Denton County Living Well Magazine September/October 2020 | Page 47

While many dream of quitting their jobs and relocating to
a small island off of Florida, this is an unrealistic solution for
most working Americans. Regardless of sun exposure, therapeutic
levels of vitamin D can only be achieved and maintained
through supplementation. Simply taking large doses of vitamin
D is not the answer for preventing vitamin D deficiency. Too
much or too little can also have side effects, including reducing
the quality of your sleep.
According to the Vitamin D Council, Americans need
1000i.u. for every 25 pounds of weight, although using a blood
test is the best way to know your ideal dose. A healthy human
body uses anywhere from about 3000 to 5000i.u. of vitamin D
per day through various metabolic pathways.
Keep in mind that these amounts are adjusted according to
your age, weight, absorption, skin color and normal sun exposure.
Therefore, if you are outside with adequate sun exposure,
such as at sporting events, summer camp and through landscaping,
try not to use a heavy sunscreen; rather do wear a longsleeved,
light-colored shirt and/or a hat and leave the vitamin D
supplements at home: more is not always better. Too much vitamin
D can cause headaches, hair loss and inflammation in the
body. The United States government recommends no more than
4,000i.u. per day and other authorities argue that no more than
10,000i.u.be taken per day. (Note: 10,000i.u. is also the amount
produced after a day’s worth of maximum sun exposure.)
When is the Best Time to take vitamin D? Vitamin D is inversely
related to melatonin, your sleep hormone; therefore,
if you take it with dinner or around bedtime, there is a good
chance the quality of your sleep may be negatively affected. For
this reason, take it early in the day with breakfast or lunch, as
digestion with a small amount of fat. Even a trivial amount of
fat in a meal (or in a softgel) allows vitamin D to combine with
other fatty acids and, later, with enzymes to promote complete
breakdown and absorption into the liver and kidney.
In one experiment researchers concluded that taking vitamin
D in the morning is better than taking it at night. A morning
dose of D correlated with increases in REM, deep sleep, and
the number of hours asleep. When the dosing was reversed to
where the D was taken at night, sleep quality plummeted with
significance.
With busier and busier schedules becoming the norm,
healthy sleep is worth its weight in gold. Most authorities stress
the importance of no less than 7 hours nightly, on average, for
each adult. Should your average sleep duration begin to lag
as the workweek comes to a close, take extra vitamin D with
breakfast and focus on turning in earlier. If you are not practicing
good sleep hygiene and not taking adequate vitamin D at
the right time, you are setting yourself up for a triple fail. Practice
all three and these habits will reinforce and amplify the effect
of the other.
If you are unsure of where to start, there are a few options.
Your first stop may be to visit your doctor and find out
with a simple blood test where your vitamin D levels are right
now (Ideal ranges anywhere from 30-110ng/mL). Remember:
D levels are influenced by time of day, time of year and supplementation.
If you have a vitamin D level that is more than
six months old, it is time to do it again. If your insurance will
not cover another test, there are cash-pay and discounted options
through alternative laboratories (i.e. lab testing services)
and other locally owned and operated lab service providers, as
recommended by your pharmacist.
7 Healthy
Foods That
Are High in
Vitamin D
Fish
(Salmon, tuna,
sardines)
Egg Yolks
Shellfish
(Oysters, shrimp)
Mushrooms
Avocados
Fortified Dairy
(Milk, yogurt, Swiss
cheese, margarine)
Peas
DENTON COUNTY • 45