When vitamin D is low, you might feel persistently tired, have muscle weakness, aches, or cramps, experience bone pain, or notice mood changes like depression, along with more frequent illnesses, hair loss, or slow wound healing, though many people have no symptoms. These symptoms can be vague and overlap with other conditions, making a blood test essential for diagnosis, notes the Cleveland Clinic.
10 Unexpected Signs of a Vitamin D Deficiency
Symptoms when vitamin D is low
Most people with vitamin D deficiency are asymptomatic. However, if you're exhausted, your bones hurt, you have muscle weakness or mood changes, that's an indication that something may be abnormal with your body.
When vitamin D levels are low and the body isn't able to properly absorb calcium and phosphorus, there is an increased risk of bone pain, bone fractures, muscle pain, and muscle weakness. In older adults, severe vitamin D deficiency (levels less than 10 ng/mL) may also contribute to an increased risk of falls.
If you are experiencing symptoms such as acid reflux, muscle cramps, headaches, and (as discussed) constipation, it could be that your Vitamin D supplement is driving down Magnesium levels.
Of patients with gastrointestinal disease-related osteoma- lacia, 26% were secondary to celiac disease (11). The primary etiology of vitamin D deficiency in celiac disease is malabsorption. Calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients essential to bone health are poorly absorbed in untreated patients with celiac disease.
Fatigue. Bone pain. Muscle weakness, muscle aches or muscle cramps. Mood changes, like depression.
The correlation between Vitamin D deficiency and decreased sleep duration as well as impaired sleep efficiency has been well-documented in several studies.
Chronic fatigue is one of the most common and overlooked signs of vitamin deficiency. If you find yourself constantly tired, even after a good night's sleep, a lack of vitamin B12 might be to blame. This essential vitamin is responsible for energy production, red blood cell formation, and proper neurological function.
Vitamin D levels also were low in 206 of the 376 (54.8%) of patients with delayed gastric emptying and in 82 of the 137 (59.9%) patients with normal gastric emptying. Low vitamin D levels in both patient subgroups were associated with increased nausea and vomiting, but not with fullness or bloating subscores.
Egger test was conducted to assess publication bias, and the results were tested for robustness using a sensitivity analysis. Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of overactive bladder and urinary incontinence, and vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of urinary incontinence.
Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency can cause muscle aches, weakness, and bone pain in people of all ages. Muscle spasms (tetany) may be the first sign of rickets in infants. They are caused by a low calcium level in the blood in people with severe vitamin D deficiency.
A deficiency in Vitamin D can cause dry eye symptoms. However, supplements may help by reducing inflammation on the eye's surface, according to a 2020 article.
Some of the effects of vitamin D deficiency include:
Taking an over-the-counter vitamin D supplement can help raise your levels and improve deficiency symptoms within six weeks to four months, depending on how severe your deficiency is. You may begin to feel consistently more energetic and in a better mood when your use of vitamin D supplements starts to work.
Yes, you can do a vitamin D test at home using simple finger-prick kits (like TouchBio, 2San, We Test Bio) that provide quick, preliminary results (often in 10 mins) by analyzing a drop of blood to check if levels are sufficient, insufficient, or deficient, helping you monitor bone health and immune support, but you should always discuss abnormal results with a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Decreasing vitamin D levels, clinically defined as less than 20 ng/ml of the vitamin in blood serum, negatively impact Indian women's health, causing issues with brittle bones, impaired muscle strength, frequent infections, chronic tiredness, and low immunity.
Deficiencies in vitamins B12, D, and magnesium may lead to tremors, alongside fatigue, numbness, and mood changes. Addressing these deficiencies through diet, supplements, and lifestyle adjustments is crucial for managing and preventing tremors.
The foods highest in vitamin D are fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna) and fish liver oils (like cod liver oil), with egg yolks, beef liver, and UV-exposed mushrooms also containing significant amounts, but most people get vitamin D from fortified foods like milk, cereals, and juices.
(1) Vitamin D deficiency is associated with idiopathic, but not diabetic gastroparesis, suggesting that vitamin D deficiency may be responsible for the dysmotility in idiopathic cases. (2) So vitamin D deficiency might promote GERD either through subclinical gastroparesis or esophageal dysmotility.
Possible interactions include:
GERD can put you at increased risk for serious health complications, including esophagitis, or inflammation of your esophagus. It can also increase your risk for a rare disorder called Barrett's esophagus.