Does Vitamin D Help with Depression?
Everyone knows there are vitamins from A to D, but how come there isn’t another one until K? There’s no Vitamin F, G, H, or I, so why did the powers that be decided that the next letter to get a vitamin was going to be K. That will be the only big-picture question we’ll make in this blog entry, but if we’re going to talk about the role of vitamins in depression treatment then a more relevant question is does Vitamin D help with depression? The good news is that Vitamin D supplementation can help reduce the severity of depression.
Now that answer needs to be qualified at least a little bit. Vitamin D isn’t likely to make a huge difference in depression treatment on its own. Supplementing with Vitamin D tablets isn’t difficult, and neither is soaking up as much natural sunlight as possible. The talk about sunlight there is legit too, because some people with clinical depression have it worsened during times of the year when the sun rises late and sets early.
Some people call this the winter blues, and the fact that the symptoms are not unsimilar to depression highlights the role of Vitamin D in maintaining some people’s stability of mood. So, does Vitamin D help with depression? Absolutely it can as long as you’re taking a broad-spectrum approach to improving your mental health in this way.
Moderate Effect
We should add further that using Vitamin D for depression isn’t going to make BIG improvements there. There has been research into this, and while the answer to can Vitamin D help with depression is yes it appears that Vitamin D works for depression more effectively if it’s only taken for a shorter, temporary periods of time. So, if you are asking does Vitamin D help with depression and you’re going through those winter months then you can and should take additional Vitamin D. If you’re like me, you’ll find that Vitamin D drops are preferable to tablets.
Take them for no more than 3 months though in order to get the most effectiveness as part of a depression treatment. Keep in mind you may not even need to use supplements themselves with does Vitamin D help with depression. There are foods that are high in Vitamin D and by adding more of them to your diet you may be getting the same benefits of Vitamin D for depression. The last thing we’ll mention with this entry is that many people with bad depression don’t sleep well.
Vitamin D can improve your sleep naturally too, and sleeping better can alleviate depression symptoms. Does Vitamin D help with depression? It does, and it may do it in a roundabout way by helping you sleep better for starters.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The above information is intended to increase awareness of health information and does not suggest treatment or diagnosis. This information is not a substitute for individual medical attention and should not be construed to indicate that use of the drug is safe, appropriate, or effective for you. See your health care professional for medical advice and treatment.
