Are you having trouble sleeping? A vitamin D deficiency may be behind your insomnia.
Canadians and more than half the world’s population is deficient in vitamin D. You may enjoy better sleep as well as reduced pain and inflammation in just a few days with more vitamin D.
It is commonly believed people only need to be outdoors to receive enough of the sunshine vitamin but, to avoid excess sun, we are wearing sunscreen and staying either covered up or in the shade. This has limited our ability to create enough vitamin D, which takes place in the skin.
We need to expose most of our skin to the sunlight during the hours we observe our shadow is shorter than we are tall. If our shadow is too tall then the angle of the light is not correct for the UVB exposure necessary. This leaves a very limited window of time during the day and there are few days when the sun is shining warmly enough to be outdoors with exposed skin.
In Canada, vitamin D is added to commercially produced milk, some soy milks, orange juices and cereals to prevent rickets, a bone disease resulting from lack of vitamin D. Eating foods rich in vitamin D may be helpful, for instance, fatty fish, mackerel, salmon, egg yolks and beef liver, but research shows typically not enough.
Health Canada recommends 400 IU per day with an upper limit of 4,000 IU. Should you choose a higher dosage, then reduce to 400-600 IU per day after either 12 months or a blood test showing a satisfactory levels. Be sure to take your dose in the morning as it may temporarily pause the production of melatonin, a sleep hormone.
Supplementing your diet with additional vitamin D may solve your sleeping problems safely and naturally.
Catherine Cameron is an integrative physician in Powell River.
