surgeons take them into account so that the scars are as noticeable as possible.
Scientific studies prove that in such situations, smoking, which depletes vitamins from the body, should be stopped a few weeks before a planned operation.
In diabetes, collagen from the skin binds to glucose and this makes wound healing in diabetics complicated and in longer terms.
Chronic canker sores (aphthous stomatitis).
In this case, the canker sores are not caused by the Herpes simplex virus.
Various changes in the mouth and on the inside of the cheeks indicate that it may also be a symptom of vitamin B deficiency
Changes in language.
Pale tongue – there is not enough hemoglobin in the blood. Pay attention if it is too smooth.
If you feel tired and subject to lethargy, increase your intake of foods rich in iron and vitamin. Bright red tongue – one of the possible causes is inflammation.
It may be due to a deficiency of B vitamins such as B3, B9 (folic acid) and B12 (cobalamin). Purple tongue – the likelihood of high cholesterol levels, low blood oxygen level and poor blood supply.
All this leads to stagnation of blood in the tongue. It is possible that the color has also been changed under the influence of medications, as well as aggressive food colorants. White tongue – a sign of dehydration.
It may be due to smoking or alcohol. White plaque is a sign of a fungal infection and is treated locally. It is common among newborns (thrush). Black tongue – overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria.
It occurs after prolonged use of antibiotics. It is often enough to scrape off the bacterial plaque or use mouthwash. Probiotics, which are mainly used to improve the intestinal flora, can also help.
The texture of the healthy tongue is smooth with visible taste papillae. See what the appearance of the tongue is in the absence of vitamin B12.
High blood pressure.
It can be caused by a lack of vitamin D. In addition to sunlight, you can get it from foods such as wild salmon, tuna, beef liver, egg yolk.
Fatigue, muscle weakness, rapid and irregular heartbeat, chest pain, shortness of breath, feeling cold – these are signs of anemia.
Besides iron from food or medication, you can with intake of water-soluble B vitamins. Vitamin B9 is more commonly known as folic acid and is often prescribed during pregnancy. Anaemia can also be malignant, caused by a lack of an intrinsic factor to aid the absorption of vitamin B12. The story on the discovery of vitamin B12 is again related to disease. Back in 1824 a fatal form of anaemia associated with degeneration of the stomach was described by J.S. Combe in Edinburgh in the article “History of a Case of Anaemia”. Similar reports of a similar fatal disease were also described in 1849. By 1872 a malignant anaemia was being spoken of, the end of which was inevitably fatal. Years later, after testing on anaemic dogs, the raw liver diet was introduced. This led to the Nobel Prize in 1934 for George Hoyt Whipple, George Richards Minot, William Parry Murphy. In 1948, two scientific teams working independently of each other in the US and the UK managed to isolate its crystalline form and named it B12. In 1955, Dorothy Hodgkin (1910-1994) a British chemist, was able to study the complex chemical structure of this large molecule using X-ray crystallography. She was the third woman chemist to receive the Nobel Prize. In 1964, she was awarded for both B12 and for determining the structure of penicillin.
Excessive sweating.
There are many reasons for such a condition, including thyroid problems.
However, sometimes this can be due to a deficiency of vitamin D. In such situations, droplets of sweat can break out even when sitting in front of your laptop.
Changes in gait, staggering, dizziness, dragging of the leg.
All this happens not only to people who have overdone it with alcohol.
This is collectively called Ataxia and also includes speech disorders, handwriting distortions, etc.
In addition to touching your nose with your index finger, you should also touch the tip of the index finger of the neurologist (or a friend or relative) as soon as possible, as he can displace it.
Another method of determination is by specific clapping of hands. The patient should strike one hand against the other, turning it palm-back-palm-back).
Those suffering from dynamic ataxia lose rhythm and fail to cope. It can also be carried out like this:
Fragile and brittle bones.
In addition to the familiar calcium and vitamin D, you can accelerate their healing with a proper diet.
Appearance of hernias
In fact, they are a weakness of the connective tissue. Again, we can help with vitamin C intake, avoiding smoking, more foods with protein, collagen intake.
Insufficient muscle mass.
Vitamin D and advice from professional fitness instructors come to the rescue.
Vitamin C overdose.
We are familiar with the benefits of vitamin C. It can be purchased without a prescription. It is included in the composition of many multivitamins.
But in some cases, more is not better. Research proves that vitamin C (ascorbic acid) changes the pH and causes the metal ion of vitamin B12 to split off. It is therefore advisable to take these 2 vitamins separately.
Seasonal affective disorder (which is common with changing seasons), suicidal thoughts, sadness, melancholy, panic attacks.
Before you think about seeing a psychiatrist, you can get specialized testing for vitamin D, folic acid (vitamin B9), cobalamin (vitamin B12), niacin (vitamin B3).
Usually, these tests are not paid for by the NHIF. But once a year you are obliged to have a preventive examination with your GP. It includes a Complete Blood Count (PCC). RDW and MCV values can tell you if you are deficient in these vitamins.
Chapped lips can suggest a lack of vitamin B2.
Take a close look at the inside of your eyelids.
Usually the color is pink. Excessive pallor is a signal of anemia caused by a lack of iron and folic acid.
Too red color indicates circulatory disorders or damage to the digestive system.
Of course, the best option is to get everything you need through food and not have to rely on dietary supplements. But in the case of worrying symptoms, a lack of vitamin D is the least evil.Follow our Facebook group for mutual help – We HELP everyone with tried and tested folk recipes here –
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