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Can vitamin d help with anxiety


Does Vitamin D Reduce Anxiety?

Like air, food, and water, the sun is something most people take for granted. However, a lack of exposure to sunlight can not only make you cold - it can also cause you psychological distress due to your body's need for an essential vitamin that the sun is usually responsible for providing. That vitamin is vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency, usually caused by a lack of exposure to sunlight, is thought to play an essential part in a person's mental health and has been linked to disorders like seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. This article will discuss why vitamin D is so vital for our psychological well-being, and how you can ensure that you both get enough vitamin D and lower your anxiety.

Vitamin D and History

Vitamin D is not believed to affect anxiety directly. Though it may be correlated with higher anxiety levels, there are likely reasons beyond the vitamin itself - reasons that will be discussed later in this article.

Historically, seeing the sun was often a cause for celebration and happiness. Sun meant food could grow, and that warmer weather was coming. Conversely, not seeing the sun often meant food was becoming scarcer and that important members of your village, tribe, or family, not to mention yourself, were at risk of dying from the cold. People became less active, and some cultures even took to hibernating like bears during the colder seasons. It is no wonder that cultures across the world, from the ancient Egyptians to the Mayans to the Greeks, once worshipped the sun as a god.

Today, it is believed that ancestral memory - which is, in some ways, short-term evolution - may play a role in why vitamin D and spending time outdoors makes people feel better. Just as humans feel an instinctive revulsion towards bitter flavors due to our ancestral association of bitterness with poisonous foods, the human body may have an instinctive awareness of its need for sunlight.

Seasonal Affective Disorder and Anxiety - Is There a Link?

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), once considered its unique disorder, has been renamed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) as a type of depression. It is now referred to as a specification only, i.e., depression with seasonal pattern.

People who experience seasonally patterned depression are known to show symptoms that include feelings of anxiety, and other symptoms that are reminiscent of those related to anxiety, such as irritability, antisocial behavior, insomnia, reduced sex drive, decreased appetite and weight loss. Some of these symptoms, like insomnia, may also contribute to the development of anxiety.

Your anxiety, therefore, can depend on how much sun you are exposed to if you are an individual who is particularly strongly affected by seasonal shifts.

Other Reasons That Low Vitamin D and Anxiety Are Linked

The other reasons that low levels of vitamin D may relate to anxiety have nothing to do with the vitamin at all. Instead, they have to do with lifestyles. There is a considerable amount of evidence that those that don't exercise are more likely to develop anxiety. A lot of exercise takes place outdoors, so those that aren't exercising will also show low vitamin D levels. It's not the vitamin D that's causing it - rather, it's the failure of the individual to adequately stay active.

Similarly, spending time with friends in a relaxing environment also affects anxiety. Many people with anxiety either don't spend time with their friends or stay indoors only and fail to get many new experiences. This may also contribute to both anxiety and vitamin d deficiency independently.

Vitamin D and Multiple Sclerosis

Finally, some people worry about vitamin D because there is some evidence that low vitamin D may be related to the development of multiple sclerosis. Some people then take vitamin D supplements and experience a reduction in their anxiety.

It may cause people to feel that perhaps vitamin D was necessary to reduce anxiety when in reality it was simply that you were less worried about MS. Vitamin D may be related to MS, but anxiety also causes MS fears and MS-like symptoms, and a few vitamin D supplements are unlikely to affect either.

How to Increase Vitamin D and Decrease Anxiety

While vitamin D itself is unlikely to be causing your anxiety, that doesn't mean it can't, and the activities that you do to help increase vitamin D are valuable for your anxiety anyway. Getting outside will help you get what vitamin D you can, although there are also nutritional supplements available. Getting more sunlight by going outside more often can reduce the symptom of anxiety associated with SAD (a.k.a. seasonally patterned depression), and it can also give you a chance to reduce your anxiety by way of activities such as the following:

  • Exercising Exercising outdoors rather than in a stuffy gym is a great way to reduce your anxiety. Not only does it give you a chance to breathe fresh air and enjoy the beauty of the world around you, but it also helps your body to get in shape and feel better when done on a regular basis. It decreases the strain that anxiety puts on your body, and also increases levels of endorphins, the chemical that appears in the body when it is feeling relaxed and positive. Teaching your brain to expect to process chemicals related to relaxation and positivity can cause it to create more receptors for such compounds, making you happier and less stressed out in general.
  • Spending Time in Nature Spending time in nature can help you to distress by reminding you of the scale of reality. When you spend time in nature, your problems will often seem to shrink in comparison to how much else there is to life. Take some time to contemplate a tree a living being that's been around likely at least twice as long as you have or the beauty of a sunrise, to help you gain some perspective on the issues that are causing you anxiety.
  • Taking Time To Yourself Many people underestimate the importance of simply taking some time to be alone with your thoughts. In a world where anyone who knows you can demand your attention with the touch of a button at any time of the day or night, giving yourself a chance to stop and reflect on your thoughts and feelings is more important than ever. Oftentimes anxiety makes you feel like you are under too much pressure to actually solve your problems. Being out in the world on your own allows you to concentrate on no-one but yourself for a change, and actually figure out how to address the issues that are bothering you.
  • Exposure Therapy Exposure therapy is recommended by some therapists as a way of overcoming your anxiety. If you have social phobia and are nervous around other people, for example, casually taking a walk outside in a park or at a zoo is a great way to exposure yourself to your fears in a safe and controlled environment, thereby teaching your brain over time that excessive fear responses in these situations are unnecessary.
  • Creating a Routine Making going outside into a comforting routine helps to relieve anxiety by providing yourself with a positive event in your day that is reliable, predictable and stable. Anxiety can make you feel like your life or your surroundings are out of your control. You can impose control on your life in a positive way by setting a time for yourself to head out the door for 30 minutes or more and walking around the block, which can be something you do in evening or in the mornings, or going on regular walks or hikes on weekends.

Each of the above activities will help you to take in some extra vitamin D and thereby ease your ancestrally-inherited anxieties. Also, they are proactive ways of addressing multiple other potential reasons behind your anxiety, from physical stress to a perceived lack of control, and improving important areas of your life and your tan, as well.

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Supplements for anxiety: Best types and evidence

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We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness.

Read more about our vetting process.

Research suggests that various supplements, including vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and herbal remedies, may help relieve the symptoms of anxiety. We list the best 10, as well the evidence supporting them, here.

Anxiety can take many forms. It can cause worry, unease, fear, or panic.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) affects around 6.8 million adults. Other anxiety disorders include panic disorders and phobias.

Treatment options for anxiety disorders include therapy, medication, or a combination of both. Some natural supplements could also help with everyday anxiety. However, not all supplements are safe or effective.

Share on PinterestVitamin D and vitamin B complex may help ease symptoms of anxiety.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), kava was a popular choice before researchers determined that it can cause severe liver disease.

Passionflower is an example of an anxiety remedy that does not have enough quality evidence to support claims of its effectiveness. Studies that do support passionflower’s anti-anxiety effects have serious flaws.

The supplements we discuss in detail in the sections below show promise in easing anxiety symptoms. They also have a good record of safety, as backed up by scientific evidence.

Vitamin D plays an important role in mood regulation and nerve and brain health.

Research has established a link between vitamin D levels and depression, claiming that taking vitamin D supplements may help treat the condition.

Some research suggests that there could be a link between vitamin D deficiency and anxiety disorders. A 2017 study found that taking vitamin D supplements improved both depression and anxiety in women with type 2 diabetes.

However, research into the link between anxiety and vitamin D has produced mixed results, so further studies are necessary to explore the connection.

The body makes vitamin D as a result of the skin’s exposure to sunlight. People can get more vitamin D by spending more time in the sun, eating foods rich in vitamin D — the main source being oily fish, such as salmon and mackerel — or taking vitamin D supplements.

Few plant foods contain vitamin D, so it can be difficult for people following vegetarian or vegan diets to get enough vitamin D from the diet alone.

Vitamin D is unlikely to interact with anti-anxiety medications, although it may interfere with other prescription drugs.

For more in-depth resources about vitamins, minerals, and supplements, visit our dedicated hub.

B vitamins are a group of eight different nutrients that work together to manage many processes in the body, including stress levels.

A 2017 study found that the participants who had lower blood levels of vitamin B12 were more likely to have depression or anxiety.

Moreover, a 2018 study found that people who ate foods high in B vitamins — in this case, yeast-based spreads, such as Marmite and Vegemite — had better anxiety and stress scores than people who did not. This was more pronounced for spreads fortified with vitamin B12.

Taking B complex supplements can help a person get enough of all the B vitamins.

Learn more about the benefits and uses of vitamin B complex supplements here.

People can usually get enough B vitamins from eating a variety of nutritious foods.

Some B vitamins, including vitamins B12 and B2, or riboflavin, mostly occur in animal-based foods. For this reason, people following a vegetarian or vegan diet may need to obtain these nutrients in other ways.

Read about vegetarian and vegan food sources of vitamin B12 here.

Vitamin B supplements are unlikely to interact with anxiety medications. However, they may interfere with other prescription medications.

Magnesium is an important mineral necessary for effective functioning of almost every system in the human body.

Several studies suggest that it plays a role in anxiety.

A 2017 systematic review looked at the results of 18 different studies. The researchers found that magnesium supplements may improve measures of anxiety in people vulnerable to the condition. They note, however, that the quality of evidence is currently poor.

Also, a short 2016 review study reports that people with anxiety related to premenstrual syndrome benefited from taking magnesium supplements.

A person can take magnesium supplements or obtain the nutrient by eating the following high magnesium foods:

  • whole wheat
  • spinach
  • quinoa
  • almonds and cashews
  • dark chocolate
  • black beans

Taking high doses of magnesium can cause diarrhea. Start with a lower dose, such as 100 milligrams (mg). Avoid exceeding 350 mg per day without a doctor’s approval.

Magnesium can interfere with the efficacy of drugs such as antibiotics. Some drugs, including antidepressants and antipsychotic medication, may also interfere with magnesium.

L-theanine is an amino acid that occurs in green and black tea. Some evidence suggests that it is a mild sedative and anti-anxiety agent.

A 2016 double-blind study found that people who consumed a beverage containing 200 mg of L-theanine had lower stress response and cortisol levels after undertaking a challenging task than those who received a placebo.

Start with the lowest effective dosage of L-theanine. Supplements often come in 200-mg capsules. People should not exceed 400 mg without first consulting a doctor.

L-theanine may interact with midazolam. Also, people should not combine L-theanine with sedatives.

A supplement that contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals may benefit people with anxiety.

A 2019 study reports that a supplement that contained B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, and zinc significantly decreased anxiety in young adults.

A 2018 study notes that multivitamin supplements may benefit people who have mood disorders, such as anxiety.

Each brand of multivitamins contains a different composition of ingredients. It is advisable to check with a doctor or pharmacist about which may be best.

Multivitamins typically do not interfere with anxiety medications.

Omega-3 fats are present in foods such as fish and flaxseed. They play an important role in brain health.

The body cannot make these fats, so people need to get them from their diet.

A 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis looked at the results of 19 clinical trials and concludes that taking an omega-3 supplement, such as fish oil, could be helpful for people with anxiety.

A 2018 review study suggests that a low intake of omega-3 fats can raise the risk of anxiety and depression and that taking omega-3 supplements could help prevent or treat these conditions.

Learn about the best dietary sources of omega-3 here.

Omega-3 fatty acids can interfere with certain medications, including blood thinners. People should seek guidance from a doctor before taking omega-3 supplements if they have existing health conditions or take any prescription medication.

Share on PinterestValerian root is safe to use for short periods.

People have used the valerian plant as medicine for thousands of years.

The NCCIH states that valerian is safe for otherwise healthy adults to use for short periods and that people use it for anxiety.

However, more studies are needed before researchers know whether it is effective. There are, as yet, no studies that prove it is safe for long-term use.

A 2017 double-blind study compared the effects of valerian and a placebo on 48 women experiencing postmenopause. It notes that those who took the supplements reported lower levels of anxiety and depression.

Valerian can have adverse effects when people take it with sedatives and anxiety medications, such as benzodiazepines.

Chamomile is a daisy-like flower that people have used for thousands of years for its calming effects.

The NCCIH explains, “Some preliminary studies suggest that a chamomile dietary supplement might be helpful for [GAD].”

It also states that the research community does not know much about chamomile’s effects yet, because scientists have not studied it to a reliable degree in humans.

A 2016 study reports that people who took chamomile extract for 8 weeks had a reduction in GAD symptoms. Its effects were comparable with those of an anti-anxiety drug. The participants took 1,500 mg of chamomile per day.

A randomized study from 2016 found that people who took 500 mg of chamomile extract three times per day had fewer symptoms of GAD than those who took a placebo.

People can take chamomile supplements, use chamomile essential oils, or drink chamomile tea.

Chamomile may interact with other drugs. A person should consult a healthcare professional before taking chamomile.

Some people find the scent of lavender relaxing. Some evidence suggests that smelling this plant can help ease anxiety.

The NCCIH states that people use lavender for anxiety but that the existing research into its effectiveness has produced mixed results. Therefore, more research is needed.

A 2017 study found that people who used lavender aromatherapy before surgery had lower anxiety than those who did not.

People can inhale a lavender essential oil by using an essential oil diffuser. They may also apply lavender essential oil to the skin after diluting it with a carrier oil, such as olive or coconut oil.

Lavender may enhance the effects of some drugs, including antidepressants, sedatives, and anxiety medication.

Lemon balm is an herb that has leaves with a lemon-like aroma. It is related to mint and is a popular calming remedy.

A 2016 study found that lemon balm tea, or Melissa officinalis, improved anxiety symptoms and sleep quality in people who had experienced burns.

A 2019 double-blind study looked at the cases of people who recently had heart bypass surgery. Those who took capsules containing 1.5 grams of dried lemon balm per day had lower anxiety levels than those who took a placebo.

Lemon balm may interact with sedatives.

Many different supplements can be helpful for people with anxiety.

Before taking any natural supplements, it is advisable to seek guidance from a doctor. People should not stop taking anxiety medications without a doctor’s approval.

Buying supplements

People can buy most of the supplements listed above from a drugstore or grocery store. Otherwise, they can choose from a range of brands online:

  • vitamin D
  • vitamin B complex
  • magnesium
  • L-theanine
  • multivitamins
  • omega-3 fatty acids
  • valerian root
  • chamomile
  • lavender
  • lemon balm

Supplements are not the only way to manage anxiety using natural remedies. People who have anxiety may also wish to try meditation, yoga, deep breathing techniques, and regular exercise to help manage their symptoms.

Vitamins to reduce stress and anxiety.

https://vitamina.ru/

Feeling a little uneasy?

How not to feel if the world has gone crazy. Lots of reasons to be a little nervous. Feeling irritated lately and looking for something to help you deal with your anxiety?

Here are a few simple anxiety vitamins that can help:

B vitamins are vitamins that play a key role in the natural treatment of anxiety. They are most important for the proper functioning of the nerves. nine0005

Magnesium also ranks high on the list of effective nutritional supplements. This important mineral plays many key roles in the body, mainly helping the nerves and muscles to function optimally.
Magnesium helps muscles relax. The usefulness of this supplement for stress and anxiety cannot be underestimated.

Vitamin D is by no means proven to be the right vitamin to take for stress or anxiety. However, we want to suggest that he can play a role. nine0005

Science has shown that vitamin D deficiency is associated with low levels of serotonin.
Low levels of this chemical in the brain are known to cause depression and anxiety.
Without that, taking a safe dose of vitamin D is a good idea.

Vitamin D is recommended for most of us for many reasons, including its important role in immunity.

Treating anxiety and stress is not just about vitamins. What else, you ask? nine0014

It turns out there are many simple things you can do besides taking vitamins.

The good old lifestyle advice is still very relevant. Physical exercise and healthy sleep.

In addition to these lifestyle basics, it is also worth paying attention to meditation. There are many videos on Youtube or applications on the phone.

And always remember, one important thing when choosing vitamins is to consult a doctor.

10/11/2020

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New evidence of the relationship between vitamin D levels in the human body and its tendency to depression

New evidence of the relationship of vitamin D levels in the human body and its tendency to depression is presented - Gazeta. Ru

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Decreased levels of vitamin D in middle-aged people may be associated with the development of depression, researchers at the University of London have found.

Vitamin D enters the human body in two biologically active forms: cholecalciferol (D3) and ergocalciferol (D2). Cholecalciferol is formed in human skin under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, and ergocalciferol comes with food (mainly found in fatty fish, butter, cheese). Both substances are precursors (provitamins), which, during metabolism in the liver and kidneys, are converted into the active form of vitamin D - 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (calcitriol). The main function of vitamin D is to ensure the absorption of calcium in the small intestine. nine0005

Vitamin D deficiency is very common.

In the United States, data from a large study conducted in 2001-2006 found that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in adults and children older than one year was 8%, and 24% of people received the status of "at risk of inadequate intake" of vitamins due to their characteristics. nutrition and climatic zones. Together, that's almost a third of the US population.

In children, hypovitaminosis (a disease that occurs when the body's needs for vitamins are not fully met), associated with vitamin D, plays a major role in the development of rickets, a disease that occurs with impaired growth and development of bones due to insufficient calcium intake for them. nine0005

A scientific study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition found this association: People with normal vitamin D levels (above 75 nmol/l) have a 43% lower risk of depression than those with low vitamin D (less than 25 nmol/l).

In addition, people with normal vitamin D levels are 67% less likely to experience panic attacks and fear.

"The high cost of mental health care, coupled with the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency around the world, suggests that our results could be very important," said a team of researchers led by Jane Maddock from the Institute of Child Health, University of London. “We hypothesize that vitamin D deficiency may be directly related to the high prevalence of depression and panic disorders.” nine0005

Dr. Maddock and her team analyzed the health status of about seven and a half thousand subjects over several years. People born in 1958 were selected. They were offered questionnaires to identify behavioral features at the age of 45 and 50 years. Mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks and phobias were assessed using the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised and Mental Health Inventory-5 special medical questionnaires.

The result was that at age 45, high vitamin D levels were associated with low rates of depression and panic attacks. nine0005

At the same time, at the age of 50 and older, such a dependence is practically not traced.

London scientists are not the first to study the effect of vitamin D levels on depression symptoms. The results of the study, published by the Women's Health Initiative in the American Journal of Epidemiology , report no effect of vitamin D on mental health.

At the same time, data from the third national study on nutrition and health (completed in 2010) covering about eight thousand people in the United States show that people with low levels of vitamin D have an 85% risk of depression in compared with those who have a normal concentration of the vitamin in the blood. nine0005

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