10 Signs You May Need More Vitamin D

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Your body is a machine.

Sure, it’s a mystery of science, a biological force to be reckoned with. But at the end of the day, your body’s a wonderful machine. And it’s programmed to keep you healthy.

But, the responsibility of keeping you healthy shouldn’t be your body’s alone. You’ve got to help your body help you. You’ve got to be proactive. And one of the best ways to keep the machine running is by fueling it with vitamins and nutrients.

Like a car, your body can run on fumes for a bit, but it will inevitably break down. And no one wants their body to end up stranded alongside life’s highway. So, give your body the fuel it needs – give your body vitamin D. But what is vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that travels through your bloodstream to be stored in your tissues. It’s also the only vitamin your body can make on its own.

But if you’re not getting enough sun or vitamin D-rich foods (like egg yolks, shitake mushrooms or wild-caught salmon), you’ve got to supplement with other sources of vitamin D. Because your body needs D so your liver can push it into your bloodstream and your kidneys can transform it into calcitriol. That’s when vitamin D can promote calcium absorption by your blood, bones, and stomach.

Bottom line? Vitamin D helps cells in your body grow and supports the health of your bones, digestive tract, heart, and immune system.

Since the body is able to manufacture its own vitamin D (with a little help from the sun) you’d think that vitamin D deficiency would be a rare occurrence. But Vitamin D deficiency affects plenty of people, especially because we use so much sunscreen to protect ourselves from the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Here are 10 signs that you may need more vitamin D.

Feeling Fatigued, Tired, or Sleepy

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It’s one thing if you have a string of late nights and you’re feeling like you’ve got to catch up on your sleep, but if your routine is intact, and you still find yourself yawning throughout the day, you may want to ask your healthcare professional to take a look at your vitamin D levels.

The thing is, in some cases, low vitamin D levels can actually cause abnormal sleep, too. Some people with vitamin D deficiencies might experience insomnia or sleep apnea, and others may simply wake up often throughout the night. For some, they may just not wake feeling energized. Also, lower levels of vitamin D are sometimes associated with daytime sleepiness. In fact, recent studies have shown that a vitamin D supplementation may actually help boost energy.

Lack of sleep or feelings of fatigue are just a couple of the ways in which your body might start to break down if you’re not getting the right amount of vitamin D – so again, check in with your doctor to see if your D levels are low.

Getting Sick Pretty Regularly

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Now, you may or may not know that vitamin D plays a pretty big role when it comes to your body’s immune system. Vitamin D helps to boost the health of your skin, your eyes, your urinary tract, your respiratory system, and even your intestine.

However, if you up your vitamin D intake, you could help your body do what it needs to in terms of digesting your food with more ease, absorbing important nutrients better, and helping yourself to feel healthier and stronger. Vitamin D might also help you get sick less often, or even bounce back more quickly than you might if you were sick and D deficient. It’s called the “sunshine vitamin” for a reason – it can help you feel your sunny self, sooner. So, if you struggle with frequent respiratory infections or other bugs, you may want to increase your intake of vitamin D to help support your immune system.

You Notice You’re Losing Your Hair (Or It’s Thinning)

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None of the signs or symptoms on this list are pleasant, but hair loss can be a special kind of disappointment. And while there are several things that can cause hair loss, proper nutrition seems to play a significant part when it comes to protecting your body from thinning or disappearing hair.

So far, scientific studies have identified two types of hair loss associated with deficient levels of vitamin D.

The first type of hair loss is called female pattern hair loss, and it is an overall thinning of the hair on the scalp.6 The second type of hair loss attributed to vitamin D deficiency is diffuse hair loss – it’s the loss of, or thinning of, hair all over the body.

So, if you’re starting to get concerned about one of those kinds of hair loss, you may want to increase your intake of vitamin D with the right foods or supplements.

Headaches

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There’s absolutely no way to sugarcoat it – headaches are … well, they’re a headache. Sometimes, there’s just that dull, low pain in the back of your head. Other times, it’s a constant pounding. And sometimes, you just feel like you’re underwater. In any of these cases, a vitamin D deficiency may be the culprit.

Of course, there are a multitude of reasons you might experience a headache, but it’s interesting to note that like other manifestations of pain, they can be strongly associated with insufficient levels of vitamin D.

So, if you happen to notice that you’re experiencing headaches somewhat regularly – or if you’re not really a headache person, but you’ve been getting them lately – you’ll want to examine your vitamin D intake.

It turns out that those who report headaches – especially in combination with fatigue or musculoskeletal pain – might be dealing with low dietary vitamin D levels and low sun exposure.

Back Pain or Soreness in Your Back

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When you experience back pain, it can put a real damper on your day. There are few ailments that can be as debilitating as back pain. And, if you’ve experienced significant back pain before, then you know it can really bench you or keep you away from work, family, or the activities you love most.

Now, pain in your lower, middle, and upper back can be brought on by several things, like heavy lifting or a bad night’s sleep. But in some cases, back pain is just evidence that your body is in need of more vitamin D.

In fact, recent scientific studies have demonstrated that insufficient vitamin D levels can be linked to serious back pain. This isn’t just true for those who must lift heavy loads. In fact, if you’re a member of the older population, you might be a little more at risk than your younger friends and family members due to a lower-than-average bone density.

Intestinal Discomfort

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Nobody likes to deal with gastrointestinal discomfort. It can be unpleasant, painful, and, sometimes, embarrassing.

If you’re not getting the right amounts of vitamin D, your body won’t be able to absorb fat properly. And this can lead to some pretty intense stomach problems, like diarrhea or indigestion.

And if you’re dealing with anything like abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, or bloating … you may have something called irritable bowel syndrome (or IBS). IBS is a disorder that affects your colon, and in many situations, those that suffer from IBS also have insufficient levels of vitamin D. In fact, a recent study found that in a group of almost 50 people who complained of gastrointestinal issues, a whopping 82 percent of them happened to be vitamin D deficient.

So, if you’re experiencing intestinal discomfort, you know what to do: Call your doctor and get your vitamin D levels checked.

Chronic Muscle Pain and Soreness

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Now, living with chronic pain is no joke.

Unfortunately, chronic pain can affect almost every part of your life. Chronic pain can upset your energy levels, your emotional well-being, and even your ability to perform the most simple daily tasks.

Of course, if you suffer from any kind of chronic discomfort, it’s important to do everything you can to reduce it. Well, guess what? Vitamin D may be able to help you out.

You see, there was a study done just a few years back that discovered the following: Out of 174 patients dealing with chronic pain, a 71 percent of them were significantly deficient in vitamin D. 71 percent – that’s a big percentage!

Turns out, vitamin D may actually play a role in the way your body handles ongoing pain – which means that lower levels of vitamin D could actually increase your sensitivity to pain and certain types of discomfort.

Tooth Decay

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Who likes going to the dentist?

Of course, it’s nice to get your teeth cleaned every so often, but finding out you’ve got tooth decay can be upsetting, for you and your wallet.

Lots of people believe that if you’re dealing with a cavity or general tooth decay, it can’t be reversed. But that’s far from the truth. You don’t necessarily have to drill a hole in your tooth to fix the issue.

In fact, you might be able to take matters into your own hands and help prevent tooth decay simply by taking a vitamin D supplement, or by adding foods rich in vitamin D to your diet. Recently, a medical review board found that vitamin D could play an important role in helping to prevent tooth decay.

So, if you find yourself spending hours (and a small fortune) in the dentist’s chair, you may want to consider increasing your intake of vitamin D.

Feelings of Sadness, Anxiety, and Lethargy

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Life can be challenging enough without having to face feelings of depression or lethargy. But sometimes, if you feel overwhelmed, sad, or like you just don’t care – it might be because you’re vitamin D deficient. Why?

Well, there are vitamin D receptors in your brain, and the vitamin could actually affect proteins in your brain known to play a role in your mood levels, learning and memory function, and maybe even social behavior. But, if you’re experiencing these kinds of mood shifts, it’s not a lost cause.

According to a study that took place in Norway not long ago, inadequate levels of vitamin D could be strongly associated with feelings of sadness and lethargy.

But the study also found that when people suffering from depression or lethargic behavior added a vitamin D supplement to their daily routine, it potentially helped boost their moods.

Cuts and Scrapes Heal More Slowly Than Usual

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Finally, your skin has some pretty incredible abilities when it comes to protecting you and even healing itself after you’ve been cut or your skin’s been torn or damaged.

Surely, you’ve seen it happen a bunch of times, what starts as an open cut quickly becomes a scab … and then, before you know it, it’s a scar. Sometimes, your skin patches itself up so well, you can’t remember where the wound was to begin with.

But if you find that cuts and scrapes are healing more slowly than they should, a vitamin D deficiency may be the culprit.

When it comes to wound healing, vitamin D works with a small protein called transforming growth factor beta 1. Together, they direct cells to begin the process of rebuilding tissue and regenerating skin.

So, if it seems like you have to keep re-applying bandages, consider upping your vitamin D intake to help support your body’s natural healing processes.