Vitamin D is produced in the body when ultraviolet sunlight hits the skin. In addition to its role in helping to absorb calcium and strengthen bones, vitamin D interacts with every major organ in the body, according to a 2011 study by Amie Dirks-Naylor of Wingate University in North Carolina. While there is an association between vitamin D and fatigue, whether vitamin D can prevent, treat or cure the condition that causes sleepers to stop breathing multiple times during the night -- sleep apnea -- is just speculation.
About Vitamin D
Low levels of vitamin D affect three out of four American teens and adults, according to a 2009 "Scientific American" article. One problem is that the vitamin is available in very few foods -- fatty fish like salmon and tuna, beef liver, egg yolks and fortified foods. Most of the vitamin you need, however, comes from direct sunlight -- something people are either not getting enough of or are blocking by wearing sunscreen. In recent years, researchers have been looking at the vitamin's link to a variety of other conditions. As of 2011, there is no direct association between taking more vitamin D and a decreased risk of health problems. Rather, people with adequate levels of the vitamin are less likely to develop autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, compared to those who are deficient, according to a 2004 article in Slate.
Vitamin D and Sleep
It's not just the more well-known diseases with which vitamin D has been linked. Michael Breus, a clinical psychologist and sleep expert, reports that low vitamin D levels may be linked to daytime sleepiness. He reports about a case study in which a young woman suffered from daytime fatigue for about 4 months. After starting a vitamin D supplement, she saw an improvement in daytime sleepiness within 2 weeks. These results are not likely to occur in people with sleep apnea, however.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a serious medical disorder in which breathing stops repeatedly throughout the course of sleep. People with sleep apnea often don't recall waking up dozens -- if not hundreds -- of times throughout the night. Some people are woken up by their own snoring or a coughing fit precipitated by a few seconds of not breathing. The condition is caused when throat muscles relax or signals from the brain to muscles that control breathing go awry. Some people have a combination of both issues. Symptoms, including snoring, morning dry mouth, sore throat or headache, are often overlooked because people assume if they wake up multiple times throughout the night, they would know.
Treatments
The only accepted treatments for sleep apnea include: using a pressurized airway machine, such as a CPAP; oral appliances designed to keep the throat open; surgeries to remove tissues from the throat; changing the position of the jaw and creating an opening in the neck from which to breathe without obstruction. The Mayo Clinic reports that acupuncture has shown some benefits for sleep apnea sufferers when used with standard therapies, but that the treatment needs to be studied more.
References
- Slate: Essential Nutrient: Why Vitamin D Deficiency May be a Hidden Epidemic; August 2004
- Huffington Post: Vitamin D for Sleep? January 2011
- MayoClinic.com: Sleep Apnea; June 2010
- PubMed.gov: The Effects of Vitamin D on Skeletal Muscle Function and Cellular Signaling; July 2011
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin D
- U.S. News & Health Report: Americans Fall Short on their Vitamin D; March 2009
