This week’s blog is all about vitamin D. Vitamin D is actually a steroid hormone; it’s not a vitamin at all. And we synthesise it as humans through exposure to the sun. For most of us, we’re office-based so don’t always get the exposure which means you’ll probably have low levels of vitamin D. And I know that I don’t synthesise vitamin D from the sun very effectively, so I need to supplement.
A crucial part of wellbeing is having the right balance of vitamins and minerals. And one of the really important ones, is vitamin D3.
What I’m advising you to do is check your vitamin D levels, even if you’ve had a good summer of being outdoors. We’re now entering autumn and winter months, and it’s likely that your vitamin D levels will deplete. Signs of low vitamin D can include unexplained aches and pains, tiredness and fatigue.
I had a check recently, and I’m right at the bottom of normal, so I’m taking a brand of vitamin D tablets every single day, and I’m going to keep checking my levels every four months or so. You can do this via one of the many direct-to-consumer blood testing companies, or you can just go to your doctor and ask for a vitamin D check, which of course will cost you nothing but your time.
There’s lots of different ways you can do this. It’s not an expensive thing. It’s a really quick little hack for maintaining good health and making sure that you’ve got adequate vitamin D levels. And it goes without saying that even if you’re supplementing, always get outside under the real thing. Get 20 minutes of sun exposure when you can. But if you’re feeling tired, if you’re feeling easily fatigued as well and just a bit lacklustre or low in energy, check your vitamin D levels, because chances are that could be low, and it might help you feel a little better.
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