To Your Health
August, 2022 (Vol. 16, Issue 08) |
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Vitamin D for Sleep
By Editorial Staff
If you're not experiencing consistent quality sleep, consider these three points: 1) You're not alone. 2) The short- and long-term health consequences can be debilitating. 3) Ensuring adequate vitamin D status is one potential solution, according to research. Let's focus on point #3 courtesy of a new study published in the peer-reviewed research journal
Nutrients.
Researchers performed an analysis of multiple previously conducted studies that investigated whether vitamin D supplementation could positively impact sleep quantity, quality and disorders related to sleep (insomnia, etc.). According to the study authors, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with sleep disorders and poor sleep quality in previous research. Their analysis suggests that sleep quality in particular can be improved with vitamin D supplementation, although it's important to recognize that the studies analyzed varied in the amount supplement and length of time supplementation took place.
Vitamin D also has a long list of other potential health and wellness benefits, according to the Mayo Clinic; and despite the #1 source of vitamin D being exposure to sunlight (a mere 15-20 minutes a day), most people don't get enough vitamin D year-round due to various factors including weather, use of sunscreen, increasing time spent indoors, etc. Numerous foods also contain vitamin D, but the problem is the same: most people don't get enough due to increasingly poor diets lacking not just vitamin D, but other key micronutrients as well. Your doctor can evaluate your vitamin D status and tell you more about why vitamin D is so important.
