Vitamin D deficiency symptoms: What your body is telling you

Once again you’re tired after sleeping a full night, and this time you can’t even say it’s been all that long a week. This is a pattern of low vitamin D deficiency, experienced by many who blame it on things like stress instead.

At State Urgent Care in Starkville, a provider can talk through what you’ve been feeling and help you decide whether a vitamin D blood test makes sense. Because low vitamin D doesn’t always cause symptoms, and the ones it does cause overlap with several other conditions, testing is the only reliable way to know where your levels stand.

Common signs of vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin D supports your bones, muscles, nerves and immune system, which explains why a shortage of it can show up in so many different ways. Many of these signs also appear with thyroid problems or iron deficiency — a blood test can help you distinguish low vitamin D from another cause.

Fatigue and low energy

Fatigue appears on Cleveland Clinic’s list of common symptoms of vitamin D deficiency and is one of the first things people notice. People will sleep through the entire night and still wake up feeling groggy — it happens to everyone, but when it happens repeatedly, it can point to something that needs attention.

The tiredness that comes from vitamin D deficiency feels almost physical, like a heaviness in your body that never goes away. It’s true that fatigue like this can come from many places, but that’s all the more reason for testing at State Urgent Care to help you narrow down its source.

Bone, muscle and leg pain

When vitamin D levels stay low for a long time, it can cause osteomalacia, a condition marked by softened bones, bone pain and muscle weakness, as reported by the MedlinePlus. After going up one flight of stairs, you might notice your calves feeling heavy or a deep ache in your shins or lower back that’s different from a typical pulled muscle.

If you can’t link the pain to an injury or recent activity, it’s best to have the condition seen at urgent care.

Mood changes and brain fog

Low vitamin D levels can leave you feeling irritable or not like yourself, often right in the middle of a long semester at school or a draining workweek. The brain fog creeps in slowly and makes it hard to stay focused by midafternoon.

If that irritability turns into a persistent low mood, it’s natural to wonder whether vitamin D plays a role. Your brain does need vitamin D to work properly, which is why researchers have studied the connection. Certain studies link low vitamin D levels with an increased risk of depression, yet the NIH states clinical trials haven’t demonstrated that supplements relieve depression symptoms.

Low vitamin D may play a role in your mood without fully explaining it. Bring it up with a member of our team when you’re here, whether or not your test levels come back low.

Getting sick more often

Your immune system depends on vitamin D to fight off bacteria and viruses. If you tend to catch every bug going around your office, it’s fair to wonder whether your own low levels contribute. Since frequent colds by themselves reveal little, mention that you’re getting sick more often when you come to State Urgent Care.

Who’s at risk for vitamin D deficiency and why

The NIH estimates that almost 1 in 4 Americans has vitamin D levels insufficient for their bone and overall health. Living in sunny Mississippi might make you assume you aren’t one of them, but summer heat pushes many people indoors, where air conditioning tends to win out over time in the sun.

Several other factors can lower your vitamin D levels, whatever the season:

• Shorter days in fall and winter with reduced sunlight
• Spending too long indoors
• Getting older, since your skin naturally makes less vitamin D as you age
• Having a condition that makes it harder to absorb fat, such as Crohn’s or celiac disease

Because people can easily dismiss tiredness on its own, a simple blood test can reveal whether low vitamin D contributes to your symptoms.

Diagnosing and treating vitamin D deficiency

A simple blood draw is all it takes to check your vitamin D levels. Since 25-hydroxyvitamin D is the type of vitamin D found in your blood, that’ll be the name shown on your lab report after the test.

The results are reported in nanograms per milliliter, abbreviated as ng/mL. The NIH considers levels of 20 ng/mL or above enough for most people, while it classifies levels below 12 ng/mL as too low. Certain labs consider 30 ng/mL as the lower limit of normal, so the same value might be classified differently based on the testing location.

If your vitamin D levels are low, treatment usually starts with a supplement. Your intake needs careful monitoring, though. Unless a provider prescribes otherwise for a limited time, the NIH sets the upper limit for adults at 4,000 IU because of risks like nausea and kidney stones.

When to get your vitamin D checked

When it seems like your symptoms have a simple cause, it’s easy to delay testing. Although routine vitamin D testing isn’t suggested for everybody, it’s certainly worth asking about if you’re having symptoms like:

• Feeling tired even after getting good sleep for a few weeks.
• Unexplained pains in your hands or legs.
• Experiencing fatigue or brain fog in conjunction with a known risk factor for vitamin D deficiency, such as a digestive problem.

A brief visit to State Urgent Care can determine whether you have enough vitamin D before you spend any more time guessing.

Frequently asked questions

How much vitamin D do I need each day?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, most people aged 1 to 70 require 600 IU daily, whereas those 71 and older need 800 IU.

Your provider can suggest a short course of vitamin D supplements if your blood test comes back with low levels.

Can you get enough vitamin D from food alone?

It’s not likely to happen. Only a few foods have vitamin D naturally, but fatty fish such as salmon provide good amounts.

In the U.S., fortified breakfast cereals, milk and other foods deliver much of the vitamin D that people get from their diets.

How long does it take to correct a vitamin D deficiency?

There’s no timeline. Recovery depends on how low your levels started and the dose that your provider recommends.

A repeat blood test can demonstrate if the vitamin D treatment is working.

Can urgent care test my vitamin D levels?

State Urgent Care has an on-site lab, so a blood draw can happen right during your visit. First, a provider will evaluate your symptoms and talk to you about the need for a vitamin D test.

Visit State Urgent Care in Starkville for vitamin D concerns

If you’ve felt worn down for weeks, you can get some answers without waiting for an appointment. State Urgent Care sees walk-in patients seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 521 S. Montgomery St. — find us next to the CVS.

Call 662-338-4826 or just walk in today.