Do you always get sick? muscles and joints hurt out of nowhere? Uncontrollable hair loss? Get tired easily?
You might have Vitamin D Deficiency.
The Ministry of Health says that 50% of Sri Lanka’s population suffers from vitamin D deficiency. Around 1 billion people worldwide have a vitamin D deficiency, and it’s a global public health concern.
So, what is it? Should you be worried? Let us break it down for you.
What is Vitamin D?
Prepare to be surprised. Vitamin D is not technically a “vitamin”, it’s a prohormone—which means, it’s converted into a hormone by our body. Hormones generally carry out key bodily functions.
Vitamin D is divided into 5 different substances, out of which, the below two are the most important to us.
Vitamin D2: This comes from plants.
Vitamin D3: This comes from animal sources, or our body can produce it when exposed to sunlight. D3 is supposed to be the most impactful one of all the Vitamin D siblings.
Note to reader: Try not to worry about the differences between these two. The point is that you need them both and let’s explore along those lines.
Why do we need Vitamin D?
Vitamin D helps the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus—both are needed for bone development and maintenance.
It also affects many other body organs like lungs, skin, cardiovascular system and more. Therefore, it impacts our disease-fighting ability, mood, weight loss journey, etc.
In summary, Vitamin D is essential to function normally as a human being. Having low levels of this nutrient causes Vitamin D Deficiency and it can lead to trouble.
You usually know things are not going well when you start to show the following symptoms
Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms
If you relate to any of the below symptoms, we would like to interrupt your intention to self-diagnose and urge you to use this article as a guide and consult a doctor. Hint: With the oDoc app, your doctor is only a few taps away.
Frequent illnesses: Vitamin D plays a huge role in determining how your body handles any form of threats such as viruses.
Unable to sleep well: There are parts in your brain that require Vitamin D to create Melatonin (the ‘sleep hormone’) needed for a good night’s sleep.
Bone and joint aches: Joint pain can lead to so many inconveniences like issues such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Hair loss: Vitamin D is used in the skin by keratinocytes—cells that process keratin, a protein found in your hair, nails and skin. When the body doesn’t have enough vitamin D, keratinocytes in hair follicles have trouble doing their job, which includes hair growth.
Depression or feelings of sadness: There are several findings that link depression and Vitamin D Deficiency under different conditions.
Fatigue: Deficiency of Vitamin D can cause bone and muscle weakness, which can lead to being tired all the time.
Loss of appetite: This is an early sign of vitamin D deficiency.
Slow wound healing: The vitamin D plays a key role in wound healing as it controls growth factors and others that form new tissues.
Fractures: If someone has a fracture, the doctor might test their vitamin D level to cure, depending on the person’s age and health history.
What Causes the Deficiency of Vitamin D?
Like our elders says, ‘you should always ask why?’, The answer to this question varies from person to person but here are a few common reasons:
Pro-tip: Always ask your healthcare provider the side effects of what’s been prescribed.
Did you know some are naturally more at risk for Vitamin D Deficiency?
If you didn’t, it’s okay. Remember the below list doesn’t confirm anything. Be aware, you could prevent the symptoms by taking good care of yourself.
Now, if you connect with any causes or symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency, we suggest you consult a doctor at your earliest. Via oDoc, it only takes a few seconds to download the app and get in touch with a professional.
Meanwhile, incorporate healthy habits in your day-to-day life to recover or prevent Vitamin D deficiency, look below for an exhaustive list of tips.
How to get Vitamin D naturally
This might be interesting to hear after everyone around us seems to not like direct sunlight. Having said that, the sun is the best source of vitamin D3.
To do it right, get 10–30 minutes of midday sunlight every day. If you have darker skin, you may need a little more than that, but it depends on your skin sensitivity.
You could incorporate the following to enhance the level of vitamin D in your body.
3. Get a UV lamp:
These emit UV-B radiation to elevate your vitamin D levels. However, for safety reasons, they shouldn’t be used for more than 15 minutes at a time.
Finally, watch out for this one:
Just like that, you can also have too much vitamin D, which is also a bad thing.
Vitamin D toxicity may never happen from sunlight. It’s usually caused by taking too many supplements. It’s rare but it can occur with the following troubling symptoms:
The final piece of wisdom is to clear everything with your doctor, never take extra supplements, clarify any lifestyle/diet changes to make sure it doesn’t affect your other health conditions.
oDoc easily allows you to cross-check and consult with the country’s top healthcare professionals with the highest convenience. Download oDoc today!
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