Original ArticleVitamins and sleep: An exploratory study
Introduction
One-third of the United States population takes a vitamin or mineral supplement daily [1]. The booming nutritional supplement industry is predicated on consumers’ beliefs that these products produce health enhancement. Claims for sleep improvement have been advanced for a variety of such products as typified by valerian, for which there is evidence of mild efficacy [2]. Little or weak evidence exists to support soporific claims for other nutritional supplements [3].
The majority of sleep enhancement products are classified as nutritional supplements. Minerals and vitamins have not been reported to have soporific effects, although B vitamins have been advanced as a preventive for insomnia based on research that suggests deficiencies in vitamin B6 promote psychological distress and ensuing sleep disturbance [4].
Although the direct link between vitamins and insomnia is unclear, there are studies that show an association between vitamins and other sleep disorders. Studies have reported that B-12 shortens the length of the sleep–wake rhythm [5] and affects the circadian aspect of sleep propensity [6]. Studies have also identified vitamin B complex as a helpful treatment of nocturnal leg cramps [7]. Deficiencies in iron may be related to restless leg syndrome or periodic limb movement disorder [8], both of which may have an effect on sleep maintenance. Evidence from these studies points to the possibility that sleep may be affected by vitamin and mineral intake or lack of these substances.
The presence of vitamins and other nutritional supplements has been known to have negative side effects, as well. For example, high doses of vitamin D have led to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and depression [9]. High doses of vitamin A have been associated with bone loss [10]. The finding of both positive and negative effects associated with vitamin use invites the question: Are there sleep effects associated with vitamins? A literature search revealed no studies addressing this question. Given this research gap, we conducted a preliminary investigation to determine if sleep-promoting or sleep-inhibiting effects are associated with common vitamins.
Section snippets
Participants
The current data are from a larger epidemiological survey that utilized random-digit dialing to recruit 772 people, ranging in age from 20 to 98 years, from Shelby County, Tennessee [11]. That survey recruited at least 50 men and 50 women in each of seven age groups across the adult lifespan. The age groups were divided by decades beginning with 20–29 years and ending with the decade beginning at age 80. No upper age limit was imposed on this last decade. Information on vitamin use was collected
Results
The goal of these analyses was to explore the association between vitamins and sleep. Because this is one of the first investigations in this area, we were more concerned about minimizing Type II error than Type I error. When venturing in a new domain, it is important to be careful not to close off areas of exploration. As we were interested in detecting any association between vitamins and sleep that might exist, we used several different groupings of vitamins. In addition, we also report
Discussion
Use of a multivitamin or multiple single vitamins was associated with poorer sleep maintenance compared to individuals who did not take vitamin supplements. There was a tendency for vitamin users to have a greater number of awakenings during the night, more total wake time during the night, greater use of sleep medications, and a higher rate of insomnia than non-users. Controlling for age, gender, and ethnicity partially attenuated the sleep-vitamin association. Future research should examine
Acknowledgment
This research was supported by National Institute on Aging Grants AG12136 and AG14738.
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