Every Woman I Know Is Exhausted
Ferritin, fatigue, and my slightly unhinged plan to fix it
Every woman I know is exhausted.
Brain fog, fatigue that has you feeling cursed. We have all turned into Victorian sleeping brides — pale, horizontal, barely conscious. My friends Erin and Sara Foster literally named their production company the Fatigue Sisters. That’s not a bit. That’s a diagnosis.
I have friends who, at 2pm, have to take naps. Full naps. We are adults. Is it working from home? Is it age? Is it 5G? (I still don’t fully know what 5G is, but I’m not ruling it out.) Whatever it is, something is very wrong and I refuse to accept it.
Right now this just feels like a quiet epidemic of exhausted women. Everyone has a theory, I’m sure Andrew Huberman has one, but I’m not listening to the bros anymore. It could be hormones, glucose levels, stress, screens, perimenopause or even Adderall crashes. The internet is full of solutions- magnesium, cold plunges, red light therapy, electrolytes. And yet everyone I know is still tired. Deeply, existentially tired. Not “I stayed up too late watching Netflix” tired. The kind of tired where the battery never quite charges all the way back up and it’s slowly driving you mad.
What does it feel like to be tired? Everyone describes it differently. For me it’s physical — because spiritually I feel the energy. I have the dreams, the plans, the ambition, the enemies to outlast. But motivationally I feel completely unplugged from the wall. The gap between wanting to do something and actually doing it is enormous. And I know the difference — or I sort of remember it, through the brain fog. Now when I see people running in the streets, or just visibly full of energy, I am so envious that I need a nap just from the envy. When did that become me? When did I become the person watching from the window? If this sounds like you, go get your labs.
I Am a Lab Person. Sorry.
If you are in my life and you get your labs done, I will talk about them with you. That’s just who I am. Log into Quest Diagnostics and talk to me, baby. And my newest obsession is ferritin — the gas tank of the body.
Mine is 27. That’s low, but not rock bottom — I have friends walking around at 6 and 7 like actual zombies. Optimal ferritin for real energy is generally considered to be between 50–100+. I get fatigued so easily and it’s defeating. I’ve had this before — in high school I had chronic fatigue, spent a month just sleeping with no cure, and it eventually went away on its own. That was probably EBV, the kissing disease. Keep your opinions to yourself, we are talking about health here. Recently I thought I had it again, so I went and got my labs done. The algorithm agreed something was up: ferritin was the culprit.
Once I cure this fatigue, it is over for you hoes. I have big ideas to accomplish. I need energy.
Don’t Talk to Me About Electrolytes. Actually, Fine, Let’s Talk About Electrolytes.
I take an LMNT a day. That salty treat just really does it for me. To be honest I was doing 2–3 a day for a while. That is too high and your body will let you know. A friend texted me the other day: “I’m so sad to have to drink regular water.” And I felt that in my soul. Some people love water and genuinely enjoy it, and good for them, I guess. I do not. I am not a regular water person. I am an LMNT person and I have made my peace with it. One a day. That’s the deal.
The Problem With Just Taking Iron
Here’s the thing: taking actual iron supplements is hard on your body — your stomach, specifically — and there are a truly annoying set of rules around it. Take it with vitamin C. Take it two hours away from caffeine. When am I ever two hours away from caffeine? The answer is never. I am never two hours away from caffeine. But you can try it.
The Plan (Unhinged But Effective)
So I called an IV place in Los Angeles, and the woman who answered said: “My passion is fatigue.” What a passion. What a calling. But also — do you know how many people are walking around on low battery? Not living a full life. Just surviving. That is not enough.
Here is what I am doing to get my ferritin up. Yes, some of this is a little insane. I’m doing it so you can learn too and I get obsessed with things.
Cast iron pans.
I ordered them. When you cook in cast iron — especially acidic foods like tomato sauce — small amounts of iron actually transfer into your food. This is not a wellness myth. It is real (who knows if it’s real.)
Lentil soup, every single day. I am becoming a lentil soup machine. Every lunch. A uniform meal, like a uniform outfit. Lentils are one of the best plant-based sources of iron. If you don’t feel like soaking your own lentils — same, honestly — Kreation in LA makes a great one to go. Their Lebanese lentil soup is perfect. You’re welcome.
The metal fish. Okay, this one sounds unhinged, but hear me out. It’s called the Lucky Iron Fish — an actual product, not something I made up. You boil it in water with a little lemon juice (the acid helps the iron leach out) and drink the water. It started as a Cambodian public health initiative. There is legitimate research behind it. I don’t know all of it or even any of it, but it’s there. I ordered one. here . We are boiling fish over here.
IV iron infusion. This is the fastest path. Bypasses all the annoying oral iron rules, goes straight into your bloodstream, and actually moves the number. My passion-for-fatigue woman is ready for me. I’m going in.
You Don’t Have to Live Like This
If you are tired all the time, if you feel like you’re running on fumes, if 2pm feels like midnight — please go get your labs. Ask specifically about ferritin. A lot of doctors will tell you you’re normal when you’re not. Know your optimal ranges, not just the clinical minimums. And if it’s not iron, keep searching, keep asking the questions you want answered. We all deserve a better life.
I will be reporting back in real time from the trenches.
Please get your labs. We’re not going to be Victorian sleeping brides forever.
We have things to do.
I just looked up the lucky iron fish, nfw, if this works I might never get a better recommendation.
Yes. This.
10:17 am and I’m already thinking about a nap.