Vitamin D’s sunny reputation is well-deserved, and not just because logging time outside can be a great way to boost those vitamin D levels. Vitamin D also plays a role in supporting normal immune function and muscle function. It’s also a pretty great team player when it comes to bone health: vitamin D helps to assist the absorption of calcium, and works to help out with the maintenance of our bones.*
The only downside to this important nutrient? It can be really tricky for many of us to get enough vitamin D. That’s because a lot of factors can get in the way of us meeting our needs, everything from SPF and general lack of sun exposure to where we choose to live.*
That said, knowing the factors that might contribute to low vitamin D levels is a great first step towards understanding needs and ultimately getting vitamin D levels to a good place. (Spoiler: for most of us, finding a great vitamin D supplement or better yet, a multivitamin with vitamin D is the way to go.) Keep reading for some common reasons or signs that you might not be getting the right amount of vitamin D—and learn the best way to get the sunshine vitamin.*
Why You May Not Be Getting Enough Daily Vitamin D:
It’s Not Summer
Once temps go down and the days start getting shorter, you’re probably logging a lot less time in the sun. As a reminder, sun exposure is a major power-player in synthesizing vitamin D: to get specific, UVB photons from the sun team up with a compound in our skin called 7-dehydrocholesterol to form vitamin D. But when the sun is weaker, filtered out by clouds, or you're spending less time outside in general due to winter weather, that might leave you more prone to low vitamin D levels.*
You Wear a lot of SPF (Which is Definitely a Good Thing)
Here's the catch: even if you are spending a lot of time outside throughout the year, our hope is that you're slathering on lots of sunscreen to protect the skin. But since SPF filters out the UVB rays that help synthesize vitamin D, that also means that you shouldn't be relying solely on the sun to meet desired levels. That means that either way, vitamin D supplementation isn't a bad idea.*