Vitamin D and sleep: The surprising connection Early research suggests it is inversely related to melatonin, your sleep hormone. Increasing vitamin D levels may suppress melatonin levels. So, it makes sense that taking it at night could disrupt your sleep.
Early anecdotal evidence suggests that Vitamin D may interfere with sleep. However, there's not enough evidence to know how it really interacts with your sleep cycle. Since it's best to take Vitamin D with a meal, it makes sense to avoid taking this supplement before bed.
Some studies have found that vitamin D supplements can improve sleep quality and quantity. But other studies concluded that they have no effect on sleep and may even decrease sleep quality.
However, increasing vitamin D levels with supplements may suppress melatonin generation, leading to sleep disturbances. For this reason, people should take vitamin D supplements in the morning to replicate how the body synthesizes them from sunlight rather than taking them at night.
It seems vitamin D helps you sleep because it takes part in the regulation of our circadian rhythms. Increasing dosages could be the first step to improving sleep, but pay attention to its effects. Vitamin D may suppress melatonin production. So take it in the day, not before bed.
Excess Vitamin D
You may also develop kidney stones or kidney damage. Other symptoms of vitamin D toxicity include weakness, fatigue or tiredness, vomiting, weight loss, itchy skin, constipation and muscle control issues.
Therefore, conditions that affect the gut and digestion, like celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, Crohn's disease, and cystic fibrosis, can reduce vitamin D absorption.
To get an optimal vitamin D supplement from the sun at a minimal risk of getting cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM), the best time of sun exposure is noon.
However, taking too much vitamin D in the form of supplements can be harmful. Children age 9 years and older, adults, and pregnant and breastfeeding women who take more than 4,000 IU a day of vitamin D might experience: Nausea and vomiting. Poor appetite and weight loss.
Some side effects of taking too much vitamin D include weakness, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, and others. Taking vitamin D for long periods of time in doses higher than 4000 IU (100 mcg) daily is possibly unsafe and may cause very high levels of calcium in the blood.
“Adding an over-the-counter vitamin D supplement can make improvements in just three to four months time.
Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include:
Fatigue. Not sleeping well. Bone pain or achiness. Depression or feelings of sadness.
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.
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.
Our only hard recommendation: Avoid supplementing with vitamin D at night. There's evidence that vitamin D can suppress melatonin—which is bad news for your sleep quality.
B Complex Vitamins
I would discourage people from taking a B complex and instead get it from food sources. Especially since taking one before bed can keep you awake.
He suggests taking your dietary supplements at night isn't advisable. “Digestion slows down during sleep, so taking your nutrient supplement late at night would not be associated with an efficient absorption.”
Magnesium assists in the activation of vitamin D, which helps regulate calcium and phosphate homeostasis to influence the growth and maintenance of bones. All of the enzymes that metabolize vitamin D seem to require magnesium, which acts as a cofactor in the enzymatic reactions in the liver and kidneys.
Cholestyramine -- This cholesterol-lowering medication, known as a bile acid sequestrant, interferes with the absorption of vitamin D (as well as other fat-soluble vitamins). Phenobarbital, phenytoin, and other anticonvulsant medications -- These medications may accelerate the body's use of vitamin D.
"Adequate levels of magnesium in the body are essential for the absorption and metabolism not only of vitamin D but of calcium as well," Dean states. "Magnesium converts vitamin D into its active form so that it can help calcium absorption.
Together with calcium, vitamin D also helps protect older adults from osteoporosis. Vitamin D has other roles in the body, including reduction of inflammation as well as modulation of such processes as cell growth, neuromuscular and immune function, and glucose metabolism [1-3].
Can you Feel the Effects of Vitamin D Immediately? You will likely not immediately feel the effects of vitamin D supplementation. Give it time to begin to work in your body while continuing to consume vitamin D-rich foods in your diet.