If you are feeling tiredness or fatigue frequently, or feel tired after waking up in the morning, you might have a vitamin B12 deficiency. Your body depends on vitamin B12 for proper brain and nerve function. Without this essential vitamin, you might experience grogginess and fatigue often. Syd Baumel, author of "Dealing with Depression Naturally," says up to 30 percent of depressed people are vitamin B12-deficient. To cure these symptoms, take a B12 supplement or eat natural foods that provide you with this essential vitamin. As a precaution, talk to your doctor about taking vitamin B12 supplements first.
Step 1
Place one full dropper of liquid vitamin B12 supplement under your tongue. Hold the liquid under your tongue for about 30 seconds. The liquid, a sublingual form of vitamin B12, helps your body absorb the vitamin more quickly, making it readily available for use. Earl Mindell and Hester Mundis, authors of "Earl Mindell's New Vitamin Bible," says your body absorbs about 60 to 70 percent of the vitamin throughout the day, and this helps prevent morning grogginess or tiredness the next morning.
Step 2
Eat fortified cereals for breakfast each day to make sure you are getting enough vitamin B12, advises the Linus Pauling Institute, to ensure a daily dose of 6 to 30 mcg of vitamin B12, especially if you are over the age of 50. People in this age group can have vitamin B12 malabsorption, and fortified cereals provide this vitamin in a form that is easy to absorb.
Step 3
Include natural foods in your diet that provide you with vitamin B12. Most animal meats contain vitamin B12, such as poultry, beef and seafood. Liver, clams, trout and salmon are also rich in vitamin B12.
Tips and Warnings
- Some people cannot absorb vitamin B12 well, such as people with anemia or irritable bowel syndrome. Even those with tapeworms might have difficulties absorbing vitamin B12, says pediatrician and author Dr. Alan Green. If you have any of these conditions, talk to your doctor about taking vitamin B12 supplements.
- Always talk to your doctor before taking any new supplement to cure any medical condition.
Things You'll Need
- Sublingual vitamin B12
- Fortified cereals
- Animal meats
References
- "Dealing with Depression Naturally"; Syd Baumel; 2000
- "Earl Mindell's New Vitamin Bible"; Earl Mindell and Hester Mundis; 2011
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin B12
- Dr. Alan Greene: Children and Gray Hair
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