Written By: Shraddha Rupavate | Updated : November 16, 2015 3:22 PM IST
Your body can easily synthesise vitamin D if you have sufficient exposure to sunlight. But considering India gets a lot of sunlight, Vitamin D deficiency is still extremely prevalent. The lack of exposure to the sun is one of the main reasons we suffer from this deficiency and in most cases it is hard to notice the symptoms of the conditions.
A little about vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D circulates in the blood in the form of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and any amount of this vitamin above 75 nmol/L is considered as a good amount of vitamin D, anything below 50 nmol/L is considered as a deficiency. Although the initial signs are subtle and often easily missed, if you begin to experience the following symptoms, your vitamin D levels should be checked.
Muscle pain and weakness: Weakness is a symptom that is predominantly experienced in muscles around the hip. This symptom usually leads to the classic 'waddling gait' in adults.
Bone aches and pain: Vitamin D works closely with the parathyroid hormone (PTH), required for maintaining sufficient levels of calcium in the blood. If you're suffering from vitamin D deficiency, the parathyroid gland produces PTH in excess, causing the dissolution of calcium from the bones. As a result, you may suffer from pain that feels like it is originating from your bones. Apart form this you may also experience pain all over your body. At this stage if the deficiency is undiagnosed, it may cause erosion of the bones (osteoporosis) making them fragile and more susceptible to fractures. In children, severe vitamin D insufficiency causes appearance of bow legs or knock knees, a classic sign of rickets.
Chronic fatigue: Bone pain and muscle aches affect the entire body and eventually interferes with the ability to perform simple daily activities. You could experience chronic fatigue and tiredness. As the deficiency progresses, inability to stand and walk for a long time could develop.
Mood swings: Adequate levels of vitamin D are required for regulating the levels of a neurotransmitter called serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a hormone that is responsible for inducing happy feeling. So, if you're deficient in vitamin D, you're more likely to feel low and depressed.
Sleep disturbances: Serotonin regulates sleep cycle. Low vitamin D levels not only affect sleep cycle regulation but also control the pattern of sleep. People with vitamin D deficiency are likely to stay awake at night and sleep during the daytime due to fatigue.
Digestive problems: Useful bacteria residing in our gut play an important role in keeping our digestive system healthy. Unfortunately, lack of vitamin D is detrimental to these bacteria. So lack of vitamin D indirectly leads to poor digestion. A low vitamin D level is also related to digestive problems like bloating and constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.
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