Interesting explanation on insomnia

[[Wo...]]

Found an article that discusses when to take it and how often. Apparently it doesn't matter. You can take it every day or take a massive dose once per month...

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/when-to-pop-your-vitamin-d-any-time-on-its-own-or-with-food/article597000/

[[mr...]]

Here is more info on intakes

http://grassrootshealth.net/index.php/documentation

 

 

[[Wo...]]

On a related note. When I was in the midst of my zopiclone nightmare I noticed that I would get sores and bruises on my body that would heal VERY slowly. Even the sleep I got after I developed a tolerance to zopiclone was not quality sleep. I doubt I was getting any of the REM and stage 3 sleep necessary for healing.

[[...]]

did i miss something here?  what does vitamin D have to do with insomnia?              thanks.                  kian

[[wu...]]

Vitamin D has very much to do with sleep. There are vitamin D receptors in the parts of your brain that regulates sleep and sleep paralysis. Vitamin D is more like a hormone than a vitamin. I for one is totally believing this stuff. I took a vitamin D test. Where deficient, supplemented about 14000 units a day for two months. When my vitamin d reached >40 ng/ml I made big improvements in sleep. About 2 extra hour and were able to taper my ssri faster after that. My biggest WD symptom is insomnia.

 

Vitamin d is also important in regards to cancer. >50 ng/ml vitamin d reduces cancer risks big time. Lots of recent studies shows this.

[[Wo...]]

did i miss something here?  what does vitamin D have to do with insomnia?              thanks.                  kian

 

You didn't watch the videos did you?

[[mr...]]

Here is a repost of the videos in one place.

 

Dr Stasha Gominak fully researched and studied with her patients to come up with the optimum range of 60-80ng/mL.

Normal lab ranges are 30-100ng/mL, but the optimum range keeps up healthy and sleeping better, unless we are on psych meds or have a disease, such as hyperparathyroidism.

 

Psych meds interfere with REM and slow wave sleep where our body is supposed to be healing.

She recently, found that our gut bacteria play a role with vitamin D in making our B vitamins.

Those with IBS have to get their gut flora right and sometimes take B-50 for a couple months to get their sleep better.

 

Latest video by Dr Gominak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH850CDQ00Q

 

here are some charts to figure out how much D to take

http://www.grassrootshealth.net/index.php/documentation

 

 

Older videos with explanation of D and sleep

Here is a very good explanation on sleep by Dr Stasha Gominak.

 

Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7cbBB1c0IM

 

Part 2

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=dr.%20stasha%20gominak%20discusses%20sleep%20and%20vitamin%20d%20pt&source=video&cd=2&ved=0CFQQtwIwAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1APENOUWxBQ&ctbm=vid&ei=zQ8yT7KtGsaqgwfAr8mdBQ&usg=AFQjCNGvb953d2uWumM63KWLEhW2BZdUzg&cad=rja

 

Part 3

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=dr.%20stasha%20gominak%20discusses%20sleep%20and%20vitamin%20d%20pt&source=video&cd=4&ved=0CGAQtwIwAw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D_JUq4fphjC0&ctbm=vid&ei=zQ8yT7KtGsaqgwfAr8mdBQ&usg=AFQjCNHHC72jYHvhIAY8KTLM-lsnH1afTg&cad=rja

 

Part 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeb3PtkCd_c

 

Part 5

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=dr.%20stasha%20gominak%20discusses%20sleep%20and%20vitamin%20d%20pt&source=video&cd=5&ved=0CGYQtwIwBA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYOUybbVOoRU&ctbm=vid&ei=zQ8yT7KtGsaqgwfAr8mdBQ&usg=AFQjCNFvFnuoxzHSQaNtgZ8WKm5QQTS-8Q&cad=rja

 

[[...]]

Vitamin D has very much to do with sleep. There are vitamin D receptors in the parts of your brain that regulates sleep and sleep paralysis. Vitamin D is more like a hormone than a vitamin. I for one is totally believing this stuff. I took a vitamin D test. Where deficient, supplemented about 14000 units a day for two months. When my vitamin d reached >40 ng/ml I made big improvements in sleep. About 2 extra hour and were able to taper my ssri faster after that. My biggest WD symptom is insomnia.

 

Vitamin d is also important in regards to cancer. >50 ng/ml vitamin d reduces cancer risks big time. Lots of recent studies shows this.

 

 

 

 

wulfgar

 

 

thk you for sharing that, so kind of you                                      kian

[[...]]

did i miss something here?  what does vitamin D have to do with insomnia?              thanks.                  kian

 

You didn't watch the videos did you?

 

 

WD,

 

 

i'm sorry, no, i didn't watch the videos.  that must be why i didn't understand.  i need to watch the videos.  thanks.                kian

[[...]]

Here is a repost of the videos in one place.

 

Dr Stasha Gominak fully researched and studied with her patients to come up with the optimum range of 60-80ng/mL.

Normal lab ranges are 30-100ng/mL, but the optimum range keeps up healthy and sleeping better, unless we are on psych meds or have a disease, such as hyperparathyroidism.

 

Psych meds interfere with REM and slow wave sleep where our body is supposed to be healing.

She recently, found that our gut bacteria play a role with vitamin D in making our B vitamins.

Those with IBS have to get their gut flora right and sometimes take B-50 for a couple months to get their sleep better.

 

Latest video by Dr Gominak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH850CDQ00Q

 

here are some charts to figure out how much D to take

http://www.grassrootshealth.net/index.php/documentation

 

 

Older videos with explanation of D and sleep

Here is a very good explanation on sleep by Dr Stasha Gominak.

 

Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7cbBB1c0IM

 

Part 2

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=dr.%20stasha%20gominak%20discusses%20sleep%20and%20vitamin%20d%20pt&source=video&cd=2&ved=0CFQQtwIwAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1APENOUWxBQ&ctbm=vid&ei=zQ8yT7KtGsaqgwfAr8mdBQ&usg=AFQjCNGvb953d2uWumM63KWLEhW2BZdUzg&cad=rja

 

Part 3

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=dr.%20stasha%20gominak%20discusses%20sleep%20and%20vitamin%20d%20pt&source=video&cd=4&ved=0CGAQtwIwAw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D_JUq4fphjC0&ctbm=vid&ei=zQ8yT7KtGsaqgwfAr8mdBQ&usg=AFQjCNHHC72jYHvhIAY8KTLM-lsnH1afTg&cad=rja

 

Part 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeb3PtkCd_c

 

Part 5

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=dr.%20stasha%20gominak%20discusses%20sleep%20and%20vitamin%20d%20pt&source=video&cd=5&ved=0CGYQtwIwBA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYOUybbVOoRU&ctbm=vid&ei=zQ8yT7KtGsaqgwfAr8mdBQ&usg=AFQjCNFvFnuoxzHSQaNtgZ8WKm5QQTS-8Q&cad=rja

 

 

mrtmeo  thx for putting the videos here.  i need to watch them.  i appreciate it.  i hear so many things different some say no vitamin d and some say yes.  some (including the head of the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida, says it messes people up taking vitamin d supps (don't know which is true) so i am paranoid to take it even though i know i'm low.                kian (i have not yet watched the videos, though)

[[Wo...]]

The videos are great Kian. Everyone with insomnia should watch them.

[[wu...]]

Kian,

 

This is my understanding of how vitamin d works. vitamin d is converted in many steps in your body.

 

Supplement D3  -> liver converts D3 to "storage form D3" -> kidneys converts storage form D3 to "active form D3" using parathyroid hormone. There are also conversions from storage form to active form done by cells in your brain and other tissues.

 

The "storage form D3" is the one measures by blood test. It is stored in your fat and takes quite a lot of supplement to rise to adequate levels.

 

Why does then someone feel worse when supplementing?

 

When you are severely deficient the body raises the amount of parathyroid hormone to increase the conversion ratio of storage form to active form. If you are vitamin d deficient a long time the parathyroid hormone is raised high and the parathyroid can be enlarged. When supplementing vitamin D now when parathyroid is high causes to much vitamin d to be converted. To much active vitamin d makes you feel bad.

 

what to do then?

 

Start with a small vitamin d dose in the morning. 150 to 300 IE. Increase after a week or two to 600 IE. Keep increasing till you reach 4000 IE - to 6000 IE depending on your body weight. Doing small increases enables your parathyroid hormone levels to adapt, and you will not feel bad.

 

Take a vitamin d test! The best way to really know. Your doctor can do this and the test is quite inexpensive. There are also 2 good home test suppliers also, one in the UK , on in the US. I have verified the UK two times by having my doctor test as well. Very exact. Within 2 precent.

 

Tell your doctor to take blood calcium and parathyroid hormone as well. In rare cases, if blood calcium is high or when having a parathyroid tumor vitamin d is not recommended.

 

I have stumbled on a vitamin d brand that made me feel bad. Something wrong with the pill. Changed brand, and all is ok. buy a good brand, especially in the beginning, so that the dose in the pill is correct.

 

Now my vitamin d is above 60 ng/ml it does not mater when and how much i take. I take a 50000 IE pill every 8 days. Feel no different at night on the day i take it.

 

Important: in the us vitamin d is measured in ng/ml . In the uk its nmol/l . They differ by a factor 2.5. Always state the unit with your vitamin d level.

 

PS: stress depletes vitamin d. Being indoors you do not make vitamin D. food does not contain enough vitamin d. Only short body exposure to noon day sun (15-30 min) and supplement can give you enough vitamin D!!! (Those with dark complexion needs longer in the sun). You can get up to 20000 IE per day from the sun by short exposure full body. The sun has to be more than 45 degrees above horizon and you may not use an uv blocking cream!

[[mr...]]

Vitamin D is our immune system's hormone.

We get it from the sun between April thru September unless living near the equator.

This is why we have a flu season outside those months.

 

D3 is the natural form (we convert from the sun) and D2 is synthetic (doesn't absorb well).

The fatter we are, the more D we can store from the sun.

 

Optimum levels are 60-80ng/mL(150-200nmol/L).

Supplementing can be tricky and testing every 3 months with a 25 hydroxy D test is very important.

Maintenance dosing is normally around 35-40 iu's per pound of body weight when not getting sun.

 

Getting a 25 hydroxy d test done and then referring to the chart on Grass Roots Health site, can tell you how much you will need to take to get to the optimum level in 3 months. They also, have home tests available.

http://grassrootshealth.net/

 

 

[[Wo...]]

Why does then someone feel worse when supplementing?

 

When you are severely deficient the body raises the amount of parathyroid hormone to increase the conversion ratio of storage form to active form. If you are vitamin d deficient a long time the parathyroid hormone is raised high and the parathyroid can be enlarged. When supplementing vitamin D now when parathyroid is high causes to much vitamin d to be converted. To much active vitamin d makes you feel bad.

 

Thanks for the explanation. I have been feeling worse. I'll cut back a bit until my body adjusts.

[[Co...]]

Thanks for posting this info.  I went through all of the videos while I was awake overnight last night (LOL).

 

Today of course I'm wondering why there is so little work that supports Dr. Gominak's findings.  Regardless of that, I think I will carry through on this, and I'll post my observations.

 

XO,

Luke

[[mr...]]

Thanks for posting this info.  I went through all of the videos while I was awake overnight last night (LOL).

 

Today of course I'm wondering why there is so little work that supports Dr. Gominak's findings.  Regardless of that, I think I will carry through on this, and I'll post my observations.

 

XO,

Luke

Because it would put big pharma out of biz.

[[Co...]]

That's of course the obvious part, but I didn't think of it until you mentioned it.  I see that there is a nice redux of the presentations on the web as an html.

 

Again, thanks.

[[mr...]]

That's of course the obvious part, but I didn't think of it until you mentioned it.  I see that there is a nice redux of the presentations on the web as an html.

 

Again, thanks.

btw, she is in the literature here

http://www.medical-hypotheses.com/article/S0306-9877%2812%2900150-8/abstract

 

[[Wo...]]

I conversed with Dr. Gominak and she made an interesting statement. Vitamin D alone will only benefit your sleep for about 2 years, after which the benefits fade away. If you also take a B50 supplement daily then the improvement is permanent. I don't recall if she mentioned that in the video or the related papers.

[[mr...]]

I conversed with Dr. Gominak and she made an interesting statement. Vitamin D alone will only benefit your sleep for about 2 years, after which the benefits fade away. If you also take a B50 supplement daily then the improvement is permanent. I don't recall if she mentioned that in the video or the related papers.

I only heard her mention the B50 to cure IBS for a couple of months and then, to stop because the benefits fade.

I have never heard her say that D stops regulating sleep after 2 years.

 

 

She recently, found that our gut bacteria play a role with vitamin D in making our B vitamins.

Those with IBS have to get their gut flora right and sometimes take B-50 for a couple months to get their sleep better.

 

Latest video by Dr Gominak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH850CDQ00Q

 

[[Wo...]]

I only heard her mention the B50 to cure IBS for a couple of months and then, to stop because the benefits fade.

I have never heard her say that D stops regulating sleep after 2 years.

 

For context, this is exactly what she said...

 

As far as I know I'm the only one who sat here with my patients over the last 4 years and asked "how are you feeling/", "how are you sleeping?" then did the level. One question is "what should my level be so I don't get very sick/", which would be 40-60. But the second question is "what if I'm all screwed up and can't get better and I want to get my sleep as perfect as possible to actually reverse my "screwed-up ness" . That requires a different level. I started with daily headache sufferers and they can still tell the difference between a level of 57 and 60 and 79 and 82. It is amazingly consistent over the last four years. People who aren't sick and have never been sick will not be able to tell the difference and people who are better over several years (and get the B 50 fix) seem to stay better and put up with wider D swings without their sleep falling apart. The D fix by itself does not last it fades at the end of two years.

[[mr...]]

I only heard her mention the B50 to cure IBS for a couple of months and then, to stop because the benefits fade.

I have never heard her say that D stops regulating sleep after 2 years.

 

For context, this is exactly what she said...

 

As far as I know I'm the only one who sat here with my patients over the last 4 years and asked "how are you feeling/", "how are you sleeping?" then did the level. One question is "what should my level be so I don't get very sick/", which would be 40-60. But the second question is "what if I'm all screwed up and can't get better and I want to get my sleep as perfect as possible to actually reverse my "screwed-up ness" . That requires a different level. I started with daily headache sufferers and they can still tell the difference between a level of 57 and 60 and 79 and 82. It is amazingly consistent over the last four years. People who aren't sick and have never been sick will not be able to tell the difference and people who are better over several years (and get the B 50 fix) seem to stay better and put up with wider D swings without their sleep falling apart. The D fix by itself does not last it fades at the end of two years.

 

Without the reference of subject and the context of what she was discussing, I cannot make sense of that last sentence.

She doesn't clarify what the D fix is or the B 50 fix.

Do you have a link to her discussion?

[[Wo...]]

Without the reference of subject and the context of what she was discussing, I cannot make sense of that last sentence.

She doesn't clarify what the D fix is or the B 50 fix.

Do you have a link to her discussion?

 

It was an email conversation I had with her.

 

She does discuss vitamin B towards the end of this article which I surmise is "the b fix"...

 

http://drgominak.com/sleep/

[[mr...]]

Without the reference of subject and the context of what she was discussing, I cannot make sense of that last sentence.

She doesn't clarify what the D fix is or the B 50 fix.

Do you have a link to her discussion?

 

It was an email conversation I had with her.

 

She does discuss vitamin B towards the end of this article which I surmise is "the b fix"...

 

http://drgominak.com/sleep/

I still could not find any mention of D's effects fading.

I believe this to be impossible because D is a hormone and hormones effect every part of the body.

Dr Holick just did research proving that vitamin D changes gene expression in a positive way, while D deficiency changes gene expression in a negative way.

[[Wo...]]

I still could not find any mention of D's effects fading.

I believe this to be impossible because D is a hormone and hormones effect every part of the body.

 

Well, that's what she said. You are welcome to challenge her. There is a feedback form on her website.