SpellQ Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Hey, I'm currently taking 5000ui of vit D daily. Does anyone increase their dose of vit d supplements on dark/cloudy/rainy/stormy sorts of days? I'm finding I don't sleep as well on the night after one of those sorts of days and I'm wondering if perhaps increasing vit D in the morning a bit might help or if it's what I should be doing with vit d supplementation. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted April 24, 2012 Moderators Share Posted April 24, 2012 Some is good. More is not better. I take 5000 units on cloudy days or when I stay inside and skip taking any on days I spend time in the sun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Side note: Robb Wolf recently pointed out that Vitamin D synthesis actually naturally happens at night after sun exposure during the day. It's not going to matter too too much, I don't think...but I've personally moved my Vit D supplementation to right before bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derval Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Did you feel different after starting VitD? I live in Ireland, definitely not a sunny climate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpellQ Posted April 28, 2012 Author Share Posted April 28, 2012 Thanks for the answers! I definitely did feel different when I started vit D. I was already starting to feel better and sleep well having started eating paleo almost 3 weeks prior to starting and I was sleeping much better as well. When I started vitamin D I immediately started sleeping more soundly (I've always been a light sleeper) as well as longer at a time. When I started paleo my sleep immediately dropped to about 6 hrs total in 3 hr chunks and stayed there where previously it had been about 8 hrs total in 1-2 hr chunks. Within 3 days of starting vit D I immediately started sleeping as much as 9 hrs with the first chunk being almost 6 hrs each night! I'm finding that on darker days that my sleep slides back to the 6 hrs total in a night with the first chunk being never more than 4 hrs so it's almost like perhaps the tiny bit extra I'm getting via the sun is just enough to push me to decent sleep. Also if I forget to take it I really find myself dragging both mentally & physically the next day so I'm definitely noticing a difference. It's only been 3-4 days that I've forgotten to take it though in the last 2.5 months. Years ago I used to take vitamin D and someone had recommended taking it at night. My sleep completely tanked which I couldn't afford since I was juggling a full time job plus more than a typical full load of courses in university. For a while I took it in the morning which really helped. That's why now that I'm back on track with getting my health in order and taking supplements again to boost my success along the way, I'm taking the vit D in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derval Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 Thanks for the info SpellQ Speaking of vits I had a very annoying trip to a big chain health food shop, Holland & Barrett I decided to get some vit D, so picked up the 400iu tablets. But then I got a fb msg from a nutritionist I know who said to start on 3000is - that's a lot of tablets! so I brought them back to exchange them for the 1000iu, it was only when I was looking at the labels realised the crap in the ingredients I really was naive to think that vit tablets would be ok...So I asked the guy D: Do you have he tablets in 1000iu? H&B : No, but we have the spray or liquid D: The spray has sweetener in it, which I don't want H&B: It's xylitol, it's natural, did you know that? D: I don't use any sugar or sugar substitutes H&B: But it's calorie free and natural D: Do you have 1000iu capsules, the liquid one has sunflower seed oil H&B: and.... D: I don't eat any refined seed oils H&B: But it's natural D: Raising voice "I am telling you what I want, I shouldn't have to argue my case" H&B: grovel grovel blah blah And then I went across to the independent health store and got the Veridian brad - vit d3 1000iu vegan capsules, suspended in algae. end of list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leax Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 Dervalc I take 4-5000iu every day, don't think I get near enough exposure and the weather is generally brutal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derval Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 Do you take 4-5 capsules at once in the evening or spread them through the day? I am SO bad at remembering to take them. How I managed the pill for so many years is beyond me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpellQ Posted April 28, 2012 Author Share Posted April 28, 2012 Until a few years ago when I developed a severe food allergy it never occurred to me to check ingredient labels for vitamins after a reaction to the colouring in a multi-vitamin. When I decided to supplement my paleo eating I was quite cautious with labels and also shocked to realize simple single vitamins have SOOOO many useless ingredients. I think I've found the best locally available with no gluten, soy, sugar ingredients and all words I can pronounce. I'm take the 1000ui pills and am considering increasing from 5 to 6 every day starting Monday. I take them all at once first thing in the morning - sometimes even before I get out of bed. After writing this out and thinking more on it, if I'm noticing on dreary days the difference then perhaps I'm just below what my optimal dose might be. Once summer is actually here and I'm spending more time outside perhaps I'll drop the dose back and see how that goes. I'd really rather get it from the sun, but darn foggy/dreary coastal northern climate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Bird Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Vitamin D is fat soluable. This means that it is embedded in your fat cells, and blood levels rise and fall very slowly. Even if you did not take it for a week, your blood level would drop very little. The bad news is that if you are deficient, it would take quite a lot of sunshine and supplementation to get it back to where it should be. So don't lose any sleep over missing a day or taking it on cloudy days. My wife was diagnosed as Vitamin D deficient, so we know about these things. Getting her back to normal was a bitch. She was and is paranoid about sun exposure and used a lot of sunscreen. I give her 6000 IUs every day. She was a little low but not deficient on 4000 IUs every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SummerGirl Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 This post has reminded me that I must get some VitD supplements this week. Will look out for the ones you posted about dervalc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Atkinson Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 If I am getting enough sunlight every day, do I still have to take vitamin D supplements? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayell Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 In Oakland? Almost certainly not. There's some chance you could have trouble converting the D in your body. That's most common in older people. You could get a blood test to see if your level is low just to be sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adagio Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I am severly Vitamin D deficient. I took 10,000 i.u. per day for about 3 years. Now I am taking 5000 i.u. per day. I use Country Life brand, as they are gluten-free and their D3 softgels contain MCT (coconut) oil. They are fairly inexpensive. My husband takes the same brand, but 1000 i.u., as he is outside much more than I am. Vitamin D3 has made a huge difference with my immune system, my energy level, my mood, and joint pain. I haven't had a cold or virus in years. If I forget to take them for more than a day or two, my joints let me know. I usually take mine with my first meal of the day because that is when I remember. I would suggest that before you start taking Vitamin D3, you would have your level checked (a simple blood test. If your doctor doesn't want to do it, you can have it done by an online lab.) The reason why you should have your level checked is because Vitamin D3 helps the body absorb calcium, and if you take it and don't need it, you may end up with a calcium buildup and possibly a kidney stone. Most people who work indoors all day are somewhat deficient unless they eat a huge amount of fish. There is more information on this website: http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/ Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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