Once again I love it when a mystery is revealed, or at least partially explained.
I was reading a case study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine and it helped confirm a hypothesis I have had for a while about the importance of vitamins to your sleep.
Look at the busy B's: Did you know that vitamin B can help regulate the use of tryptophan?
But a recent case study has shown that for a patient with severe sleepiness and a vitamin D deficiency, a vitamin D supplementation improved daytime sleepiness dramatically:
The patient was a 28-year-old female. She was suffering for about four months with excessive sleepiness. Her symptoms started slowly and continued to progress. She kept a standard bedtime between 10 and 11 pm, and she reported falling asleep within minutes. She would wake at 7:30 a.m. and reported that she did not think that she was sleeping poorly. She would get her kids ready for school and then be back in bed by eight am until noon. She would then nap from four pm to seven pm. She reported about 14 hours of sleep per day.
Her sleep study showed no signs of sleep apnea or other sleep disorder. During her clinic visit she showed no signs of narcolepsy, depression or anxiety. Her next day nap study was unremarkable. She reported muscle fatigue and pain, as well as headaches, her lab work showed a thyroid in the low, but normal range and she had low levels of vitamin D.
She was started on a vitamin D supplementation at 50,000 units once per week (IV) and within two weeks she started to see a decrease in her sleepiness and fatigue.
Vitamin D is actually considered a fat soluble hormone that can be received in foods (dietary sources and fish) or is self-manufactured by the skin after exposure to UVB light. A vitamin D deficiency has been noticed as a global issue and recently found in underserved populations, patients in northern latitudes, people with darker skin tones, the elderly, obese and pregnant or lactating women. Also very common in areas with a high degree of sunshine (this seems counterintuitive, but think about all that sunblock!). Recent studies have linked vitamin D deficiency to metabolic syndrome, muscle pain and even type 2 diabetes.
So why do we think it helped her sleepiness? It is really hard to say, but I have seen this in some of my patients. It could be linked to a decrease in sleep disturbing pain. Or vitamin D may be something that will help decrease a person's drive for sleep. Only more research in this exciting new area can tell us.
Check with your doctor about vitamin supplementation. We all work hard, and eating right isn't always easy. And even when we do, we may not get what we need from the food we eat. Our bodies actually make vitamin D, but we have to get enough sunlight to make that happen effectively.
Have you started taking vitamin D and noticed an increase in your daytime energy? What about vitamin B? Share your stories -- would love to hear your experiences with keeping healthy and getting better sleep.
Sweet Dreams,
Michael J. Breus, Ph.D.
The Sleep Doctorâ„¢
Everything you do, you do better with a good night's sleep.â„¢ www.thesleepdoctor.com, twitter@thesleepdoctor, Facebook: The Sleep Doctor.
Follow Dr. Michael J. Breus on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thesleepdoctor
The fear vitamin D as hell
http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/Dietary-Reference-Intakes-for-Calcium-and-Vitamin-D/Report-Brief.aspx
> Sweet Dreams,
> Michael J. Breus, Ph.D.
> The Sleep Doctorâ„¢
My "scam-dar" goes off whenever a non-MD provides medical advice (sometimes with lawyer crafted disclaimers) while holding themselves out as a "doctor." A PhD does entitle one to the "doctor" honorific -- but in this case it appears to used as a way to add unwarranted credibility to medical issues.
I am not adverse to people writing or even advocating homeopathic or alternative treatments. But unless they actual have relevant medical degrees, using the doctor title can be seriously misleading (imo).
Vitamins and supplements can have serious medical effects (not always good) and can significantly impact prescribed medications. I would consult a licensed physician before taking the advice of a non-md Phd who is pushing his latest book.
My uncle takes some pills for sleep, dont know which.
Thanks for sharing.
http://www.healthyskinguide.net
I also take 6,000units of vitamin D3 every morning if I'm not going to be in the sun that day.
Other sleep-enhancers are melatonin (also a fine antioxidant and a fav of mine), Vespro GHS, and ZMA (also said to aide muscle growth. More about these here:
http://www.garmaonhealth.com/2009/08/restful-rejuvenating-sleep/
Also, the famed Dr. Oz has some insights in this HuffPost article;
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mehmet-oz/dr-ozs-big-sleep-tips-vid_b_422243.html
Keep in mind IT IS JUST A CASE REPORT PEOPLE! No reason to go out and O.D. on vit D.
I'm in a northern latitude and have been taking 4000 iu of D per day. I used to sleep 12 or so hours a day, and now can get by on 7 or 8. I wake up refreshed and do not feel tired all day. My mood is much better as well. Winter depression is gone, and much less anxiety. I initially began to take it to try to get my blood pressure stabilized, and other health things like immune system bolstering and protecting against certain cancers. I thing Vit-D deficiency should be the first test any doctor gives.
Anyhow, I do take fish oil and 3,000 IU of D3 every day. And it did help with bone pain I had when I first started it. I don't know what is wrong with me now. It very well could be something psychological, but I am in such a haze I can't even figure out what emotionally is wrong, if anything. Being in therapy and having somatic problems, I am trained to think *everything* is actually something else that is emotional in nature.
I think I will probably go to a doc in the box place tomorrow to get checked out. I know they can retest my D levels there. I haven't had them checked since I found out I had very low levels (I think it was 13 something). My doctor told me just to take 2,000 IU a day, but I increased it after reading various articles to 3,000. I'm guessing when I get my blood checked it'll probably still be low. Any other tests anyone can think I should ask for?
For what it's worth, I have never seen dramatic changes in my patients with Vit D therapy, though I regularly check and replace it (there are theoretical implications with autoimmunity and cancer)
Anecdotes are not worth much, true, but the clinical evidence is mounting quickly that Vitamin D is importnt far beyond preventing rickets and the RDA of 400 IU is ridiculously low. The fact that Vitamin D deficiency - and the risk of MS - increase with latitude and darker skin - is suggestive. I remain a cautiously optimistic skeptic, but am encouraging others strongly to consider supplements.
And despite that long list, sleep wasn't on it!
Vitamin D really is turning out to be some kinda miracle supplement, so if you wish to delve into the benefits, check out this post featuring the work and conclusions of Dr Holick:
http://www.garmaonhealth.com/2010/12/30-reasons-vitamin-d/
However, as a shortage of vitamin d can lead to bone pain and bone pain may keep you awake.....
Most people above a certain latitude are very deficient.
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/supplements/heliophobe-madness/