Someone who wishes to be anonymous wrote me:
I had been taking 400 IU D3+calcium morning noon and night for years. I usually fell asleep fitfully. My sleep was rarely uninterrupted throughout the night.
After reading your blog, I started taking all three pills in the morning. Getting to sleep was easier, but sleep was still usually fitful.
After more reading of your blog, I stopped the D3+calcium and switched to 7000 IU of D3 every morning. Within a couple days, my usual pattern became that I fell asleep quickly and slept soundly through the night.
It is now three weeks, and I continue to enjoy excellent sleep. I noticed no changes in energy or mood.
I asked some questions.
Tell me about yourself.
I’m an academic (professor of decision sciences), 52 years old. I live in Philadelphia.
What you mean by “I fell asleep fitfully”?
Even if I was tired, sleep did not come easily. I had no worries, so it wasn’t that.
How long did/does it usually took/take you to fall asleep under the three conditions?
Original 400 IU D3+ calcium 3 times/day: 1/2 hour was usual.
All 3 are taken in morning: 15-30 minutes, but still awakening in the night frequently
7000 IU in morning: 10-15 minutes, and sleeping like a log.
What time do you wake up? What time do you take the 7000 IU?
I usually wake between 7 and 7:15. Sometimes I head straight for the kitchen (where the vitamins are stored) and I take them immediately. Other times I head for the shower and then to the kitchen, whereupon I take the vitamins.
What brand of Vitamin D3 do you take now?
Seth, you should probably remove the place of residence for your annoymous person, I found it quite easy to identify them given the information provided.
Seth: Thanks for letting me know. I have identified him as he chose to be identified.
That brand of D3 contains soy oil, which is bad for the gut (increases gut permeability), according to Dr. Loren Cordain.
A better way would be to use Vitamin 3 drops, which are pure vitamin D3.
It would be interesting to see the results of using drops compared to using gel caps on sleeping patterns. I use them, and have always used drops (I sleep like a log, too), so I can’t be a n-1 experiment.
First of all, I am bipolar, so things fluctuate in my moods and sleep patterns. I was hesitant to post on the D3 experience. I have been taking D3 for over a year, because of my lack of sunshine. I was taking much less than what has been recommended by Seth and had been taking it at various times of the day. A few weeks ago I began increasing the amounts from 5,000 to 10,000 IU and first thing upon waking.
My sleepiness at night has gradually increased during this time, but remarkable so during the past week since I’ve upped my dosage to the 10,000 to 15,000 IU. This is very rare for me to become sleepy before midnight. I work until 10 pm. Usually, I would fall asleep between 2 to 3 am and sleep until 10:30 to 11:00. Now I wake up closer to 9 am. Most importantly I’ve been able to stop taking ambien and/or benedryl on a nightly basis. I’m excited about this result, and hope to give future positive updates.
One of you earlier D3 story tellers, I have been sleeping consistently well – until last night when I made the mistake of having a snack at 10pm, instead of supper at 7-8pm. I woke at 2am, had great difficulty going back to sleep – and then was thoroughly woken by one of our computers turning on loud at 3.30am!! By the time I had stared at that blue screen, trying to work out how to turn the damn thing OFF (it wasn’t my computer – it’s owner was snoring peacefully) I was wide awake. No snack tonight for sure.
Last night, I made sure I didn’t snack, and sure enough I slept all night very soundly. Nice to experiment…