Do you feel like you’re sleeping badly? Do you have interruptions during the night or are you dealing with insomnia or sleep apnea? One of the possible reasons could be a lack of vitamin D.
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Vitamins are influential in everything, affecting our mood, sleep, disease prevention, muscle functioning, immune system protection, among others. Therefore, today we will talk about the “sun vitamin” and specify its relationship to sleep.
What are the effects of a lack of vitamin D?
Vitamin D deficiency can cause changes in the release of hormones such as melatonin, which act during sleep. That is, the lack of vitamin it is associated with insomnia and apnea, as well as the constant feeling of tiredness during the day.
The benefits of a good night’s sleep include:
- Improving the immune system
- Skin rejuvenation
- memory improvement
- stress reduction
- appetite control
- mood improvement
Vitamin D is associated with the sun, its most popular source. However, do you know how long you should be in the sun or how many other vitamin D-rich foods you should eat?
Major sources of vitamin D
It could only be the sol. The best time to sunbathe to top up on vitamin D is the one with the highest concentration of UVB rays, the vitamin’s stimulants. The hours would be between 10am and 4pm. It is recommended to sunbathe 2 to 3 times a week, staying 5 to 20 minutes a day.
Foods with vitamin D are meat, fish such as salmon and sardines, shellfish, eggs, milk, liver, cheese and mushrooms. That is, vitamin D is present only in foods of animal origin, with the exception of mushrooms.
If sun exposure does not meet vitamin D needs, it must be obtained through food or supplements. Therefore, 15 mcg of vitamin D per day is recommended for healthy children or adults.
For vegetarians who wish to obtain a greater abundance of vitamin D, the process will be through sun exposure or supplementation, which must be indicated by a professional.
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