Vitamins are important for humans, even vital for survival. There are 13 vitamins in total, nine of which are water-soluble and four of which are fat-soluble. In this article we would like to focus on the water-soluble vitamin D3 - colloquially it is also known as the "sunshine vitamin".

Vitamin D3 is one of the few vitamins that our body can synthesize itself. Ironically, however, it is also the vitamin that most people lack in their bodies. Vitamin D deficiency is now even considered a widespread disease. We would like to explain how far-reaching the importance of vitamin D3 is for our body and our quality of life in relation to the importance of the vitamin for our sleep. We would also like to show why it is particularly advisable to supplement vitamin D3 .

What is vitamin D3?

First of all, vitamins are basically organic compounds that are essential substances. Our body needs these essential substances for vital processes. Our body cannot cover the majority of the vitamins it needs on its own. Our human body can only synthesize two of the 13 vitamins itself: vitamin D3 and vitamin B3. In order to synthesize these vitamins, however, other factors must be met or certain raw materials must already be present. More on this later.

Incidentally, some plants and animals can produce the vitamins that are vital to them themselves, unlike us. We humans, on the other hand, have to regularly consume vitamins with our food or expose ourselves to the sun in order to be able to produce and utilize all 13 vitamins in sufficient quantities - which brings us to the keyword "sun".

Vitamin D3 is also popularly known as the “sunshine vitamin”. It has the chemical names “cholecalciferol” and “calcitriol” and is synthesized by our body when the skin comes into contact with UV light.

Why supplement D3 when the body can produce it itself?

Now you may think that it makes little sense to take vitamin D3 as a supplement when our body can produce it itself. In order for our body to produce the vitamin, our skin must come into sufficient contact with UV light. However, our body's own production of vitamin D3 is hindered by a variety of factors. Most people have to work during the day, which often takes place in closed office spaces. Clothing, thick cloud cover, too few hours of sunshine in general, and sunscreen also hinder vitamin D3 synthesis. In order to produce enough vitamin D3, people need to spend between 20 and 45 minutes in the midday sun, depending on their skin type. Could you do that every day, and does the sun even shine that long?

Doctors and medical specialists also confirm that vitamin D3 is rather scarce in the blood of most people. In Europe, around 40% of all people suffer from a vitamin D deficiency. The Swiss Confederation and the Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs BLV Food and Nutrition state:

“Due to the geographical latitude of Switzerland and the associated insufficient exposure to sunlight, around 60% of the population have an inadequate vitamin D supply during the winter months.” ^[1]

Experts in Germany even assume that up to 90% of Germans suffer from vitamin D3 deficiency.

Did you know that the distance of your place of residence from the equator is also directly related to your vitamin D supply, headaches and sleep quality?

Indian scientists from the Department of Neurology, Medical College, SSG Hospital, Vadodara have found that the frequency of headaches increases with distance from the equator.

“It was assumed that there was a connection with vitamin D supply. This was verified in the 6th Tromsø study, Denmark. Data from 11,614 people were evaluated: The study participants with the lowest vitamin D serum levels had headaches more frequently (OR = 1.20, i.e. 20 percent more frequently) than the participants with the highest vitamin D levels.” ^[2]

It is becoming clear that it is difficult for us to ensure we have an adequate supply of vitamin D3. A lack of vitamin D3 can have a negative impact on our health and limit our quality of life. We would like to take a closer look at the functions of vitamin D3.

Occurrence & Function of Vitamin D3

An adult should consume around 5 µg of vitamin D daily ^[3] . Vitamin D3 is found in food, but only in small amounts. Vitamin D is found particularly in oily fish. It is difficult to meet the daily requirement of vitamin D3 through a balanced diet. This is particularly difficult to achieve over the long term and problematic for many people.

Vitamin D3 is important for people of all ages. It strengthens bones and plays a key role in the metabolism of our bone skeleton. It also controls calcium and phosphate absorption in the small intestine, lowers blood pressure, regulates over 200 genes in our body and has a positive effect on our muscle strength. There are many other processes in which vitamin D3 is involved in the body. Some of these have not yet been sufficiently researched or fully understood. This also includes the importance of vitamin D3 for sleep. It is known that vitamin D3 is important for our bedtime and promotes healthy sleep.

Especially for people who suffer from sleep apnea or snore heavily, it can be worthwhile to ensure they have an adequate supply of vitamin D3.

We would like to take a closer look at sleep apnea and snoring.

sleep apnea and snoring

While many people snore and almost all of us have heard someone snoring (or perhaps snore ourselves), it is important to distinguish it from sleep apnea syndrome.

Snoring, known in medicine as ronchopathy, is a common disease and is generally harmless. It is characterized by loud breathing noises when breathing in and out, which arise in the upper respiratory tract. Snoring is caused by the fact that the muscles of the respiratory tract and palate relax during sleep, which is why the familiar, involuntary noises occur during sleep.

Sleep apnea syndrome, on the other hand, can affect your health and have far-reaching effects on your body. With sleep apnea, breathing stops completely for more than 10 seconds five times within an hour. This prevents the body from taking in enough oxygen. Snoring is also part of sleep apnea and can sometimes be as loud as a jackhammer. Unlike snoring, sleep apnea can damage your health and can even have serious consequences. If the brain and cardiovascular system are not supplied with enough oxygen during the breathing pauses, this can increase the risk of cardiovascular problems, strokes and depression.

Vitamin D3 and Sleep

While it is not yet fully clear to what extent vitamin D is directly related to our sleep, there are now countless research results and studies that have established a correlation - both with regard to vitamin D3 deficiency and with regard to balanced sleep with sufficient vitamin D3 supply.

A connection between vitamin D deficiency and sleep disorders has been established in various international studies. In a review, scientist Qi Gao concluded that people with a vitamin D deficiency suffer from sleep disorders more often than people without a vitamin D deficiency. The length and quality of sleep is shorter in people with a vitamin D3 deficiency. This was also immediately apparent as the reason why these people suffered from tiredness and listlessness during the day.

Further studies have also shown that vitamin D3 supplementation has a positive effect on sleep. Subjects in a study by Majid and colleagues in 2017 slept better when they took vitamin D3 as a supplement. The control group, which only received a placebo, slept worse and for shorter periods of time.

People who snore can not only relieve symptoms with a vitamin D3 supplement, but can also potentially work on the causes of their sleep problems. Vitamin D3 supplementation, although it is important to ensure that it is of high quality , can improve sleep quality and reduce snoring. Sleep apnea should always be diagnosed and treated by a specialist.

It is also important to mention that minerals and trace elements are also important for sleep and normal brain function. A supplement that contains a combination of all these substances, such as our Vitamins Minerals Trace Elements , is therefore particularly recommended.

Sources:

^[1] Technical information on vitamin D: Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs BLV

^[2] https://m.hevert.com/market-de/arzt/de/meine_praxis/medizin_aktuell/artikel/vitamin-d-bessert-kopfkäse- Schlaf-und-koerperliche-fitness

^[3] German Nutrition Society (DGE) (Conception and development: Working group “Reference values ​​for nutrient intake”): DACH reference values ​​for nutrient intake. Umschau/Braus Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3-8295-7114-3