It’s well established that Vitamin D is important in the regulation of the body’s calcium levels and bone development. If people don’t get enough, they are at risk of diseases like rickets and osteoporosis. But researchers have more recently discovered that vitamin D receptors are found on almost all tissues of the body. This has caused a “boom” in vitamin D research; scientists are investigating its role in everything from heart disease and diabetes to depression, cancer and the common cold. You get Vitamin D in two ways: by consuming it in foods or supplements, and by making it in your skin when sunlight hits it. Vitamin D doesn’t occur naturally in a lot of foods – unless you’re a really big fan of cod liver oil or mackerel, you wouldn’t get nearly enough – so many foods are fortified with it. Almost all of the milk sold in the U.S. is fortified with Vitamin D, as are many cereals, juices and yogurts. This time of year in Columbus ain’t exactly the most Vitamin D friendly environment – the sun seems to head south for the winter – so it’s not unusual for people around here to have a low Vitamin D level.
But what does that really mean? How low is too low? And does having a low Vitamin D level increase your risk for depression, high blood pressure, the flu? We don’t know for sure. There’s even a lot of debate going on right now about whether or not the current cut off for a “normal” Vitamin D level is too high and that a lot of people are being told they have a deficiency when they really don’t. That being said, people build up the majority of their bone density during their twenties so it wouldn’t hurt to take a daily adult multi-vitamin containing around 600 IU of Vitamin D to help prevent osteoporosis later in life. It’s also a good idea to get some regular sunlight exposure whenever you can; even if it’s cold, it’ll turn on your skin’s Vitamin D factory. But don’t overdo it – taking too much (over 4000 IU) can cause damage to the heart, blood vessels and kidneys. And excessive uv radiation exposure can damage your skin and put you at risk for really bad things.
The National Institutes of Health has a great site about Vitamin D supplements, and the Mayo Clinic also provides a lot of good information. And of course, you can always make an appointment to see us if you’re worried about your Vitamin D level. John A. Vaughn, MDStudent Health ServicesThe Ohio State UniversityPRESCRIPTION: Vitamin D2 and D3 50000 IU are available with a prescription. Vitamin D2 and D3 400 – 5000 IU are available over-the-counter (OTC). USES: Vitamin D is used for treating hypoparathyroidism, vitamin D low vitamin D levels. preparations are commonly used for low Vitamin D levels. SIDE EFFECTS: Side effects of Vitamin D include: PREPARATIONS: Vitamin D2 and D3 are available in 400, 800, 1000, 2000, 2400, and 5000 international units (IU) tablets and capsules. Vitamin D2 is available in 50000 IU (1.25 mg) softgels. Vitamin D3 is available in 50000 IU capsules. DRUG INTERACTIONS: Vitamin D should be used with caution with mineral oil
because mineral oil slows down the absorption of Vitamin D and reduces its Thiazide diuretics like hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide) and chlorthalidone (Thalitone) should be used with caution in people with hypoparathyroid taking Vitamin D, because thiamine diuretics may increase calcium levels. Portion Control Tips: Lose Weight and Stick to Your Diet Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.The IP address used for your Internet connection is part of a subnet that has been blocked from access to PubMed Central. Addresses across the entire subnet were used to download content in bulk, in violation of the terms of the PMC Copyright Notice. Use of PMC is free, but must comply with the terms of the Copyright Notice on the PMC site. For additional information, or to request that your IP address be unblocked, For requests to be unblocked, you must include all of the information in the box above in your message.
Vitamin D deficiencies lead to sleep disorders. And to correct vitamin D-related sleep disorders, you have to be careful about the amount of vitamin D you take and when you take it.Take 1000 IUs of Vitamin D-3 per 25 pounds of body weight, but not more than 10,000 IU’s.Get a blood test to make sure this amount of vitamin D is sufficient for you. Just as too little vitamin D is bad, so is too much.Take it in the morning. Vitamin D temporarily pauses the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, so don’t take it at night.Sufficient vitamin D can also help reduce pain and control inflammation, among an assortment of other health benefits.Although subtle, more than half of the world population is vitamin D deficient! This is a big problem because sleep disorders are an epidemic due to vitamin D deficiency. (2) This hurts the amount of sleep you get, the quality of your sleep, and your mood upon waking up.We have this deficiency because of the way we live. We work inside, wear clothes, and use sunscreen.
These are all realities of modern life, and they all take away from our vitamin D synthesis.This is important to note, because you do not soak up D from the sun, per se. Rather, the interaction with UVB light and a cholesterol derivative in the skin causes D to be synthesized in the body.While many of us wish we could quit our jobs and move to the Bahamas to soak in the rays we need, that is not realistic for most. As biohackers, it is our job to find a solution.Eating foods rich in vitamin D, and supplementing with D3 is a necessary part of life to maintain adequate D levels. D3 supplements can be found here.However, simply taking a ton of vitamin D is not the complete answer in the long run for preventing vitamin D deficiency. Too much or too little can have side effects, including reducing the quality of your sleep. The amount of International Units (IU) you take and time of day are important aspects in upgrading the amount and quality of your sleep.According to the Vitamin D Council, 1000 IU’s per 25lbs are recommended each day, although using a blood test is the best way to know your ideal dose.
A healthy human body utilizes about 3000-5000 IU of vitamin D per day. These amounts are adjusted according to your age, weight, absorption, skin color and normal sun exposure. So when you are outside with adequate sun exposure, use no sunscreen but put on a shirt or a hat if you start to get burned, and leave the Vitamin D supplements at home. More is not always better.Too much vitamin D can cause headaches and inflammation in the body. The US Government’s upper intake level (UL) for vitamin D is set at 4,000 IU per day. Other experts disagree, the current consensus states it should be 10,000 IU. (7,8,9) This is the amount your skin would naturally produce from maximum exposure from the sun. (10) An even better way to figure out what your optimal vitamin D levels are, is through testing your body’s responses.As more research is being done on D, we are just beginning to find out the importance of the dosage of vitamin D. Additionally with the amount you take, the time you take vitamin D is a crucial factor in upgrading your sleep.
Are You Taking Vitamin D at the Right Time?Vitamin D is inversely related to melatonin, your sleep hormone, so it makes sense that taking it at night disrupts sleep. I’ve noticed this effect personally. For this reason, there is no reason to take vitamin D at night.An n=1 experiment done by gwern.net also concludes that taking vitamin D in the morning is best. Using a ZEO, his morning dose of D increased REM, deep sleep, and number of hours increased. He looked at taking the same dosage at night, and his sleep quality plummeted. My biohacking experiments have similar results. When I’ve taken D in the morning I had my usual great sleep. When I’ve taken D at night, I had a restless night.In our busy worlds, healthy sleep is gold. If we do not receive the right amounts of vitamin D, sleep suffers. If you live a stressful life, sleep is even more important.There are other reasons to take it too. In a study with chronic pain patients, vitamin D helped reduce pain, improve quality of life, and increase sleep.
(4) Having adequate levels of D may protect against cancer, control inflammation, heart disease, poor mood, and may help regulate the immune system. Most people are vitamin D deficient, and do not know how it can help improve their lives.If you are unsure of where to start, there are a few options. You might go to your doctor and find out where your vitamin D levels are right now. Better yet, use WellnessFX for testing and advice. You can search online for other self testing labs.If your level is below 30 ng/ml then you are vitamin D deficient. Increasing intake will help sleep and other health parameters, including bone health and decreased depression.Getting a better night’s rest is an upgraded away.What are some of the ways that you hack your sleep? Do you have a vitamin D story? Share it in the comments!Click to read the complete list of references.Prentice, A. Vitamin D deficiency: a global perspective. Nutr Rev. 2008 Oct; 66 (10 Suppl 2): S153-64.Gominak SC, Stumpf WE.
The world epidemic of sleep disorders is linked to vitamin D deficiency. Epub 2012 May 13. PubMed PMID: 22583560.Relationships among dietary nutrients and subjective sleep, objective sleep, and napping in women. IS – 2.SP – 180 184 2010/2// Grandner, Michael A. Kripke, Daniel F. Naidoo, Nirinjini Langer, Robert D. 1389-9457 doi: 0.1016/j.sleep.2009.07.014Huang W, Shah S, Long Q, Crankshaw AK, Tangpricha V. Improvement of Pain, Sleep, and Quality of Life in Chronic Pain Patients With Vitamin D Supplementation. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 22699141.http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/#h2“Vitamin D Council.” The Vitamin D requirement in health and disease. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2005 Oct; 97 (1-2): 13-9.Vieth, R. Critique of the considerations for establishing the tolerable upper intake level for vitamin D: critical need for revision upwards. 136 (4): 1117-22.Vieth, R. Vitamin D supplementation, 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, and safety.