Chronic Fatigue and Vitamin D Deficiency

We all experience fatigue and the feeling of tiredness in our day-to-day life on a minor scale, and this is obvious and very much normal. But there is a big reason to worry if the fatigue lasts for an abnormal amount of time, even when the body is getting enough rest. Chronic (which means for long duration) fatigue, if not addressed on time, can cause harmful after effects.

What is Chronic Fatigue?

Chronic fatigue syndrome is an unusual and prolonged feeling of tiredness experienced by the body, due a number of reasons (there is no specific cause). Serious levels can affect the routine activities of the person, and in serious cases he/she may even get bedridden for months. The general symptoms are abnormal experience of tiredness even after regular physical activity, a tired feeling in the morning, headache and forgetfulness, joint pain, mild fever, muscle aches, etc. A lot of causes have been predicted for chronic fatigue like - viral infection, stress, aging, genetics, other prior illnesses related to the heart, kidney, liver, etc. But researchers are clueless about the exact causes. Even low vitamin D levels and chronic fatigue are found to be related. Let's discuss the relation between the two.

Is Chronic Fatigue Related to Vitamin D Deficiency?

Some researchers believe that lack of vitamin D in the patient can be one of the causes for chronic fatigue. To set things clear, let's take a quick look at the symptoms of chronic fatigue and also dose ourselves with the importance of vitamin D.

• The most common symptom experienced is prolonged weariness.
• Sore throat.
• Unusual headache is experienced by the patient.
• Weariness even after the daily physical activity.
• Muscle and joint pain.

Vitamin D is the key to strong bone health, which in turn is the key to overall health. Lack of vitamin D in the diet can lead to many disorders like osteoporosis, arthritis and joint pain. It is one of the vitamins that the body produces naturally, with the help of sunlight. This vitamin helps in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, which are the backbones of sound bones and teeth. If the body is not adequately exposed to sunlight, a deficiency of vitamin D occurs, and the body starts showing the effects in the form of fatigue and joint pain. Take a quick look at the immense health benefits this vitamin offers,

• The most important benefit of vitamin D is - its role in the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorus in the body.
• Vitamin D is also necessary for good immune system.
• This vitamin also reduces the risk of multiple sclerosis, which is a serious disorder.
• It also helps in maintaining desired weight.
• It helps in the prevention of asthma.
• It is also essential for a healthy brain.

Now as we can see, the symptoms includes joint and muscle pain, and lack of vitamin D can also lead to joint pain, thus there is an obvious relation between the two things. If a person avoids sunlight and also the food sources of vitamin D, the body is bound to be deprived of this essential vitamin, and then starts showing up the symptoms. As we had seen in the previous paragraphs, chronic fatigue can lead to many harmful effects. If you are experiencing chronic fatigue and your vitamin D intake is also very low, then increasing the vitamin D intake can solve the problem to some extent. But only a physician can confirm if vitamin D deficiency is the cause behind your fatigue. To confirm it, you need to visit your physician, he will use certain methods to diagnose the level of vitamin D in the body. If the body is found to be deficient in vitamin D, the doctor may prescribe techniques to improve the vitamin content.

So people, take an adequate amount of vitamin D to keep yourselves at bay from the chronic fatigue, as you never know the two might be closely related in your case. Be an early riser and enjoy the morning sun, and eventually load yourself with vitamin D, to fight fatigue!