The benefits of Vitamin D: for Sleep
Vitamin D is very important nutrient which our body makes when our skin is exposed to sunshine.
Unfortunately around 1 billion people worldwide are deficient in Vitamin D,
with around 40% of adults in the USA not having enough Vitamin D in their blood.
People with darker skin pigment such as African Americans and Hispanics are even more likely to
be deficient, because they have more melanin in their skin, which blocks sun exposure.
Low levels of Vitamin D are linked to sleeping problems,
mood disorders, anxiety, depression, and autoimmune disease.
In today's video we are going to take a look at the importance of Vitamin D for sleep,
and explain how to boost you Vitamin D levels safely and naturally.
1. Sleep Quality S In our other videos we
discussed healthy foods and supplements that you can take to help you drift off to sleep.
Vitamin D plays a different role, in actually improving the quality of your sleep.
If you often wake up in the morning feeling tired, groggy and feel the urge to nap during the day,
then Vitamin D can help to stimulate the kind of sleep that recharges you.
2. Signs
Signs of a Vitamin D deficiency include dark circles under the eyes, sleep apnea,
puffy eyes, nightmares, blood shot eyes, muscle weakness and low mood.
3. How It Works People who have low levels
of Vitamin D in the body tend to have higher amounts of a stress hormone called cortisol,
which keeps you up at night.
Deep within the brain there are receptors for Vitamin D
which trigger muscle paralysis when you sleep.
This essentially "turns off" the muscles whilst you are asleep by affecting the nervous system.
This allows muscles to recycle old tissues
and rejuvenate the body as you enjoy a deeper state of rest.
It also helps to trigger a deeper delta wave sleep for recharging and reenergising the body.
4. Restless Legs The most common cause
of restless leg syndrome is a Vitamin B1 or a Vitamin D deficiency. This is where you feel an
electrical sense of energy in the legs which keeps you awake at night. Consuming a daily supplement
of these nutrients is an effective remedy which helps to regulate energy in the muscles.
5. Supplement The best source of Vitamin D is sunshine,
as the skin can produce its own Vitamin D. You can also take a daily supplement of Vitamin D3 & K2.
20,000 IU of Vitamin D3 and 200mcg of Vitamin K2 is the perfect combination daily.
It takes a month or two to raise the Vitamin D levels in your liver,
so give allow these levels to build up over time.
If you do not see any results, you may need to double the dosage,
as some people struggle to absorb Vitamin D.
6. Deficiency Causes If you have darker skin, you are less
likely absorb UV rays to convert into Vitamin D in the body, especially if you work indoors often.
Those with Liver problems such as cirrhosis, or fatty liver disease
may also be deficient in Vitamin D, because it is activated through an enzyme in the liver.
You may also struggle to make Vitamin D if you have kidney problems.
Viruses and certain bacterial infections
also block Vitamin D receptors in the body so that they can spread.
IF you think you have any of the above issues, taking a daily supplement
of digestive enzymes with ox bile will help your body to absorb more Vitamin D.
7. Sleep Time Vitamin D is also
very effective at increasing the amount of time that you sleep.
This is particularly useful for those over the age of 50, who tend to sleep for less hours.
As you can see, Vitamin D plays a key role in improving sleep quality,
switching off muscles and improving delta wave sleep.
In our other videos we discuss other important nutrients for sleep,
including the best foods to eat and some excellent supplements.
Be sure to select our "Brain Health" playlist at the end to
learn more.
Thank you very much for listening, a like is always appreciated and remember to subscribe
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