Kick your hibernation habit this spring

Do you wake up feeling tired before your day has even started? Do you hit snooze on your alarm clock until the very last minute? The spring months bring with them longer days and milder weather but it can still be hard to break out of hibernation mode. When that Monday morning feeling stays with you till Friday, it’s time to look at the underlying causes.

One of the first symptoms of iron deficiency is tiredness*. A government report shows that 91% of women aged between 19 and 64 years are consuming less than the RDA of iron**. That doesn’t necessarily mean being anaemic, fatigue can begin long before anaemia sets in.

People who are iron insufficient get tired very easily because their bodies are short of oxygen. Iron builds haemoglobin and myeglobin (parts of the blood which capture and carry oxygen around the body and help muscle cells to store it). The oxygen burns our internal fuel for energy and is needed for proper cell growth and development.

Supplementation may be the answer for those who are finding it hard to include enough iron rich foods in their diet. Yet conventional iron supplements can have unpleasant side effects such as constipation, stomach upset or headaches.

Spatone is a unique natural iron containing spa water found in the Welsh mountains of Snowdonia National Park and, as a food, can easily replace the missing iron from your diet. The iron in Spatone is so easily absorbed you need only take small quantities to get your entire average Actual Daily Requirement, which is how you avoid the common side effects – making it completely safe for pregnant women and children and convalescents***.

Spatone is available from Boots, Holland and Barrett and independent health food stores and pharmacies, price £6.49 for 28 sachets (4 weeks supply).

*Netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/anaemiairon.htm

**The National Diet & Nutrition Survey: adults aged 19 to 64 years (2003). Carried out in Great Britain on behalf of the Food Standards Agency and the Departments of Health by the Social Survey Division

***The absorption rate of iron is regulated by the amount required by the body i.e. the more you need the more you will absorb. Any additional iron is excreted safely from the body