Vitamin
D is an extremely important nutrient that has powerful effects throughout the
body. But despite its importance, many people just don’t seem to get adequate
amounts.
In fact, 1 billion people worldwide, are vitamin D deficient.
· Symptoms of vitamin d deficiency
Vitamin
D plays an important role in the support of muscle function. When metabolized,
vitamin D enters your muscles and ensures proper muscle contraction. This is also
vital for building muscle strength.
However, if you’re experiencing muscle pain that is not due to exertion, it may be due to insufficient levels of vitamin D. In fact, research has established that chronic muscle pain that is unresponsive to treatment is often due to vitamin D deficiency.
Painful Bones
Your
bones stop growing once you’ve reached adulthood, but old bone tissue is
regularly replaced by new tissue.
Vitamin
D is vital for ensuring bone tissue replacement, and a serious deficiency can cause
bones to soften. This condition is known as Osteomalacia or ‘Adult Rickets’,
and can lead to Osteoporosis. Muscle pain is usually concentrated in one
specific location and is aggravated by physical activity.
·
Fatigue
This
symptom is often overlooked, because we tend to attribute fatigue to a number
of different things. Your body needs vitamin D to produce energy, and a lack of
it can make you feel tired and sluggish throughout the day. This lack of energy
can also cause you to adopt negative behaviors that can have an adverse effect
on your health. So, listen to your body.
If
you notice that you are feeling sluggish and can’t figure out why, you may just
need to get some more vitamin D.
·
Reduced Endurance
If
you are physically active but you notice that your endurance is decreasing for
no apparent reason, low levels of vitamin D may be the cause.
As
I mentioned in the previous point, vitamin D plays a vital role in maintaining
and increasing energy - and this is especially true for endurance. Physically
active people can also experience reduced endurance, even if they are getting enough
sunlight every day.
·
Low Moods
Vitamin
D is not only an important factor in your brain’s health, it also affects your
mood. The areas of your brain that are associated with mood, have vitamin D
receptors. Low vitamin D levels can therefore significantly affect your brain
cells.
While
research is still being conducted, there is evidence to suggest that vitamin D
can increase certain neurotransmitters in the brain called monoamines. These
include “feel-good” substances like serotonin and dopamine.
·
Problems Sleeping Well
It’s
been discovered that vitamin D also plays a role in getting good sleep at
night. The precise relationship between sleep and vitamin D is not yet certain,
but research seems to associate the quality of your sleep with vitamin D
levels. This association may have something to do with the vitamin D receptors
in the brain that control sleep.
Receptors
that receive insufficient amounts, work less efficiently than they should. And
this can lead to poor sleep quality.
·
Sweaty Head
When
your body temperature exceeds 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit or 37 degrees Celsius,
you perspire in order to lower your body temperature. This usually is entirely
natural. Perspiration even serves to eliminate toxins that gather in fat cells
under your skin.
However,
if your head is sweating while the rest of your body is not, it could be an
indication that you may not be getting enough vitamin D.
·
Losing Hair
Hair
follicle growth is stimulated by vitamin D. When they are healthy, hair
follicles maintain hair volume. It is, of course, natural to lose hair as you
get older. But people can also suffer from hair loss due to a deficiency in
vitamin D. This is especially true for women.
Research
also suggests a connection between low vitamin D levels and Alopecia – which is
an autoimmune disease that results in bald patches.
·
Wounds Heal Slowly
If
you get injured and it takes a long time for your wounds to heal, a lack of
vitamin D in your body might be the cause. Vitamin D plays a vital role in
rebuilding skin, thus, if you don’t get enough, healing will occur at a much
slower pace. This can be especially problematic after a surgery and can also
result in more pronounced scarring.
·
Dizziness
Vitamin
D plays an important role in the proper functioning of your ears.
Research
has demonstrated that there are vitamin D receptors in the calcium channel
transport systems located in the inner ear. These serve in maintaining a proper
balance of calcium.
·
Heart Problems
Perhaps
one of the most underestimated risk factors for heart disease is vitamin D
deficiency. However, mounting evidence seems to indicate that insufficient
levels of it can drastically increase the likelihood of heart disease. There
also seems to be a connection with high blood pressure.
According
to a number of large research studies, low levels of vitamin D can double the
risk of having a stroke, heart attack, or other heart complications.
·
Recurring Infections
Vitamin
D levels have a direct effect on the health of your body’s immune system. When
your body can process sufficient levels of it, your immune system remains
strong and is able to combat infections and diseases as it is meant to do. Not
getting enough of this crucial vitamin can result in serious consequences. It
can drastically weaken your immune system - leaving you vulnerable to recurring
infections and chronic diseases.
·
Reduced Cognitive Function
Vitamin
D’s biologically active form has been shown to have neuroprotective effects. This
means that the vitamin actually helps in the preservation of nerve function –
which is very important for your brain to work properly.
While
vitamin D deficiency is a common issue worldwide, there are some factors that
can lead to an even greater risk of having low vitamin D levels. As you already
know, the body produces vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.
Treatment of vitamin D deficiency
You can expose yourself to sunlight more often; include more foods rich in vitamin D in your diet - such as fatty fish; or fortified foods - like cereal; or simply take a supplement. It can do wonders for your health.
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