Low Vitamin D level appears to cause sleep apnea

[sickwithapnea17]

I've been taking vitamin D for months now. has anyone been cured on vitamin D? it seems unlikely but definitely worth a shot in trying. I'm also trying progesterone cream now

[Julie]

Progesterone cream is for hot flashes... or did I miss something here?

[49er]

Progesterone cream is for hot flashes... or did I miss something here?

Not as far as I know:)

By the way, I reread the thread and there are many excellent comments. Basically, it is important to remember that it has not been proven that a low Vitamin D level causes sleep apnea and long term studies are needed to prove this. It seems if there is a correlation that the level would need to be in the 60 to 80 range which is hard to control due to it being narrow and many bodily fluctuations and it would need to be this way for several months.

Still, it certainly doesn't hurt to get the level tested since having an healthy vitamin D level is vital. So even if it doesn't help or cure sleep apnea, this is a win-win situation in my opinion.

49er

[djcarr]

I have low vitamin D. It was 9 when I first found out last year what level I was at. I work in a building 9 hours a day away from windows and I do not leave for lunch. I have started taking Vitamin D pills and trying to get some sun in. It has helped raise my Vitamin D levels up to normal levels but has not addressed my sleep apnea issues.

[49er]

I have low vitamin D. It was 9 when I first found out last year what level I was at. I work in a building 9 hours a day away from windows and I do not leave for lunch. I have started taking Vitamin D pills and trying to get some sun in. It has helped raise my Vitamin D levels up to normal levels but has not addressed my sleep apnea issues.

Welcome to the forum djcarr and thanks for sharing your story regarding Vitamin D. When you get a chance, you might want to use the link in my signature to fill out your equipment profile in case you have problems and need help troubleshooting. It is easier for members to tailor their advice if they know what equipment you are using.

49er

[Jay Aitchsee]

More on the benefits of "normal" vitamin D levels. Study suggests low levels may be linked to increased risk of prostate cancer.

http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/ne ... cers-study

[sleepy1235]

Couldn't bear to watch it all the way through.

Wild speculation, assertion, anecdotal experience.

No journal articles in peer reviewed publications. No evidence.

[Julie]

+1

[chunkyfrog]

This was an interesting re-read.
It seems almost universal that for every "miracle" drug/nutrient, there is always the possibility for a downside,
and, unfortunately, abuse. The more we learn, the more there is that we do not fully understand.

[Jay Aitchsee]

Study finds an "association" between vitamin d deficiency and RLS
https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/vitamin ... -syndrome/#

[Jay Aitchsee]

Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies and randomized controlled trials finds:

Conclusions: Evidence from observational studies indicates inverse associations of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D with risks of death due to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other causes. Supplementation with vitamin D3 significantly reduces overall mortality among older adults; however, before any widespread supplementation, further investigations will be required to establish the optimal dose and duration and whether vitamin D3 and D2 have different effects on mortality risk.

http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g1903

[Goofproof]

Does this study mean most people with low vit d, have legs. Lets make a pill to cure that! Jim

[Wulfman...]

Every time I see this thread get resurrected it pisses me off.

"Low Vitamin D level appears to cause sleep apnea"

To me, it's bass ackwards.......I think sleep apnea causes (or contributes to) low vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D will not fix "structural" problems.

I did some searches (some time ago) on that and found some links which support my suspicion.


Den

.

[Wulfman...]

I re-found a link to a Pubmed article on Dr. Steven Park's site.

http : // www . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov/pubmed/23558409

Emphasis in the "Results" and "Conclusions" sections are mine.


Den
.


J Endocrinol Invest. 2013 Oct;36(9):681-5. doi: 10.3275/8923. Epub 2013 Apr 2.
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and its association with vitamin D deficiency.
Mete T1, Yalcin Y, Berker D, Ciftci B, Guven SF, Topaloglu O, Yavuz HC, Guler S.
Author information

Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a widespread disorder characterized by recurrent, partial or complete episodes of apnea due to upper airway tract obstruction during sleeping period. Deficiency of vitamin D has roles in development of many diseases. Association between presence and severity of OSAS and vitamin D has recently gained research interest.
AIM:

The aim of our study was to investigate the association between serum 25-hydroxy [25 (OH)] vitamin D levels and severity of disease in patients with OSAS.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:
One hundred and fifty OSAS patients (50 patients with mild, 50 with moderate, 50 with severe OSAS) who were diagnosed by polysomnography (PSG) and 32 non-OSAS controls who were referred to the Health Ministry Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital, Endocrinology and Metabolism Department, from January 2010 to May 2011 were included in the study. Serum 25(OH)D, PTH, calcium and phosphorus levels were evaluated in all the patients who were recruited to the study.

RESULTS:
There was no statistically significant difference in serum 25(OH)D levels between OSAS and controls (p>0.05). However, in subgroup analysis of OSAS, we found that the patients with severe OSAS had significantly lower levels of 25(OH)D as compared with other groups (p=0.003). Also, the number of patients with serum 25(OH)D deficiency (<10 μg/dl) were higher in OSAS group than in controls (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS:
We found that when the severity of OSAS increases, 25(OH)D deficiency becomes more pronounced.

PMID: 23558409
[PubMed - in process]


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[Jay Aitchsee]

I agree with you, Den. It's too bad the thread wasn't titled something like "low vitamin d levels appear to be associated with sleep apnea". I don't believe Vitamin D supplementation will cure sleep apnea either. However, it is possible that vitamin d supplementation may help repair or reverse some of the damage done to the body by sleep apnea.