If you’re reading this while feeling like a zombie, listen up. I’ve seen anemia destroy people quietly. My mom used to say “bas thakan hai” until one day she collapsed in the kitchen and the lab report came back 6.8. My cousin’s wife was 7.2 after her second baby and almost needed blood transfusion. My best friend’s teenage daughter was 8.1 and the school called us because she fell asleep standing in assembly line.
These are the exact symptoms we ignored until it got scary. Don’t be us.
1. You’re Tired, But It’s a Different Kind of Tired
Not “I worked late” tired. It’s “I woke up tired, drank coffee, still tired, ate lunch, still tired, took a nap, woke up more tired” tired. You feel like someone pulled the plug on your battery and forgot to put it back.
2. Your Heart Races for No Damn Reason
Climbing one flight of stairs and your heart is pounding like you just ran a marathon. Sitting on the sofa scrolling phone and suddenly your chest is going boom-boom-boom like a drum. That’s your heart trying to pump thicker blood with less oxygen.
3. You’re Out of Breath After Doing Nothing
Walking from bedroom to kitchen feels like you climbed a hill. Talking on the phone for five minutes and you’re gasping like you sprinted. My mom used to stop mid-sentence to breathe. We thought she was being dramatic. She wasn’t.
4. Pale Lips, Pale Palms, Pale Inside Lower Eyelids
Pull your lower eyelid down and look in the mirror. If it’s pale pink or white instead of bright red, that’s a screaming red flag. Same with your palms and tongue. My cousin’s wife’s lips went completely white. We thought it was lipstick gone wrong.
5. Nails That Break, Spoon, or Have Ridges
Your nails look like they’ve been through war. They chip, split, or curve inward like a spoon (koilonychia). Some people get white spots or vertical ridges that never go away.
6. Hair Fall That Makes You Cry in the Shower
Handfuls coming out every time you wash. Your hairbrush looks like a dead animal. Your ponytail is suddenly half the thickness it used to be. My friend’s daughter lost so much hair the pillow looked black every morning.
7. Craving Weird Shit (Pica)
Suddenly you want to chew ice like it’s candy. Or you crave mud, chalk, clay, raw rice, or even the smell of petrol. This is your body screaming for iron so loud it loses its mind.
8. Headaches That Won’t Quit
Constant dull headache or sudden sharp ones. Sometimes dizziness so bad you have to hold the wall to walk straight. My mom used to say “sar ghum raha hai” every single day. We gave her Disprin. It didn’t help because the problem was in her blood.
9. Cold Hands and Feet Even in Summer
Your hands and feet feel like ice blocks even when it’s 90 degrees outside. You sleep with socks in June. That’s because your blood isn’t carrying enough oxygen to your extremities.
10. Legs That Won’t Stop Moving at Night (Restless Legs Syndrome)
You lie down and your legs feel like they’re crawling with ants. You have to keep moving them or kick them to get relief. Many women think it’s “just stress.” It’s often severe anemia.
11. Mouth Problems – Cracks, Soreness, Smooth Tongue
Corners of your mouth crack and bleed. Your tongue feels sore or looks weirdly smooth and red (glossitis). Some people lose taste completely.
12. Feeling Like You’re Going to Pass Out
Standing up too fast and the room goes black. Or you actually faint. My mom fainted in the vegetable market. That’s when we finally took her seriously.
13. Looking Like a Ghost Even With Makeup
No amount of foundation can hide it. People keep asking “are you sick?” or “did you not sleep?” You start avoiding photos because you look dead.
14. Brain Fog So Bad You Forget Basic Things
You walk into a room and forget why. You can’t remember words mid-sentence. Your boss thinks you’re slacking. Your kids think you’re getting old. It’s not you. It’s your brain starving for oxygen.
15. Frequent Infections or Slow Healing
Cuts take forever to heal. You catch every cold going around. Your body doesn’t have enough oxygen to fight.
What to Do the Second You Notice These
- Book a blood test tomorrow – ask for CBC + ferritin + B12 + folate.
- Start eating liver, jaggery-chana, beetroot, pomegranate TODAY (I have a full plan if you want it).
- Do NOT wait for “it’ll get better on its own.” It won’t.
Anemia doesn’t knock. It sneaks in, steals your life piece by piece, and by the time you notice, you’re on the floor. My mom’s Hb is 12.4 now because we caught it. My cousin’s wife is 13.1. My friend’s daughter is 12.8 and growing her hair back.
Don’t wait for the collapse. Don’t wait for the fainting. Don’t wait for the doctor to say “you should have come earlier.”
Check your palms in the mirror right now. If they’re pale, book the damn test tomorrow. Your body is screaming. For once, listen. I’m begging you the way I wish someone had begged my mom.