Could Vitamin D Supplementation Help to Treat Sleep and Pain Disorders?

Based on the results of a recent review, researchers hypothesized that vitamin D supplementation combined with sleep hygiene may optimize the therapeutic management of pain related diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.

The review included the most relevant studies that assessed vitamin D status or the use of vitamin D supplementation on sleep quality and pain, and also assessed the possible relationship between sleep, pain, and vitamin D levels.
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In a review of 19 prospective and cross-sectional studies that examined the association between vitamin D and sleep, the researchers found that short sleep duration appeared to be correlated with low vitamin D levels. In addition, studies on sleep disorders found that improved sleep quality was possibly associated with higher vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D status and pain was examined in 16 studies included in the review. Several studies demonstrated a connection between vitamin D supplementation and a reduction in pain among patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, myalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and other pain-related conditions. Women with low vitamin D levels were found to have a higher risk of developing pain in 2 studies. Likewise, 1 study found that low levels of vitamin D among cancer patients was associated with higher opioid doses.

In addition, several studies found that sleep changes and quality were associated with pain. A meta-analysis found that sleep deprivation impaired pain perception, and other studies found that insomnia was predictive of developing painful conditions and associated with pain sensitivity. Additional studies have found that restorative sleep was a predictor for and associated with pain resolution.

“The supplementation of vitamin D associated with good sleep hygiene may have a therapeutic role, not only in sleep disorders but also in the prevention and treatment of chronic pain conditions,” the researchers concluded. “These data indicate the importance of considering the sleep–pain–vitamin D inter-relationship during anamnesis by clinicians, sleep physicians and neurologists, so that the best intervention is chosen to provide the patient with a better quality of life.”

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Oliveira DL, Hirotsu C, Tufik S, and Anderson ML. The interfaces between vitamin D, sleep and pain [published online May 23, 2017]. J Endocrinol. doi:10.1530/JOE-16-0514