There’s a very famous Irish proverb that says, “A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.” We don’t know about a good laugh, but it is definitely not easy to get a good night’s long sleep. There are several factors that can contribute to sleeplessness or disturbed sleep, such as stress and anxiety, jet lag, unfamiliar or poor sleep environment, prolonged screen time right before bed, too much caffeine intake, medical condition, among other factors. Sometimes, if your diet is deficient in some essential nutrients, your sleep could be severely disrupted. Well, one such nutrient deficiency that has an acute impact on your sleep is that of Vitamin D. How does it impact, you ask? Well, let’s find out!
How Does Vitamin D Deficiency Affect Sleep?
According to research, there’s a connection between vitamin D deficiency and sleeplessness or poor quality sleep. It has an effect on the body’s circadian rhythm i.e. sleep-wake cycle. A lack of vitamin D in the body is likely to affect your sleep such as reducing the number of resting hours or, in many cases, causing insomnia as well. Poor or less efficient and restful sleep may result in one feeling sleepy and unproductive the following day. But, worry not as there are additional studies, which suggest that by taking vitamin D supplements one can improve sleep.
A 2013 study published in the Clinical Journal of Pain by a team of American researchers shows how patients who were given supplements based on their vitamin D status, saw an improvement in their sleep. Their vitamin D status saw an improvement from 18.57 ng/mL up to 26 ng/mL, which resulted in an increase in their sleep time by 45 minutes.
Since vitamin D deficiency affects sleep, it automatically impacts one’s mood leading to symptoms of fatigue, tiredness, mood swings and irritability, among other things. The reason for this direct connection between vitamin D and sleep can be explained. The brain contains vitamin D receptors that play a role in controlling sleep. So if your vitamin D levels in the body are low, the vitamin D receptors in the brain will receive less of this nutrient, which will cause the certain brain areas such as the hypothalamus (responsible for regulating the sleep-wake cycle) to work a tad bit differently than what would be the case if you would have consumed the right amount of vitamin D. This, then also impacts the production of melatonin, which is the sleep hormone.
The deficiency of this fat soluble vitamin can impact different people differently. It can cause a varied variety of sleep disorders depending on your age, the geographical location where you live, or the season you’re thriving in. These sleep disorders can range from disturbed sleep to sleep apnea.
Sources of Vitamin D
We all know what’s the strongest source of vitamin D - the sun. When your skin is exposed to sunlight, the ultraviolet rays react with the skin molecule and synthesize vitamin D in the human body. However, these reactions are quite inconsistent as one tends to use sunscreen to protect against sunlight. This along with other factors such as skin pigmentation and the strength of the sun - all have a role to play in the amount of vitamin D your body naturally produces.
That is why it is important to include foods that are rich in this vitamin in your regular diet. Some of the prominent dietary sources of vitamin D include fatty fishes such as mackerel, tuna, salmon, and mackerel, to name a few, along with egg yolks, and red meat. If you are a vegetarian, you can get the essential fat-soluble nutrient from fortified dairy and dairy alternatives. You can also consume supplements if your food fails to meet your desired requirement. One such supplement is Melts Natural Vitamin D3.
What is Melts Natural Vitamin D3?
Melts Natural Vitamin D3 supplements are in the form of oral thin strips that contain plant extracts and convert them into nanoparticles. These strips contain:
● Vitamin D3 (Vitashine®)
● Natural Vitamin K2 (MK-7)
● Astaxanthin
● Cold Pressed Coconut Oil
These strips will not only help regulate the production of melatonin in the body, but also help strengthen the immune system, promote heart health, uplift mood, provide energy, and enhance bone health, among other things.
Wrapping Up
Vitamin D plays an instrumental role in improving one’s sleep. If you are someone who is struggling to fall asleep all night and are unable to find out the reason why, well get your vitamin D levels checked. You can also make Wellbeing Nutrition’s Natural Vitamin D3 supplements a part of your daily routine as there’s ample research that proves including vitamin D supplementation will help you overcome the deficiency of this essential vitamin and sleep disorders.
References:
- Huang 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. Clin J Pain. 2013 Apr;29(4):341-7. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e318255655d. PMID: 22699141.(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22699141/)
- Gao Q, Kou T, Zhuang B, Ren Y, Dong X, Wang Q. The Association between Vitamin D Deficiency and Sleep Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2018;10(10):1395. Published 2018 Oct 1. doi:10.3390/nu10101395. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6213953/)
- Archontogeorgis, K., Nena, E., Papanas, N., & Steiropoulos, P. (2018). The role of vitamin D in obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. Breathe (Sheff), 14 (3), 206–215. https://doi.org/10.1183/20734735.000618. (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fsn3.1867)
- Nair R, Maseeh A. Vitamin D: The "sunshine" vitamin. J Pharmacol Pharmacother. 2012;3(2):118-126. doi:10.4103/0976-500X.95506. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3356951/)
