Vitamin D can be taken at any time of the day. However, many people prefer to take it in the morning to reduce the potential risk of sleep disturbances.
You might not give a lot of thought to what time you take yourvitamin D supplement. As long as it gets into your tummy, right? Well … not exactly.
It turns out that the time you take your vitamins — and what you take them with — can play a big part in absorption.
Here’s everything you need to know about the best time to takevitamin D.
What’s the best time of day to take vitamin D?
There’s no official best time to takevitamin D. But some peeps prefer to take vitamin D supplements earlier in the day with a meal.
Some people also think that taking vitamin D before bed can mess with sleep. But TBH, there’s no hard-hitting science to back this up.
Still, if you think vitamin D is to blame for your tossing and turning, you should probably take your supplement earlier in the day (more on that in a minute).
Should you take vitamin D with food?
Yes! Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means it dissolves in oils or fats. That’s why it’s best to take a vitamin D supplement with foods that have healthy fats (such as olive oil, seeds, nuts, fatty fish, or eggs).
But the jury is still out on whether it’s better to take vitamin D supplements with low fat or high fat foods.
In a2013 study, 62 older adults took a 50,000-IU vitamin D3 supplement once a month for 3 months. The participants were divided into three meal groups — no meal, high fat meal, and low fat meal.
At the end of the study, researchers found that the folks who took vitamin D3 supplements with a low fat meal had better absorption.
PSA:This was just one small study. We def need a lot more research to find out how vitamin D is best absorbed.
Taking vitamin D in the morning
Lots of peeps prefer theirvitamin Ddose in the morning. There’s not a whole lot of science to suggest that this makes it more effective. But there is one perk: If it’s part of yourmorning routine, it can be easier to remember to take your supplements.
Pro tip:Pop avitamin Dalarm on your phone. It can help you remember to take your supps even on thosehectic mornings.
Does taking vitamin D at night cause insomnia?
Lots of people think vitamin D can cause insomnia and other sleep concerns, especially when taken at night.
Researchsuggests vitamin D is involved in your body’s production of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate your circadian rhythms and can benefit your overall sleep quality. This means vitamin D might actually improve your sleep quality.
But here’s where things get tricky.
According to a2018 research review, supplementing can help addressvitamin Ddeficiency. In turn, this might reduce sleep disorder symptoms. However, the review also notes that high levels of vitamin D can actually increase your risk of unhealthy sleep.
You might still want to experiment with takingvitamin Dat night. But if you think it’s messing with your sleepy time, attempt to take it earlier in the day.
Why do people take vitamin D supplements?
There are a bunch of reasons you might want to take a vitamin D supplement. Here are the D deets.
At risk for deficiency
According to data from 2011 and 2012, an estimated41.6 percentof adults in the United States aren’t getting enough vitamin D. Your risk of a deficiency depends on:
Bone health
Vitamin Dhelps your bodyabsorbcalcium, which is famous for being the stuff bones are (mostly) made of.Studiesalso show that vitamin D supplementation can help reduce the severity of osteoporosis. Neat-o!
But, while vitamin D might be beneficial for osteoporosis, wedon’t yet knowwhether it can help reduce the risk of falls or broken bones.
Immune function
Vitamin D can help keep your immune system on fleek. According toresearch from 2011, it has some dope anti-inflammatory properties and can help regulate your body’s immune responses.
Cancer prevention (maybe)
A2009 research reviewsuggests that vitamin Dmighthelp reduce the risk of cancer. But according toanother reviewfrom the same year, we def need a lot more research to explain the potential benefits.
According to theNational Institutes of Health (NIH), we don’t know whether vitamin D supplements can affect your cancer risk — but they mightslightlydecrease your risk of dying from cancer.
Mental health
Your brain needs vitamin D to function properly. Somestudieshave suggested links between low blood levels of vitamin D and an increased risk of depression.
But, according to theNIH, vitamin D supplements don’t prevent or reduce depressionsymptoms.
Reducing muscle cramps
Muscle crampingis a common symptom of vitamin D deficiency. A2011 animal studysuggests a connection between vitamin D deficiency and musculoskeletal discomfort.
But amore recent studyin 230 postmenopausal women suggests that vitamin D has no real effects on muscle cramps. So more research is definitely needed.
Beating fatigue
Another hallmark of low vitamin D levels isfatigue. It makes sense, then, that researchers in a2014 trialfound that restoring vitamin D in the bloodstream to typical levels significantly reduced fatigue severity.
However, it might not help if yourtirednessisn’t tied to your vitamin D levels.
There’s no set time of day that’s best to take vitamin D supplements.
Some people say taking vitamin D supplements at night is an insomnia risk. There’s no research to confirm this, but you might want to take your supplement earlier in the day if you think it’s screwing with your sleep. Plus, taking vitamin D in the morning can make it easier to remember.
More important than what time you take vitamin D is what you take it with. Take your supplements with a meal, especially one that contains healthy fats. This can improve absorption in the small intestine.
P.S. Talk with a healthcare professional if you have any concerns about your vitamin D levels. They can run some simple tests to let you know if you’re deficient.
