Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include: Fatigue. Not sleeping well. Bone pain or achiness. Depression or feelings of sadness.
FALLING SICK OFTEN
When your body runs low on vitamin D, it affects your immunity, making you more prone to ailments like cold and flu, fever, allergies, asthma, and eczema. These are just a few among more than 80 illnesses that can be caused by problems with the immune function.
Vitamin D keeps your immune system strong and can help regulate insulin levels. It keeps your energy levels up and enhances your mood, too.
Vitamin D deficiency is most commonly caused by a lack of exposure to sunlight. Some disorders can also cause the deficiency. The most common cause is lack of exposure to sunlight, usually when the diet is deficient in vitamin D, but certain disorders can also cause the deficiency.
Growing evidence has demonstrated that vitamin D has a role in sleep regulation [12]. Specifically, vitamin D deficiency (VDD) can increase risk of sleep disorders and is associated with sleep difficulties, shorter sleep duration, and nocturnal awakenings in children and adults [13,14,15].
So, when it comes to vitamin d deficiency treatments, how long till you start to feel better? Those with the lowest levels should feel an improvement after just a few days, while those who only need to top up their levels may have to wait a week or two before they begin to feel healthier and more energised.
Having inadequate levels of vitamin D may correlate with unintentional weight gain. A study on women over the age of 65 found that participants with a lower vitamin D level experienced more weight gain. A systematic review of 23 different studies found similar associations between vitamin D deficiency and obesity.
Vitamin D (from food, sunshine and supplements) changes to calcidiol in the liver, which is measured from blood to check the level of vitamin D. The half-life of calcidiol of D3 (we get from supplements and e.g. fish) is 15–30 days. Half-life is the period during which vitamin D stores decrease by half.
The most serious complications of vitamin D deficiency include: Low blood calcium levels (hypocalcemia). Low blood phosphate levels (hypophosphatemia). Rickets (softening of bones during childhood).
Use the CVS Health At Home Vitamin D Test Kit to get accurate and comprehensive results in the privacy and comfort of your own home. Simply collect your blood sample using this convenient kit, mail it to the lab, and receive your results through a secure online portal in just a few days.
The short answer is yes. Dizziness is a common symptom of vitamin D deficiency, along with fatigue and brain fog. If you are feeling dizzy all the time, it is worth checking your vitamin D levels. Insufficient vitamin D can cause dizziness because it plays a role in maintaining blood pressure and fluid balance.
Vitamin D deficiency is frequent and has been associated with fatigue and other unspecific symptoms including headache, musculoskeletal pain and weakness, depression, and impaired cognitive performance.
Many studies show that overweight and obese people have low vitamin D levels when compared to their slimmer counterparts. And some studies link increased belly fat to vitamin D deficiency. In fact, according to a Medical News Today article, an increase in overall body fat and low vitamin D seem to go hand in hand.
Besides boosting mood and promoting calcium absorption, recent studies have shown that vitamin D may also aid in weight loss. For people with extra belly fat, a vitamin D supplement may be beneficial.
Vitamin D insufficiency may relate to higher levels of anxiety and depression, in turn contributing to the elevated risk of psychosis in this population.
Although this might sound similar to relieving stress, strong levels of vitamin D not only correlate with reduced stress – it also improves the production of “feel good” hormones. Vitamin D actively fights depression by increasing serotonin, the hormone key to stabilising mood and increasing happiness.
According to the National Institutes of Health, vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the gut and helps regulate the concentration of calcium and phosphorus in the blood, which supports building and maintaining healthy, strong bones and helps regulate skeletal and neuromuscular function.
In addition to this, you might notice bone pain, or even muscle problems. This can include muscle weakness, aches, or cramps. Finally, vitamin D can even impact your mood. If you've noticed mood changes, or the onset of depression, vitamin D could be to blame.
Therefore, conditions that affect the gut and digestion, like celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, Crohn's disease, and cystic fibrosis, can reduce vitamin D absorption.
The best food sources of vitamin D are oily fish, including salmon, mackerel, and sardines. Other sources include egg yolks, red meat, and liver. Vitamin D is added to some foods too, including breakfast cereals, plant milks and fat spreads.
While it is possible to take enough vitamin D once a week to keep yourself balanced, the best results were found to be a lower dose (1,000-2,000 IUs or 25-50 mcg ) taken daily. Taking vitamin D consistently with a meal containing healthy fats will ensure that your body absorbs it properly.
Can vitamin D deficiency affect eyesight? Dry eyes could be a sign of vitamin D deficiency. When the eyes become dry as a result of low vitamin D levels, it may also become more difficult to produce tears. The eyes might feel gritty, sore or itchy and vision could become blurred.