Dizziness is a common symptom that can have many causes, with vitamin D deficiency being a notable underlying factor, especially in older adults.
Vitamin D, often called the “sunshine vitamin,” plays an essential role in many bodily functions, from maintaining bone health to supporting the immune system to reducing inflammation. However, when your body is deficient in vitamin D, you may experience a range of health problems, including dizziness.
What are the common signs of vitamin D deficiency?
Vitamin D deficiency occurs when your body doesn’t get enough of the amount it needs to perform its normal physiological functions. The cause can come from many factors such as lack of exposure to sunlight (especially for people who work indoors, the elderly, or live in areas with little sunlight), a diet lacking in foods rich in vitamin D, or malabsorption in the digestive tract (such as in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, or after intestinal surgery).
The initial manifestations of vitamin D deficiency are often unclear, but over time, symptoms may appear such as:
- Persistent fatigue despite adequate rest
- Aching bones and joints, especially in the lumbar region and lower limbs
- Muscle weakness, difficulty standing or falling
- Depressed mood, irritability
- And especially, a symptom that is rarely recognized: dizziness
The role of vitamin D in the vestibular system
The vestibular system is located in the inner ear, acting as the body’s “balance sensor”, helping us recognize posture and movement in space. To function effectively, the vestibular system needs a stable amount of calcium to control sensory signals. Vitamin D is the nutrient that helps absorb calcium from the intestines into the blood. When there is a lack of vitamin D, calcium absorption is reduced, leading to dysfunction of the vestibular system. The consequences are dizziness, disorientation, or even falls.
Some clinical studies have also shown that:
- People with vitamin D deficiency are susceptible to benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), a type of dizziness that occurs when changing head position.
- The level of dizziness can be more severe in the elderly or people with underlying diseases related to bones, joints and nerves.
What to do to control vitamin D deficiency and dizziness?
Some ways to help you improve and maintain stable vitamin D levels include:
1. Check your blood vitamin D levels
If you often experience unexplained dizziness accompanied by symptoms such as muscle pain, falling easily, or feeling weak, the first thing you should do is go to a medical facility to check your blood vitamin D levels.
A simple blood test can accurately determine the deficiency, thereby helping your doctor to propose appropriate, safe and effective intervention methods. Do not arbitrarily supplement high doses of vitamin D without a medical conclusion, because excess vitamin D also causes many disorders such as nausea, dehydration, heart rhythm disorders and kidney stones.
2. Sunbathing
One of the simplest and most effective ways to promote the body’s production of vitamin D is exposure to sunlight. Just about 10-20 minutes a day, in the early morning (before 9am) or late afternoon (after 4pm), is enough for the skin to synthesize the necessary amount of vitamin D without causing harm from ultraviolet rays. You should expose your hands, face and neck to sunlight and avoid applying sunscreen during this time so that the vitamin D synthesis mechanism is not hindered.
However, this condition is not always easy to achieve, especially for the elderly, people living in areas with little sunlight or with dark skin. Therefore, it is necessary to combine other measures to ensure that the body does not suffer from prolonged deficiency.
3. Supplement through food
Diet plays a key role in maintaining stable vitamin D levels. Some foods rich in natural vitamin D that you should supplement regularly include:
- Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines: rich in vitamin D and omega-3, supporting brain health and circulation.
- Egg yolks: contain a significant amount of vitamin D and fats necessary for the nervous system.
- Fish liver, especially cod liver: rich in vitamin D and vitamin A, often available in the form of cod liver oil.
- Milk and dairy products fortified with vitamin D: help absorb calcium better, support bones and reduce the risk of falls.
- Mushrooms: Some mushrooms, such as maitake or shiitake, when exposed to sunlight can synthesize vitamin D2 (a form similar to vitamin D3).
By adding these foods to your daily meals, you can not only improve vitamin D deficiency, but also strengthen your resistance and increase overall energy.
4. Supplement with functional foods (if necessary)
In some cases, especially the elderly, people with chronic diseases, postmenopausal women, or people working in low-light environments, relying on diet and sunlight alone is not enough. In that case, your doctor may prescribe vitamin D supplements in pill form, and usually vitamin D3, which is more easily absorbed than D2.
The supplement dose will depend on each person’s age, level of deficiency and overall health status. The usual dose ranges from 600 to 2000 IU/day, but you should never take high doses (over 4000 IU/day) without specific instructions, because the risk of vitamin D poisoning is real.
