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😮‍💨 I Thought I Was Just Tired: The Overlap Between Burnout and Low Iron in Women

When exhaustion isn’t just in your head — or your schedule

“I’m just tired.”
It’s a phrase many women repeat to themselves daily between meetings, meals, and everything else that falls into the invisible workload. But what if that tiredness isn't just from doing too much?

What if it’s also a sign your body is running low on one of its most basic resources: iron?

This post explores how burnout and low iron symptoms can overlap, why they’re often missed in women, and how to start decoding your own energy levels with more clarity.

🧠 1. What Burnout Feels Like

Burnout isn’t just about stress it’s a deeper state of physical, emotional, and mental depletion. Signs include:

  • Constant fatigue, even after rest

  • Feeling emotionally flat or numb

  • Brain fog and forgetfulness

  • Low motivation or irritability

  • Trouble sleeping or waking up tired

Many women experience burnout in silence, often blaming themselves or brushing it off as "just life."

🩸 2. What Low Iron or Ferritin Feels Like

Iron is essential for carrying oxygen in your blood. When it’s low (even if not anaemic), your body might show signs such as:

  • Extreme tiredness or heaviness in the body

  • Shortness of breath during normal tasks

  • Change in skin or dark circles

  • Feeling cold more often

  • Heart palpitations or dizziness

Low ferritin (your stored iron) is especially common in women who menstruate, are postpartum, or follow plant-based diets and it’s often not checked unless you push for it.

⚖️ 3. The Symptom Overlap

Here’s where it gets tricky:
Fatigue. Brain fog. Mood changes. Sleep issues. These can all be symptoms of either burnout or low iron or both happening at once.

This is why so many women blame themselves, or believe they just need to "try harder," when what they may actually need is:

  • A ferritin blood test

  • A break

  • A nutrition review

  • Or all three

🥗 4. What Can Help

If any of this resonates with you, know that support is possible. You might try:

  • Speaking to your GP: Ask for a full iron panel including ferritin, not just haemoglobin.

  • Reviewing your meals: Iron-rich foods include red meat, lentils, beans, spinach, pumpkin seeds, and tofu.

  • Pairing iron with vitamin C: This helps absorption. Avoid tea/coffee with iron-rich meals.

  • Resting without guilt: True rest isn’t earned. Your body might be asking for it.

  • Considering a supplement (only after testing): Some women need this to rebuild levels, especially after heavy periods or postpartum.

🌿 Final Thought

If your body feels like it’s dragging through the day, don’t dismiss it as weakness or laziness. There’s wisdom in your fatigue. Whether it’s burnout, low iron, or both it’s worth looking into.

You’re not just tired. You’re tired of being tired. And that matters.

📚 Further Reading

💬 Let’s Talk

Have you ever been told your tiredness was "just stress" only to find out something else was going on? What helped you get clarity? Share your story below your experience could help someone else feel less alone.

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How to Know When Your Body Is Out of Balance

Subtle signs your hormones or gut might be telling you something

We’re often taught to only take our health seriously when something dramatic happens a diagnosis, a sudden illness, a test result that confirms what we already felt. But truthfully, our bodies are speaking to us all the time. We just haven’t been taught how to listen.

Things like hormone shifts or gut changes don’t always hit hard right away. They usually start small. This post is here to help you catch the early signs that something might be off.

🌀 1. You're Constantly Tired (Even After Rest)

If you’re waking up tired or crashing in the middle of the day, something might be out of balance. It could be your energy levels, stress hormones, blood sugar, or even your thyroid a small gland that helps manage how your body uses energy. Constant tiredness isn’t just “normal” adult life. It’s a sign your body might be asking for help.

🍞 2. You Feel Bloated After Eating (Even “Healthy” Foods)

Persistent bloating isn’t normal. If your tummy often feels tight, gassy, or uncomfortable even after “healthy” meals it could be a sign your digestion isn’t working smoothly. This might be because of certain foods, stress, or the balance of bacteria (good vs. bad bacteria) in your gut. You don’t have to just live with it your gut may need some support.

🌡️ 3. Your Mood Is All Over the Place

Do you ever feel snappy, low, or anxious for no clear reason? Hormones like oestrogen, progesterone, or cortisol (your stress hormone) can affect how you feel emotionally. Most of the “happy chemical” serotonin is actually made in your gut, not your brain. That means if your digestion is struggling, your mood might be too.

🩸 4. Your Period Has Changed

Has your cycle suddenly become heavier, lighter, more painful, or irregular? Changes in your period can reflect shifts in hormone levels, especially oestrogen and progesterone. They may also hint at conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, or perimenopause depending on your age and symptoms. Either way, it’s worth paying attention to.

🍬 5. You Crave Sugar or Carbs Constantly

Cravings don’t mean you’re weak they mean your body is out of rhythm. Strong, frequent cravings can signal blood sugar imbalances, cortisol spikes, or dysbiosis (especially candida overgrowth in the gut). It’s not just a lack of willpower your body may be stuck in a loop of needing quick energy. If you constantly want sugar, snacks, or comfort food, it could be that your blood sugar isn’t steady, or your gut is overrun with bacteria that love sugar. It’s not just in your head cravings are real signals.

💊 6. You're Getting More Infections (or Struggling with Thrush or BV)

Frequent yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, or even UTIs may be linked to gut and vaginal microbiome imbalances. Antibiotics, stress, diet, and hormones can all throw this delicate balance off.

✨ Listening Is the First Step

These symptoms don’t always mean something is “wrong” but they are signs that something might be off. Your body’s not broken. It’s adapting, adjusting, asking for help.

The good news? With the right information and support, balance can be restored.

That’s what Her Health Decoded is here for to help you notice the patterns, ask better questions, and feel more in tune with your own body.

📚 Further Reading

For those who want to explore this topic more deeply:

💬 Let’s Talk

Have you noticed any of these signs in your own body? What have you learned about yourself in the process?
Leave a comment or join the mailing list to be part of the ongoing conversation.

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