Long Covid: Dr Chris gives advice on supplements to fight fatigue
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Lack of sleep is not the only factor involved if you are constantly tired. It’s normal to go through phases when you feel tired often and normally we can blame work, relationship issues, bereavement, a new baby, stress, poor mental health or too many late nights. If you don’t see any reason why you’d be tired, you could be vitamin deficient. Express.co.uk reveals the best five supplements to take if you’re tired all the time.
If you can’t put your finger on why you’re so tired, the fatigue could be a result of vitamin deficiency.
Although there’s no evidence that taking extra vitamins and minerals will give you extra energy, being deficient in specific vitamins and minerals can result in excessive tiredness.
Express.co.uk reveals the best five supplements to take if you’re tired all the time.
B12
Vitamin B12 is needed in the body to produce healthy red blood cells, so if you’re low in Vitamin B12 you could become anaemic.
When you’re anaemic, you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to your body’s tissues.
This makes you feel tired and weak and no amount of sleep can fix it.
The best way to get B12 in your diet is to eat meat, eggs, fish, shiitake mushrooms and dairy products.
It becomes harder to absorb B12 as you get older or have specific illnesses such as inflammatory bowel disease.
If you’re vegan or vegetarian you’re more likely to be low in B12, and you can take Vitamin B12 in supplement form or via injection.
Iron
Lack of iron, normally as a result of blood loss or pregnancy, can cause tiredness and lack of energy.
Iron deficiency anaemia is found in around five percent of girls aged 11 to 18 years old.
If you have iron deficiency anaemia, your red blood cell count is low and you’ll need iron tablets to replace the missing iron.
Your GP can test you for deficiency and prescribe you strong tablets to take for six months alongside orange juice.
Vitamin D
One in five Brits have low Vitamin D levels, so your tiredness could well be blamed by low levels of the vitamin.
If you don’t have enough Vitamin D, your bone and muscle strength will be poor and you’ll have a higher risk of poor musculoskeletal health such as rickets, osteomalacia and falls.
Your body can produce the vitamin itself when your skin comes into contact with sunlight, but there aren’t many ways to get it through food.
Vitamin D can be found in tuna, salmon and fortified products such as milk, orange juice and cereals, but the easiest way to make sure you get enough vitamin D is step outside for 15 to 20 minutes a day.
Alternatively, you can take vitamin D supplements to boost your energy, immunity and strength.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C can’t be made by the body, making it an essential part of the diet.
This vitamin is essential for the health and repairs of your skin, bone, teeth and cartilage.
Fatigue is one of the earliest signs of Vitamin C deficiency, alongside red gums, easy bruising and bleeding, joint pain and bumpy skin.
It is predicted that 25 percent of men and 16 percent of women in low-income or materially deprived populations have extremely low Vitamin C levels.
You’re more likely to be deficient in Vitamin C if you’re on a very restrictive diet, dependent on drugs or alcohol, smoke, or have a medical condition that affects the body’s ability to digest and absorb food such as Crohn’s disease.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A, also known as retinol, can’t be made by the body and must be taken in by eating foods rich in the vitamin.
You need Vitamin A for healthy skin, muscle building, healthy eyes and vision and to fight off infections.
Your body rebuilds muscles constantly and uses Vitamin A to do so, so you will feel fatigued if your body doesn’t have enough of it.
Stock up on milk, eggs, fish-liver oils, carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, mangoes and pistachios, or take supplements to top up on Vitamin A.
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