Just a little bit of sunshine!

I can't believe how cold the weather has been recently, and it could be a lot worse; we still might have the joy of snow to come! I have been looking at holiday brochures and dreaming of going away somewhere warm; the reality is that we can't afford it even if we were able to take Ruby out of school; because the guidelines have changed, we are told we can't take a family holiday. I'm digressing now as I didn't want to write a post about how annoyed I feel about the new laws; instead I've chosen to write a blog post about something that I feel more people should be aware of.... Vitamin D deficiency. 

I was shocked when my latest blood tests results came back saying I was severely lacking in Vitamin D; for a couple of months I've been really struggling with my joints hurting and always feeling tired, I initially thought it was just my ongoing knee condition and being a busy stay at home mum, but no it wasn't. 

There are many other symptoms of having a Vitamin D deficiency, these include:

• Aches and pains
• Tiredness
• Feeling out of sorts and generally not very well
• Muscle weakness
• Sore bones when put under moderate pressure

From the information that I was given by my doctor, it appears that up to two thirds of the population could be deficient and most are untreated because people assume it's normal tiredness etc. If this is left untreated you will likely see a significant impact on your general health and well being.

However the good news is that it can be rectified; people who are only slightly deficient can add Vitamin D to their diet by eating food like oily fish, eggs and fortified breakfast cereals, or alternatively having some more time in the sunshine; for me there little chance of that happening due to the cost of a holiday and our lovely British weather. Thankfully I should be able to sort this deficiency with some simple Vitamin D supplements.

I hope this blog post helps to raise awareness of Vitamin D deficiency, as it was something I had never considered before and never knew what the effects in the body it can have. I am hopeful that the supplements will start to take effect over the next few weeks and I will regain my energy and begin to feel better. I will keep you posted.

Click here to find out more information about Vitamin D deficiency.