Monthly Archives: April 2016

Pediatric Migraine Tips for Parents

April 20, 2016Migraine HeadachesHeadache types, Help for migraines, Pediatric migraineLinda

Pediatric migraine symptoms are frightening and debilitating, Worse, many doctors don’t know how to treat pediatric migraine in small children or teens.

Pediatric migraines are different

When children get migraines, their symptoms are often much different than the ones experienced by their parents or other adult migraine sufferers.

With children, migraine attacks usually occur in the stomach. Most of the time, kids with migraines report feeling suddenly sick to their stomach, fatigued, and feeling the urge to vomit right away. Most- nearly 80 percent- have a very hard time focusing on school work because of a migraine attack, and their grades and attendance suffer as a result.

How common are pediatric migraines?

Migraines seem to increase with age, although it’s hard to be certain, as children under the age of five have difficulty explaining symptoms to their parents that may indicate migraine.

Only about 3 percent of preschool kids get migraines, but that number escalates to 11 percent by the time they reach grade school. Among high school students, nearly a quarter experience frequent migraine headaches, fatigue, dizziness, stomach pain, and extreme sensitivity to bright lights.

Just as with adults, most teen migraine sufferers are females.

Do migraine drugs help children?

Currently, there is no clear evidence that migraine preventive medications for adults can help children, as well. Though the FDA approves the use of antiseizure drugs (Topamax), antidepressants (Elavil), and calcium channel blockers (Covera) to help prevent migraine attacks in adults, many studies show that for pediatric migraines, prescription medications aren’t always the best option.

Recently, scientists studied the effects of migraine prophylaxis medications on children with “episodic migraines,” migraine attacks that occur fewer than 15 times per month.

For the study, researchers focused on anticonvulsant medications, antidepressants, calcium channel blockers, antihistamines, NSAIDs, and drugs for high blood pressure- all of which are often prescribed for adult migraine prevention.

In most cases, the placebo was most effective at reducing the rate of migraine attacks in children, while the migraine preventive treatments had virtually no effect.

Study co-author Dr. Jeffrey Jackson concluded that despite the amount of research we have collected over the years on the best ways to prevent migraines, we really know very little on how to help children who suffer debilitating migraine headaches.

“It’s very discouraging. I was rather shocked to see, quite frankly, how few studies were done among children with headaches, and that the handful of studies we have suggest that the benefits of these drugs, if any, aren’t really big.” -Jackson

When asked to comment on side effects associated the migraine prophylaxis meds, Dr. Jackson agrees that parents shouldn’t rush to administer the pill right away.

“These medicines are kind of nasty. Some cause dry mouth, or fatigue, or problems with concentrating. They’re not really medicines you would want your vibrant teen to be on if they’re not working.”

So, what does help?

Experts agree that natural prevention is your best defense against migraines, for children as well as for adults.

As a parent, you can best help your child by helping her to become familiar with common migraine triggers in food. Caffeine can sometimes make headaches worse, or it can provide relief; it’s different for each individual. Overripe fruits, chocolate, and deli meats are typical menu items that can guarantee a migraine attack. To find out which foods should be cut out, try putting your child on an elimination (restrictive) diet.

Irregular eating and sleeping patterns are common culprits. Does your child sleep the same hours each day, or does she go to bed late on weekends? Does she ever skip meals? The migraine brain hates change, so instilling a rigid sleep and eating schedule is a good way to prevent migraine attacks from occurring.

Stress is a big contributor to migraines, as well. While stressful situations don’t actually cause migraine headaches, they do make them more likely to occur.

If your child gets migraines with aura, then teach her how to recognize the symptoms and use them to her benefit. Flashing, twinkling or shifting light patterns, dizziness, and speech slurring are all cues that a migraine is approaching. At school, your child should ask to see the nurse and explain that she is having a migraine aura, and needs a few minutes to lie down with the lights turned off.

Many parents have also found that natural supplements help with pediatric migraines. Herbs such as butterbur are safe for children and adults alike, and cause no harmful side effects. Other helpful nutrients for migraines in children include magnesium, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), and coenzyme Q10.

Nevertheless, please consult in a doctor before trying out any new migraine treatment for your child, including natural vitamins, minerals, and herbs.

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What medications have you found to be most helpful for preventing migraines in your child/children? Do you and your child both suffer from migraine attacks?

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Can Vitamin B12 Help Pain and Numbness?

April 15, 2016Chronic Painnerve pain treatments, Pain relief cream, Vitamin B12 BenefitsLinda

Can Vitamin B12 Help Pain and Numbness? Painful numbness and tingling in the hands and feet are classic symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency.

Can vitamin B12 help with pain?Absolutely.

Many people who suffer from constant “pins and needles” and muscle spasms don’t realize their vitamin B12 levels are plummeting- not until they start experiencing more alarming signs of severe vitamin B12 deficiency that could be prevented with early supplementation.

Vitamin B12 is one of the most important nutrients for your nervous system- it helps to maintain myelin, a fatty protective coating that surrounds your individual nerve synapses. With vitamin B12 deficiency, myelin slowly erodes, exposing your peripheral nervous system to damage and loss of nerve cells.

Nerve damage

Signs of nerve cell damage- peripheral neuropathy- include slower nervous reflexes, painful tinging in the extremities (fingers, hands, toes, feet, and tongue), muscle twitches, feet constantly “falling asleep,” muscle pain, difficulty walking straight, and increased “clumsiness” (dropping things).

Pain and numbness are just some of the initial symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency that affect your nervous system. Untreated, it can lead to demyelination, a symptom shared with multiple sclerosis (MS) and pernicious (vitamin B12) anemia, resulting in immobility and other extreme handicaps.

For that reason, it’s important to be able to recognize all the earliest signs of vitamin B12 deficiency and act on it.

Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms

In addition to pain and numbness in the extremities, other signs of low vitamin B12 include:

Memory loss
Forgetfulness
Depression
Anxiety
Fatigue
Brain fog
Poor concentration
Gait disturbances
Heart palpitations
Shallow breathing

Treatment

Most people find immediate relief when vitamin B12 levels are restored. The most effective method of supplementing with vitamin B12 is instant absorption into the bloodstream, as opposed to taking vitamin B12 tablets or pills.

Many over-the-counter sources of rapidly dissolving vitamin B12 are available as a gentle alternative to vitamin B12 injections.

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Please tell us

Do you notice that your fingers and legs are constantly falling asleep, and then suffer from extreme pain as they “wake up?” Have you checked your vitamin B12 levels lately with a blood test?

Vertigo and Dizziness with Migraines

April 14, 2016Migraine HeadachesMigraine symptoms, Migraine triggers, Vertigo and dizzinessLinda

Experiencing vertigo and dizziness with migraines? Migraines affect millions of Americans with crushing headaches and other devastating ailments that make it difficult to work or function normally.

Vertigo and Dizziness with Migraines Headaches

Migrainous vertigo, a vestibular disorder causing dizziness, nausea, and balance problems strikes a large percentage of migraine patients.

Migraine associated vertigo (MAV)

Though it’s not always accepted as an indicator of migraine illness, dizziness and vertigo are common vascular side effects that occur often in people with a history of migraine attacks. Many doctors use a patient’s headache frequency as the measuring stick of chronic migraines, not taking into account other comorbid conditions that occur even without the prevalence of strong head pain.

Vertigo associated with migraines can point to a deeper underlying problem that requires medical attention, or at least signify the need for a change in migraine treatment.

Vestibular migraine

Nearly 35% of migraine sufferers experience vestibular disturbances such as dizziness, vertigo, and other balance issues. Scientists have seen high correlations between migraine disorder and a variety of illnesses that cause wooziness, unsteadiness, light-headed sensations, and confusion.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and Ménière’s disease are examples of vestibular dysfunctions that occur often in people with chronic or episodic migraines.

Vertigo symptoms

Symptoms of vestibular disorders that may occur with migraine include:

Dizziness
Vertigo- a sensation that the room is spinning, similar to intoxication, even while lying, sitting, or standing still
Sensitivity to movement of the head
Motion sickness
Extreme sensitivity to bright lights and loud noises
Vision problems
Difficulty keeping balance, disequilibrium
Tinnitus or Ménière’s disease- ear ringing, headaches, ear fullness
Neck pain and muscle spasms
Confusion
Loss of spatial awareness
Anxiety

Testing and treatment

If you experience vertigo or dizziness before, during, or after a migraine attack, then speak to a physician immediately. He may want to order diagnostic tests to rule out stroke, concussion, or brain tumor.

For help, your doctor may recommend a visit to a neurologist, osteopath, or vestibular rehabilitation therapists.

Lifestyle modifications can help improve your tolerance for pain and help with migraine management. These include light exercise, meditation, reducing migraine triggers in diet, and supplementing with vitamins, minerals, and herbs that benefit migraine-specific neurological functioning.

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Please tell us…

If you suffer from migraine, do you also experience severe dizziness, even without headaches?

What helps to relieve dizziness and nausea?

Vitamin B12 and your Sex Drive

April 13, 2016Fertility and Pregnancyfertility, vitamin B12 absorption, Vitamin B12 DeficiencyLinda

Vitamin B12 and your Sex Drive: If your libido is low, then you may need for vitamin B12- it’s great for fertility and sustaining a healthy sex drive! Conversely, vitamin B12 deficiency can have the opposite effect, making it harder to conceive and carry a baby to full term.

Let’s talk about Vitamin B12

When you think about vitamin B12 deficiency, you normally link it with fatigue, memory loss, depression, and that annoying painful numbness in your hands, feet, arms, and legs. These symptoms can be debilitating, and won’t go away until you replenish your vitamin B12 levels.

But few people realize that vitamin B12 also plays an important part in your reproductive system functioning. With so much focus on the importance of taking plenty of folic acid, another B vitamin, during pregnancy, much of the attention is taken away from the necessity to also get plenty of vitamin B12 before, during, and after pregnancy.

Vitamin B12 not only increases energy, revving up your sex drive, but it also promotes good fertility. In studies where women suffering from severe vitamin B12 anemia were trying to conceive, most saw positive results after supplementing with more vitamin B12.

In men, vitamin B12 deficiency can lower sperm count and impair erectile functioning.

Having babies

Scientists believe that vitamin B12, along with other essential B vitamins boost the sex drive by regulating sex hormones, keeping them in good balance to enable fertility.

Likewise, a deficiency in vitamin B12 can cause symptoms that negatively affect your ability to procreate, including low libido, impotence, difficulty conceiving a baby, depression, anxiety, miscarriages, premature births, and increased risk for birth defects and failure to thrive.

Get checked!

Before planning a family, it’s vitally important to make sure you don’t have vitamin B12 deficiency. If your blood test comes out positive or you experience some of the telltale signs of vitamin B12 deficiency, then increase your vitamin B12 uptake before trying to have a baby, and continue through the rest of your pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency to look out for:

Depression
Poor sex drive, loss of interest
Anxiety
Brain fog
Memory loss
Poor concentration
Constant fatigue
Painful tingling and numbness, particularly in hands and feet
Sore, burning red tongue
Difficulty walking in a straight line
Muscle pain, spasms
Decreased muscular coordination
Frequent miscarriages
Fertility problems

More on B12 deficiency

Have you noticed any of the symptoms mentioned, but didn’t know what they mean? For many, a diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency comes as a shock.

That’s because many of us eat a healthy diet with lots of protein foods that supply vitamin B12. Yet, a rising number of people in the US suffer from vitamin B12 deficiency caused by vitamin B12 malabsorption- that means that regardless of how much meat, fish, or poultry you eat, you still are unable to maintain adequate amounts of vitamin B12 in your blood supply.

Many factors in American life contribute to this, including medications for diabetes and acid reflux, bariatric surgery, long-term pain medications, antidepressants and antibiotics, autoimmune disorders, and also old age.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Caused by 33 Medications

To replenish vitamin B12 supplies when you are unable to absorb it through food, it’s necessary to take non-dietary forms of vitamin B12 that are absorbed through the skin and muscle tissues, bypassing the digestive system completely.

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Image CC license Angela/flickr

How Does Vitamin B12 Help my Body?

April 12, 2016Vitamin B12 BenefitsVitamin B12 Benefits, Vitamin B12 Deficiency, Vitamin B12 deficiency symptomsLinda

Vitamin B12 helps your body in many ways– it is one of the most crucial nutrients for survival, as it helps to maintain your nervous system, build healthy red blood cells, and sustain energy needed for day-to-day life.

Unfortunately, many Americans don’t get nearly enough vitamin B12 from diet or daily supplements, as there are many health conditions that interfere with vitamin B12 absorption.

Vitamin B12 helps you function

It’s true- you cannot survive without healthy, constantly replenishing supplies of vitamin B12 cobalamin. This super-power is needed for just about every aspect of day-to-day functioning.

Vitamin B12 is the ultimate brain vitamin

Vitamin B12 promotes production of myelin, which coats your individual nerve cells and protects them from harm while also enhancing intercellular communication for quick reflexes.
Vitamin B12 helps to maintain normal, healthy cognitive functioning, including good memory, organizational skills, and emotional wellbeing.
Vitamin B12 helps your body convert carbohydrates into usable energy, which in turn helps to prevent fatigue and boost mental clarity.
Vitamin B12 helps to minimize homocysteine, a hormone frequently connected with early aging and dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Vitamin B12 prevents pernicious anemia

Vitamin B12 anemia, aka pernicious anemia (PA), is one of the most preventable yet widespread forms of nutritional deficiency in the US.

Vitamin B12 is needed to regulate the production of hemoglobin-toting red blood cells needed to deliver oxygen to your brain and the many organs of your body. Without sufficient vitamin B12, you run the risk for PA, a form of megaloblastic anemia that results from abnormally large, misshapen red blood cells that cannot function properly. With time, the ratio of normal, healthy red blood cells to distorted, oversized cells dips to a dangerous low, and you begin the suffer the effects of low oxygen.

Signs of low oxygen include constant fatigue, dizziness, brain fog, confusion, and memory problems.

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In addition to decreased oxygen, pernicious anemia causes symptoms resulting from peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage), including:

muscle spasms
painful tingling and numbness in the hands and feet
muscle weakness
difficulty walking
vision problems
poor reflexes

Vitamin B12 is good for the heart

In countless studies, vitamin B12 supplementation correlates with healthy levels of homocysteine, a protein that in elevated amounts is associated with increased risk for heart disease and stroke. By constantly digesting homocysteine and keeping levels down, vitamin B12 helps to promote excellent cardiovascular health.

Vitamin B12 aids metabolism

Vitamin B12 is a favorite for athletes and anybody following a weight-loss regimen; it promotes DNA synthesis- it ensures normal cell growth and protects the cell membranes. Vitamin B12 also helps your body convert carbohydrates (such as glucose) and fats into pure energy, which in turn boosts stamina needed for sports endurance and overall mental well-being.

How have you benefited from supplementing with vitamin B12?

Are you happy with your current regimentation of vitamin B12 pills or shots?

Please share your comments below.

Is it Migraine or Tension Headache? Comparison Chart

April 11, 2016Migraine HeadachesHeadache types, Migraine symptoms, Migraine triggers, tension headache vs. migraineLinda

Do you always know if you’re experiencing migraine or tension headache symptoms? Both can occur from extreme stress and fatigue. To prevent rebound headache and find the best treatment possible, it’s important to know exactly what’s causing your headache to begin with. Here is a handy chart to help you learn different symptoms and treatments for migraine and tension headaches.

Migraine or Tension Headache: Quick reference

Migraines are a neurological disorder causing a vast array of symptoms, including debilitating head pain that last for hours, sometimes days. In addition, sufferers experience tiredness, nausea, stomach pain, dizziness, and the need to vomit.
Tension headaches are primarily caused by stress and fatigue. Headaches from tense muscles are much easier to treat than migraines, as they respond to medication much better.

Head pain type

Tension headache: Dull pressure, the sensation of a band strapped tightly across the head or neck. Pain is mild or moderate.

Migraine: Throbbing, intense pounding on one side of the head, often at the temple or eye areas. Pain is moderate to extreme, making it difficult to concentrate or think about anything else.

Location of head pain

Tension headache: Scalp, forehead, neck, temples.

Migraine: Temples, eyes.

Pain duration

Tension headache: Pain increases and subsides over the course of the day, or for several days.

Migraine: Headache comes on strong, stays intense for hours. For people with chronic migraines, headaches return repeatedly- more than 15 times per month.

Comorbid symptoms

Tension headache: Insomnia, neck stiffness, stress.

Migraine: Sensitivity to lights (photophobia), scents, and noise; nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, vertigo, distorted speech, partial paralysis, feebleness, loss of consciousness, visual distortions.

Headache triggers

Tension headache triggers: Stress, tiredness, bad posture, eye strain, hunger.

Migraine headache triggers: Food ingredients, scents, noise, bright lights, weather, allergies, air pressure, stress, tension headaches, hunger, irregular sleep patterns, dehydration, cigarette smoke, hormonal fluctuations.

Warning signs

Tension headache: None.

Migraine (with aura): Prodrome phase that occurs hours before, causing symptoms such as euphoria, olfactory hallucinations, unusual cravings, and edginess. Minutes before, some migraineurs experience aura- strange visual disturbances and stroke-like symptoms.

Migraine Aura and Prodrome- What’s the Difference?

Prevalence

Most headache sufferers- from tension type and migraine combined- are female.

Treatment

Tension headache: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are usually sufficient to get rid of a tension headache, although it may take a few days.

Migraine: There are many different types of migraines, so only your doctor can prescribe the best possible course of treatment for symptoms of migraine attacks.

There is no cure for migraine illness, but by using daily migraine preventative treatments, many are able to thwart off the majority of migraine headaches and symptoms of nausea, dizziness, and fatigue.

Popular natural herbs and vitamins for migraine help include PA-free butterbur root, magnesium, riboflavin, and coenzyme Q10. Find them here.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Menopause Symptoms

April 8, 2016Vitamin B12 Deficiencyvitamin B12 deficiency and menopause, Vitamin B12 deficiency symptomsLinda

Vitamin B12 deficiency and menopause: Signs and symptoms of menopause are sometimes associated with vitamin B12 deficiency, or malabsorption of vitamin B12 from the foods you eat. To boost energy, sleep better, and balance your mood, it’s important to take extra doses of vitamin B12 during the menopause years.

Vitamin B12 deficiency and Menopause: symptoms, treatment

Menopause is a phase that may stretch for several years; many women experience their first signs of peri-menopause (early menopause) in their 40’s, while still menstruating.

During the early stages, you experience fluctuation hormone levels that cause mood swings, headaches, hot flashes, memory loss, and brain fog.

All of these are symptoms that may also indicate depleted levels of vitamin B12!

Hidden vitamin B12 deficiency

Vitamin B12 deficiency is difficult to catch and treat, as the symptoms are masked by conditions such as menopause, clinical depression, hypothyroidism, or hypoglycemia- all of which cause ailments that are strikingly similar to the ones you experience when your vitamin B12 levels drop to a dangerous low, either from malabsorption issues or change in diet.

Too often, severe vitamin B12 deficiency, a.k.a., pernicious anemia, slips right off your doctor’s radar, especially during the menopause years. And it’s easy to understand why, especially when you consider that the most common symptoms- fatigue, achiness, poor memory, dizziness, and depression- are present in both vitamin B12 deficiency anemia and the many stages of menopause.

For that reason, premenopausal women and females already experiencing menopause are advised to test often for vitamin B12 deficiency, and recognize the symptoms, before their B12 levels drop to a dangerous low.

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency

Untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency from pernicious anemia can lead to neurological disorders, chronic fatigue, mood problems, and increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

That’s because vitamin B12 is essential for so many biological functions necessary for good health- reproduction, nervous system functioning, cognitive integrity, and metabolic energy.

So, when vitamin B12 levels plummet, you begin to experience a variety of health problems that affect all parts of your body, including those already ailing from symptoms of menopause.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Symptoms that Mimic Aging

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency that mimic menopause include:

Depression
Anxiety
Chronic fatigue
Short-term memory loss
Disorientation
Brain fog
Hot and cold flashes
Headache
Irritability
Heart palpitations
Frequent breathlessness
Diarrhea
Stomach cramps
Difficulty sleeping
Muscle weakness and pain

Treatment

The B12, B6 and folic acid help with mood and to ease you through the transition.

The Linus Pauling Institute recommends 100 to 400 mcg per day of supplemental vitamin B-12 orally if you’re older than 50, an age that includes many menopausal women.

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Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.

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16 Tinnitus Facts You Didn’t Know

April 7, 2016Help for TinnitusEar ringing, Natural tinnitus treatments, Tinnitus, Tinnitus causesLinda

Tinnitus facts to consider. Whether you’ve been recently diagnosed with tinnitus or struggling with tinnitus noises for years, it helps to know the facts. Scientists are constantly researching new ways to treat tinnitus, so it’s important to stay up to date on the facts about tinnitus.

Tinnitus facts and myth-busters

Tinnitus is Latin for to tinkle or to ring like a bell. It is pronounced ti-night-us or tin-ni-tus, and either way is correct.
Tinnitus can occur in one or both ears, or it can occur in the head.
Tinnitus is a real neurological condition, not a mental or emotional problem. Even though subjective tinnitus ringing sounds perceived by the brain don’t actually occur in your external-ear environment, they are not an acoustic hallucination.
Tinnitus is not an illness, but rather a condition caused by an underlying illness. For that reason, the best tinnitus treatments are those that target the disease causing tinnitus, rather than just alleviating the symptoms.
Tinnitus can sometimes be triggered by stress, loss of sleep, and sodium.
Smoking cigarettes can also worsen tinnitus, as it reduces the amount of oxygen reaching your brain and the nerve cells of your inner ear.
Tinnitus sounds vary per individual; they are described as hissing, roaring, whistling, ringing, whooshing, clicking, chirping or any of a number of unusual noises.
Tinnitus noises can range from high to low pitches, loud to whispering, or multi-tonal to noise-alike.
Tinnitus is very common; about 10% to 15% of adults experience tinnitus. About 50 million US citizens have tinnitus to some degree, out of which about 12 million have it badly enough to seek medical help.
In most cases, only the tinnitus patient can hear tinnitus sounds. In rare cases, tinnitus noises can be heard observed by a physician. Objective tinnitus occurs in 1% of all tinnitus patients.
Forty percent of tinnitus patients have hyperacusis, meaning that they are hypersensitive to certain sounds, or that all sound is over-amplified, perceived as uncomfortably loud.
Tinnitus and hearing loss usually occur together. Only about 18% of tinnitus patients have no degree of hearing impairment.
Noise-induced hearing impairment is the most common type of tinnitus is people who are not senior citizens.
Tinnitus and hearing loss sometimes result from a vestibular disorder causing dizziness, vertigo, and nausea. Meniere’s disease is one such disorder.
Many drugs can cause or worsen tinnitus. Ototoxic medications include NSAIDs, antibiotics, diuretics, aspirin, quinine, and others.
Pulsatile tinnitus causes a rhythmic pulsing noise in your ears that beats in tune with your heart; what you are hearing is the sound of your blood vessels. Pulsatile tinnitus can result from hypertension

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Unexpected Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency

April 6, 2016Vitamin B12 DeficiencyCardiovascular health, fertility, mental health, Vitamin B12 deficiency symptomsLinda

Fatigue, memory loss, and painful numbness and tingling are some of the earliest symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. Yet many people with even moderate vitamin B12 deficiency or worse, pernicious anemia, are surprised to learn that a host of other underlying health problems can also be attributed to not having enough vitamin B12 in your blood supply. Listed are some startling symptoms associated with severely low vitamin B12 levels.

Unexpected Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin B12 is such an important nutrient for survival; it should come as no surprise that a depletion of vitamin B12 should manifest itself in so many seemingly-unconnected ailments.

Scientists have seen where individuals may suffer for years from depression, heart palpitations, dizziness, or difficulty conceiving a baby without ever making the connection between that and vitamin B12 deficiency, where a few months of intense supplementation can reverse the symptoms.

Emotional difficulties, illness

Chronic depression, anxiety, and even paranoia are all listed as possible symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. In patients diagnosed with mental disorders such as bipolar or schizophrenia, researchers have noted that an underlying vitamin B12 deficiency can worsen their symptoms even more so.

This is not to say that your anxieties or bouts of depression aren’t real. Rather, get your vitamin B12 levels checked, and see if supplementing with extra vitamin B12 has a positive effect on your emotional state- which it very likely will.

Never discontinue taking any antidepressants, antipsychotic or other medications without your doctor’s consent.

Infertility

Vitamin B12 deficiency is directly linked with many ailments that interfere with family planning. From the beginning, before trying to conceive, depletion in vitamin B12 can increase your risk for complications during pregnancy and nerve damage in utero.

Researchers have noted that mothers who have severe vitamin B12 deficiency before, during, or after pregnancy are more likely to suffer miscarriage, deliver prematurely, or give birth to a baby with neural tube defects and inability to thrive.

If you are at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency, then it’s a good idea to take vitamin B12 injections or other non-dietary vitamin B12 supplementations before getting pregnant, during your pregnancy, and afterwards while breastfeeding.

For more, read Vitamin B12 and your Sex Drive

Heart disease

Vitamin B12 deficiency doesn’t cause heart disease, but it can inhibit your ability to synthesize homocysteine properly. Vitamin B12 is essential for digesting the amino acid homocysteine, keeping it in check and preventing hyperhomocysteinemia- elevated homocysteine in the blood supply.

Excess homocysteine is attributed to increased risk for heart attack, stroke, and possibly Alzheimer’s disease. Signs may include heart palpitations, fatigue, chest pain, or shortness of breath.

To keep homocysteine levels under control, it’s important to also maintain vitamin B12 levels in your bloodstream.

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Please tell us

Have you noticed constant tiredness, sadness, or brain fog? These are common signs of vitamin B12 deficiency.

Do you have questions about symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency? Please drop us a line below!

Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Insomnia

April 5, 2016Vitamin B12 DeficiencyAnti-aging, Insomnia, Vitamin B12 Deficiency, Vitamin B12 deficiency symptomsLinda

Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Insomnia: Can’t sleep? Often, sleeplessness stems from low vitamin B12 levels. Though nearly everyone experiences occasional trouble with falling asleep, chronic insomnia can be part of a range of symptoms attributed to dangerously low vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Insomnia

Are you spending your nights tossing and turning, unable to get a restful night sleep? Acute insomnia has a short duration, while chronic insomnia will last longer – anywhere from days to months.

If you suffer from a vitamin B12 deficiency and insomnia—and a surprising number of people these days do—then taking extra vitamin B12 may promote good restful sleep at night, and it will also boost your energy during the day, increase your ability to focus, and promote digestive, cardiac, and immune health as well.

Suffering from Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue? B12 to the Rescue!

Please note: Insomnia can result from an underlying medical disorder, in addition to vitamin B12 deficiency. Consult your doctor if you suffer from chronic insomnia.

Here are some ways that vitamin B12 and insomnia are related.

The vitamin B12-melatonin connection

Vitamin B12 plays an important role in production of melatonin, the body’s “sleep hormone” which helps you fall asleep at night and get deep rest until morning. Melatonin is one of your best defenses against insomnia, but you need healthy amounts of vitamin B12 as well.

Melatonin in the blood rises sharply at sundown, making you feel sleepy, and will usually remain elevated for approximately 12 hours – essentially throughout the night – before the onset of sunrise.

As we get older, and vitamin B12 levels begin to plummet, it becomes more difficult to enjoy a good night’s sleep, due to a reciprocal decrease in melatonin. For that reason many senior citizens struggle with both vitamin B12 deficiency and insomnia.

Doctors have recently observed that a large percentage of Americans over age 60 suffer from a severe vitamin B12 deficiency. Without vitamin B12, your body cannot produce sufficient melatonin, which is needed to help one sleep.

Many people who suffer from insomnia take melatonin pills to help them get to sleep. However, boosting the body’s ability to produce it by increasing vitamin B12 is a more naturally efficient option.

What is vitamin B12 good for?

Vitamin B-12, or cobalamin, is one of the B complex vitamins. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, Vitamin B-12 is instrumental for maintaining healthy nerve cells, synthesizing DNA and RNA, and regulating blood cells. A vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause fatigue, irritability, digestive issues, and shortness of breath.

The elderly, vegetarians, and vegans tend to have a higher risk of developing a Vitamin B-12 deficiency.

Vitamin B12 for insomnia

If insomnia is caused by vitamin B12 deficiency, then it’s important to supplement with extra vitamin B12 immediately; untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to nerve cell deterioration and increased risk for heart attack and stroke. Ask your doctor for a vitamin B12 deficiency blood screening while discussing insomnia, and begin supplementation right away.

Take vitamin B12 with folic acid

Taking folic acid (vitamin B9) along with vitamin B12 is also helpful for insomnia, as vitamin B12 assists folate in building red blood cells and absorption of iron, both key components for good sleep health.

For some people, Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is yet another cause of insomnia. Research has shown that RLS is related to a folic acid deficiency, and that taking more B vitamins can reduce RLS, helping to provide a full night of sleep, even in people with severe insomnia. It is thus recommended to take vitamin B12 along with vitamin B9 for maximum absorption.

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