What is Vitamin D Deficiency?

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that has powerful effects throughout your body. However, despite its importance, many people don’t seem to get enough amounts. Over 40 percent of American adults, as well as approximately 1 billion people in the world, have a vitamin deficiency.

Effect of Vitamin D Deficiency

Very few foods contain vitamin D, so much of it is naturally produced in your skin in reaction to the sun’s UV rays, which is why it is often referred to as ‘sunshine vitamin.’ Another explanation for the deficiency of vitamin D is that it can be difficult to detect. It is impossible to determine that these symptoms are simply the result of low levels of vitamin D, or anything else. If you’re wondering if you’re having enough vitamins, here are some signs that show that you definitely need more.

Hair loss

Production of the hair follicles are induced by vitamins, especially D. It’s natural to lose the hair when you get older, of course. But people also can experience hair loss due to a deficiency. This is true, especially for women. Research also indicates a connection between low levels of Alopecia and vitamin D, an autoimmune disease that results in bald patches.

Wounds Heal Slowly

If you get wounded, and your wounds take a long time to recover, a deficiency of vitamin D in your body may be the reason. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in restoring your skin, and if you don’t get enough, a much slower rate of healing can occur. This may be particularly problematic following surgery, which can also lead to more noticeable scarring.

Dizziness

Vitamin D performs a significant part in helping the ears function properly. Studies have shown that vitamin D receptors in the calcium channel transport the system located in the inner part of your ears—this helps to preserve proper calcium level. You can feel sudden bouts of dizziness or a spinning feeling, as well as nausea-among other undesirable symptoms when calcium crystals found in your inner ear dislodge. This problem is called “Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo,” and there is clear evidence that it is related to low vitamin D levels.

Heart Problems

Vitamin D deficiency is probably one of the most underestimated risk factors for heart disease. Mounting proof, however, tends to suggest that low rates of it will significantly increase the risk of coronary artery disease. High blood pressure also tends to be associated. Low levels of vitamin D can increase the chance of experiencing a stroke, affecting the heart muscle, heart attack, or other cardiac problems, according to a variety of major research reports.

Excessive Body Weight

It is known that the “D” vitamin supplements can improve the capacity of the body to consume vital nutrients, such as calcium, which is necessary not just for bone health but also for a balanced metabolism. It enables calories to burn down in your body. Research demonstrates that obesity increases the need for the vitamin in your body due to the higher fat tissue levels. Those with larger waistlines have difficulty transforming vitamins to a more usable form and will require up to three times as many as those of average weight to keep healthy amounts.

Recurring Infections

Levels of vitamin D influence, specifically the health of the body’s immune system. Once your body can process adequate amounts of it, your immune system stays healthy and can fight infections and diseases as expected. Not having enough of this essential vitamin may have major consequences. It will weaken your immune system dramatically, leaving you vulnerable to recurring diseases and chronic illnesses.

Aching Muscles

Vitamin D plays a vital part in promoting muscle activity. It also comes into the muscles as metabolized and ensures right muscle contraction. This is important for developing muscle mass. However, if you feel muscle discomfort that isn’t due to exertion, this could be due to low vitamin D levels. Besides, studies have shown that chronic muscle pain that is not receptive to medication is mostly due to a deficiency in vitamin D.

Painful Bones

When you have reached adulthood, the bones stop developing, but old bone tissue is continuously replaced with new tissue. Vitamin D is essential for the regeneration of bone tissue, and a severe deficiency can cause softening of bones. Known as Osteomalacia or ‘Adult Rickets,’ this disease can lead to osteoporosis. Given that muscle pain and bone pain frequently resemble each other, it is vital to be able to distinguish between them. Muscle pain is typically focused on a single location and is intensified by physical activity. However, aching bones are also felt to be a penetrating pain that extends broadly.

Fatigue 

This symptom is often underestimated because we prefer to assign fatigue to several things.

To produce energy, your body needs vitamin D, and a lack of it will make you feel exhausted and slow all day. This energy shortage will also lead you to follow unhealthy habits that will negatively impact your health. Listen to your body. When you realize you feel tired and can’t find out why you might need to get a little extra vitamin D.

Reduced Endurance

If you are physically active but find your endurance is dropping for no particular reason, the cause could be low levels of vitamin D. As I pointed out earlier, vitamins plays a crucial role in maintaining and growing strength, and this is particularly true for endurance. Even if they get enough sunshine every day, physically active individuals will suffer decreased endurance too. Luckily, if the cause is a lack of this vitamin, your endurance will quickly increase when your levels are healthy again.

Moodiness

Vitamin D isn’t only a significant factor in your brain’s health; it also affects your mood. The mood-based areas of your brain include vitamin D receptors. Therefore insufficient levels of vitamin D will have a significant effect on the brain cells. Although study is still ongoing, there is evidence that vitamin D can increase some neurotransmitters in the brain, called monoamines.

Such contain substances like serotonin and dopamine, which are “feel-good.” If you don’t have enough of these chemicals in your brain, you can feel low and stressed. That is also when many people suffer low winter moods, a disease called Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is at least partly caused by the general absence of winter sunshine.

Sleeping Issues 

Well, it has been discovered that this particular vitamin also plays a part in a good night’s sleep. The exact association between sleep and vitamin D is still not known. Still, the evidence tends to link the duration of the sleep with levels of vitamin D. The connection can have something to do with the vitamin D receptors in the brain that can control your sleep. The receptors which obtain inadequate amounts are operating less efficiently than they should. And this can result in low quality of sleep.

Sweaty Head

When your body temperature passes 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit or 37 degrees Celsius, you perspire just so to lower your body temperature. Typically that is absolutely natural. Sweat also helps kill toxins that accumulate beneath the skin in fat cells. When your head sweats when the rest of your body isn’t, however, this could be an indicator that you might not be getting enough vitamin D.

Reduced Cognitive Function

The biologically active source of vitamin D has been shown to have neuroprotective effects. This ensures the vitamin also helps maintain nerve activity and is very important for the brain to function properly. Studies indicate that this vitamin deficiency is a major factor in reduced cognitive capacity. There are definite signs that both Dementia and Alzheimer’s are linked to low levels of vitamin D. Adults with extreme vitamin D deficiency are four times more likely to develop cognitive impairment. Although vitamin D deficiency is a widespread issue around the world, certain factors may contribute to an even higher chance of low levels of vitamin D. 

Since you already know, when exposed to sunlight, the body develops vitamin D. This means that if you spend too much time indoors either at home or at work, stay in extreme Northern or Southern latitudes, or wear excessively concealing clothes, you are at risk of getting low rates of Vitamin D.  

People with darker skin naturally develop less vitamin D, as the elevated levels of melanin in their skin are primarily supposed to protect against excessive ultraviolet light exposure. 

However, if you think you lack vitamin D, it’s necessary to get your blood levels checked. The good thing is that a shortage in vitamin D is usually easy to correct. Sometime, you should subject yourself to sunlight. 

Have more foods fortified with vitamin D in your diet. Fatty fish like tuna, mackerel, and salmon. Also, beef liver, egg yolks, dairy products, orange juice, cereals and soy milk are great sources of vitamin D. Take a supplement; it improves your overall health.