{"id":1317,"date":"2018-04-20T08:22:56","date_gmt":"2018-04-20T08:22:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/besthealth.guide\/?p=1317"},"modified":"2021-10-04T14:12:18","modified_gmt":"2021-10-04T14:12:18","slug":"10-dramatic-low-calcium-symptoms-that-will-shock-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/besthealth.guide\/10-dramatic-low-calcium-symptoms-that-will-shock-you\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Dramatic Low Calcium Symptoms That Will Shock You"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It is widespread knowledge that correct nutrition is fundamental for our health. Vitamins, minerals, proteins, and many other components of our food must be present in our diet and in enough quantity for our daily requirements to be met. Among all minerals we need to take every day, calcium is by far the most abundant in our bodies, comprising up to 1% of our total body weight, or sometimes even more.<\/p>\n

Most of it is inside our bones, but few people know that calcium has many functions in our body, helping many organs and tissues do their job properly. Due to this widespread presence, the consequences of calcium deficiency are all over the map, and sometimes it is difficult to realize what is behind them. So here is a list of 10 dramatic low calcium symptoms you might not know about, so you bear in mind in case you need to up your intake.<\/p>\n

1. Bone disorders<\/h3>\n

When people speak of calcium and calcium deficiency, usually the first thing that comes to mind is bone health. And for good reason. Calcium is a fundamental component of the structure of our bones, and it gives them the strength and, surprisingly, the flexibility and resistance that they need to support our bodies. If we don’t have enough calcium, our bones will get weaker and break more easily, thus increasing our risk for fractures<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The initial condition caused by a lack of calcium in our bones is called osteopenia, which is the demineralization of bones. When osteopenia advances, it becomes osteoporosis, a noticeable loss of bone density. Sometimes, even small holes are found inside our bones, because we lack the material that is used to renew our bone cells and produce new bone tissue. Another bone condition associated with calcium deficiency is rickets, which causes bones to be fragile and weak.<\/p>\n

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2. Changes in the body shape<\/h3>\n

It is interesting to learn that the lack of calcium doesn’t only affect our bones by decreasing their density and resistance. After all, our bones are the structure that holds our whole body and protects our vital parts such as our brain, lungs, and heart. If our bones are affected by a calcium<\/a> deficiency, we are like a house with weak foundations or columns; we will start to bend and lose our posture.<\/p>\n

A low calcium symptom that is derived from low bone density is, believe it or not, difficulty standing straight. Our bones cannot support the weight of our own body and we assume a stooped posture or bend forwards. This can make us look shorter, but in some cases, we actually do lose a bit of our height. If our bone density decreases, our own weight can crush us and make us shorter.<\/p>\n

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3. Psychiatric disorders<\/h3>\n

One of the main functions of calcium in our body, which is largely unknown among the population, is connecting our neurons<\/a> and other nerve cells. Calcium ions are necessary for synapsis, the process that allows neurons to communicate with each other and process our thoughts, emotions, and behavior.<\/p>\n

Calcium deficiency will make our brain processes more difficult, and this could have severe psychiatric consequences. For example, low calcium levels have been associated with an increased risk of developing emotional disorders such as depression and anxiety, the main mechanism behind which is a decreased synapsis between neurons working with serotonin.<\/p>\n

Low calcium can also change an individual’s personality because personality is the result of complex patterns of psychological and neurological processes, so any factor that affects said processes might change the way we behave, talk and react to the world around us, which is the base of our personality.<\/p>\n

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4. Cognitive difficulties<\/h3>\n

For the same reason, low calcium levels increase our likeability to develop a mental condition such as depression and anxiety, it can also affect our cognitive processes. \u201cCognitive processes\u201d, or \u201ccognitive functions\u201d, is a broad term that encompasses a wide range of intellectual capabilities and functions, including (but not limited to) our capacity to understand situations and contexts, identify problems and find solutions, comprehend social situations and behave accordingly, solve intellectual problems such as riddles and math, remember relevant information and use our logic to reach conclusions.<\/p>\n

The integrity of our cognitive functions relies on our neuron’s capacity to connect with each other and process information. Low calcium levels might impair our cognitive functions, and cause emotional symptoms of lack of behavioral regulation such as irritability<\/a> and emotional instability. Increasing our intake of calcium, or improving our absorption, should put an end to our cognitive difficulties derived from a calcium deficiency.<\/p>\n

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5. Neurological alterations<\/h3>\n

Following the same logic as the two previous points, low calcium levels will negatively affect our brain function, but also our nerves, which are also made of long neurons that are anatomically and functionally connected with each other. Some symptoms in our body are actually caused by our nervous system not working well.<\/p>\n

For example, one of the most common symptoms of moderate to severe calcium deficiency is a sensation of tingling or numbness<\/a> in our distal limbs (such as our fingers and toes) and our mouth. Other neurological effects might include seizures, which are caused by a decreased capability of our own brain to regulate and inhibit our own neurological impulses inside our encephalitis.<\/p>\n

Also, low calcium might rise our intracranial pressure, which means that the liquid in which our brain is floating can press our head and brain from the inside, causing headaches and other problems.<\/p>\n

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6. Neuromuscular irritability<\/h3>\n

This fancy-sounding name is mere technical talk for a phenomenon associated with low calcium levels, and that has a lot to do with the negative effect said low levels have on our neural functions. Our muscles move because they are connected to our brain and spinal cord through nerves, which are basically chains of neurons that transmit electrochemical signals.<\/p>\n

When those signals are disturbed, our muscles<\/a> react in an abnormal way that can be very dysfunctional as well as bothersome and painful. People with calcium deficiency normally report muscular problems such as aches and cramps, especially in the back and the legs.<\/p>\n

This is caused by neuromuscular irritability, increased excitability of the point of contact between our nerves and our muscles. Without enough calcium, our neurons cannot regulate the effect they have on our muscles. Another frequent symptom of neuromuscular irritability is involuntary twitching, especially under decreased blood flow.<\/p>\n

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7. Muscle spasms and weakness<\/h3>\n

The muscular symptoms caused by a calcium deficiency are not limited to the very characteristic neuromuscular irritability. There is a large number of small symptoms that people with low calcium levels could experience. Even if the muscular tissue and the nervous tissue are very different from one another, they do share some characteristics; for example, their excitability. For this reason, calcium plays an important role in our muscular functions, and insufficient calcium will cause a variety of symptoms.<\/p>\n

For example, our muscles may feel weak; low calcium will make us feel like we have lost our strength or are fatigued, even if we haven’t performed any exercise. This symptom can be aggravated by heart failure, as will be discussed below. Also, cramps caused by neuromuscular irritability might evolve into muscle spasms. Some neuromuscular functions such as swallowing could become more difficult, and spasms<\/a> in our larynx could make our voice sound different.<\/p>\n

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8. Heart failure<\/h3>\n

However dramatic this item could sound, heart problems can be caused by a common calcium deficiency. This symptom, or better, group of symptoms, has the same roots as neuromuscular irritability: specific nerves connect our encephalitis<\/a> and our heart, through which signals telling the heart to beat are conducted. If the synopsis of the neurons that reach our heart is altered by a lack of calcium, our brain stem won’t be able to properly regulate our heart rate, and our heartbeat might become erratic.<\/p>\n

Symptoms such as arrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat), skipped beats, and tachycardia (our heart beating too fast) are quite common in people with a calcium deficiency. In more severe cases, we can experience heart failure. Without going as far as a heart attack, heart failure will affect our blood flow, which will have severe consequences for us. Some of them include circulation problems, shortness of breath, and fainting.<\/p>\n

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9. Vision loss<\/h3>\n

The nutrient that is most commonly associated with our vision is vitamin A, hence the popular belief that eating carrots (which are rich in vitamin A) will make you see better and more sharply. However, few people are aware of how important calcium is four of our visual health. In other words, low calcium could cause us to lose our vision, totally or partially.<\/p>\n

For example, calcium insufficiency is associated with an increased risk of developing cataracts, an eye affection that, when advanced, can cause blindness. People with cataracts<\/a> have an opaque layer that develops on the surface of their eyes, gradually impairing their vision. Low calcium can also affect our sight in a different way. It was stated that calcium deficiency can increase our intracranial pressure, and that might cause headaches and brain problems. This pressure can also affect the nerve that connects the brain and the eye, causing blurry vision or loss of peripheral vision.<\/p>\n

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10. Skin and tooth affections<\/h3>\n

Calcium is a very important structural mineral. It is present in the bones, but also in other parts of our body such as our teeth and nails, and even our skin. When we don’t have enough calcium, all these structures become weaker and more prompt to health problems. For example, insufficient calcium can make our teeth more vulnerable to decay and cavities.<\/p>\n

Nails can also be brittle and fragile if you don’t have enough calcium to make them resistant. And when it comes to your skin, lack of calcium affects it too. Your skin might become dry or itchy; some people develop a very particular pattern of skin spots that are very characteristic of calcium deficiency. Some dermatological conditions that cause itchiness, such as eczema, dermatitis, and even psoriasis, even if they are known to be mostly allergic<\/a>, are sometimes associated with low calcium levels.<\/p>\n\r\n

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