Sleep Problems And Anemia

[singswtharmony]

Hello everyone --

I was just recently diagnosed with Celiac disease, although I have more latent problems so far, and not so much the digestive stuff (although some of that, too). The only reason why my doctor caught it was because I was severely anemic, and she ran some more tests to see if it was a secondary symptom of something else. Turns out the "something else" was celiac disease. A biopsy later confirmed it.

You'd think that being anemic would mean that I would be more tired and sleeping more than most people, and I'm definitely tired during the work day. But recently, in the past year, I've had the problem of waking up several times in the night, which prohibits me from getting any REM sleep, so I don't get much recuprative rest.

So I end up being very tired, with dark circles under my eyes, yet I continually wake up during the night as well. I'm about to start iron supplements, and I'm hoping this will help, but I thought that it actually might be a side effect of my Celiac's.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[Ruth]

Persistent anemia also led to my diagnosis.

I also was really tired during the day --- but restless at night. Also, during that time my kids were babies and so that's mostly why my sleep was interrupted!

You sound like you have a very good doctor to suspect and diagnos celiac disease based on anemia.

Iron supplements did help after going gluten-free. Prior to going gluten-free I wasn't absorbing them. I took Nature's Made iron supplements. They are gluten-free. I no longer need them! For the first time in my adult life I am not anemic. I do sleep better, have much more energy during the day, and a host of minor health issues (fibromyalgia) have also gone away!

Definetly check with your doctor on how much you should take. Make sure it's o.k. with other meds, etc.

Best of luck!

[plantime]

Severe and persistent anemia makes you very tired, and it interferes with your sleep. You will not sleep deeply, and you will wake up many times during the night. Iron supplements alone will not do the trick, you probably need all of the vitamins and minerals. Talk to your doctor about getting a liquid supplement that will be easier for your body to absorb, and make sure it covers all of the bases.