You Probably Need More Vitamin D

Consider this a PSA.

I went to the doctor in September to get some blood tests done for my never-ending health crusade and was shocked to find out that I have shockingly low vitamin D levels. I was surprised by this because I walk at least 30 minutes every day, and many days that's upwards of 60-90 minutes.

That's a lot of time in the sun, so I expected my vitamin D levels to be good — or regular at the very least. A big part of this is that as a person who's been dealing with nonstop pain for the last five years, my body has drained its vitamin D reserves. It turns out that sympathetic nerve activation from chronic pain does that to a person.

But more relevant to you my dear reader was a fact I learned from my doctor: New York City is too far from the equator to meaningfully extract vitamin D from the sun.

I've been told my whole life that spending time outdoors would give you good vitamin D levels. But it turns out I've just been wasting my time outdoors having fun and getting exercise, like some sort of chump.

I did a little research and came across plenty of confirmatory evidence for my doctor’s statements.

Except during the summer months, the skin makes little if any vitamin D from the sun at latitudes above 37 degrees north (in the United States, the shaded region in the map) or below 37 degrees south of the equator. People who live in these areas are at relatively greater risk for vitamin D deficiency.

— Harvard Health Publishing

So what can you do if you live in Boston or Minneapolis? (Besides speak with an accent.)

Take a vitamin D supplement every day — 5,000 IU taken with some fatty food (necessary for vitamin D absorption) ought to be enough for anyone. Better yet, don't listen to a guy with a blog — instead go talk to a doctor or nutritionist.

I hope this helps! Chronic pain or not, vitamin D is very important for your health.