What’s the Connection Between Sleep Apnea & Vitamin D?
Jun 5, 20255 minute read
Imagine waking up tired, no matter how many hours you’ve slept. Maybe you feel groggy throughout the day, struggle with concentration, or even get frequent headaches. For many people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), this is daily life. But here’s something you might not expect: your vitamin D levels may be playing a role.
So, what does a vitamin that we mostly get from the sun have to do with your breathing at night? Let’s explore the science behind this surprising link and what it might mean for your health.
What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition where your airway becomes blocked repeatedly during sleep. This causes you to stop breathing for short periods, sometimes hundreds of times per night, without even realizing it.
Common symptoms include:
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Loud snoring
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Daytime fatigue
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Morning headaches
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Mood changes
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Poor concentration
OSA affects both adults and children, but it’s especially common in people who are overweight, have high blood pressure, or live with chronic inflammation.
Left untreated, sleep apnea can increase the risk of serious health problems like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
The Role of Vitamin D in the Body
Vitamin D is best known for helping your body absorb calcium and build strong bones. But it also has important roles in:
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Immune system regulation
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Muscle strength
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Brain and nerve function
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Inflammation control
Vitamin D is produced in the skin through sunlight exposure, but it’s also found in foods like fatty fish, fortified milk, and egg yolks, or taken as a supplement.
One of the main ways to measure vitamin D in the body is by looking at 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels in the blood.
What the Research Says About Sleep Apnea and Vitamin D
A systematic review and meta-analysis published in Sleep & Breathing analyzed the link between 25OHD levels and OSA by reviewing 24 studies. These included:
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15 case-control studies
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9 cross-sectional studies
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Involving 2,640 people with OSA and 933 healthy participants
Here’s what they found:
The More Severe the Sleep Apnea, the Lower the Vitamin D
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People with moderate sleep apnea had 3.36 ng/mL lower vitamin D levels than controls.
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Those with severe sleep apnea had 6.38 ng/mL lower levels.
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Across all groups, adults with OSA had 4.76 ng/mL lower 25OHD than healthy people.
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Even children with OSA had much lower vitamin D levels, averaging 7.65 ng/mL below controls.
This pattern was clear even when researchers accounted for weight. The connection held true for people with obesity and those with a healthy weight, though oddly, not for people who were just overweight.
In short, the worse your sleep apnea, the more likely you are to have low vitamin D.
Why Might Sleep Apnea and Vitamin D Be Linked?
Scientists are still figuring out exactly how vitamin D and OSA influence each other. But here are the most likely explanations:
Inflammation and Immune Function
Vitamin D suppresses inflammatory cytokines, chemicals that trigger inflammation. Since inflammation is a key cause of airway blockages in sleep apnea, low vitamin D may worsen the condition.
Muscle Strength in the Airway
The muscles that keep your airway open during sleep rely on proper calcium signaling, something vitamin D helps regulate. A deficiency could lead to weaker upper airway muscles, increasing the risk of collapses and breathing interruptions at night.
Sleep-Wake Regulation in the Brain
Vitamin D also affects brain stem receptors that help control sleep-wake cycles. A lack of vitamin D might disrupt how the brain responds to low oxygen or signals the body to breathe normally during sleep.
Behavioral Factors in OSA Patients
It’s also possible that people with OSA get less sunlight because they’re tired, stay indoors, or have lower levels of physical activity. That alone could contribute to vitamin D deficiency, making it more of a consequence than a cause.
Can Low Vitamin D Worsen Other Conditions Related to Sleep Apnea?
Yes, and here’s where it gets more complicated.
Low vitamin D has been linked to:
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Insulin resistance (a precursor to diabetes)
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Weight gain and obesity
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Poor mood and depression
All of these are also risk factors for sleep apnea, which means low vitamin D might not just make OSA worse; it could feed into a vicious cycle where one condition worsens the others.
For example, one study noted that vitamin D deficiency can contribute to insulin resistance, which may in turn increase the severity of sleep apnea by altering fat distribution around the neck and abdomen.
Are Supplements the Answer?
While vitamin D supplements are widely available, it’s important to note that no large clinical trials have proven that they improve sleep apnea outcomes. Still, correcting a deficiency could support overall health and might offer secondary benefits for OSA patients.
If you're concerned about your vitamin D levels:
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Ask your doctor for a 25 OH D blood test
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Consider spending 10–30 minutes in sunlight each day (depending on skin tone and location)
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Talk to your provider about supplements, especially if you're at risk for deficiency (e.g., darker skin tone, limited outdoor activity, obesity)
Remember: Don’t start high-dose vitamin D on your own without medical advice. Too much vitamin D can be harmful.
What This Means for You
If you have sleep apnea or symptoms like snoring and daytime fatigue, it’s worth having your vitamin D levels checked. While it’s not a cure, optimizing your vitamin D might improve your energy, immune function, and overall quality of life.
And if you’ve already been diagnosed with low vitamin D, this could be one more reason to take it seriously and stay consistent with treatment.
Bridging the Gap Between Sleep and Vitamin D
Sleep apnea and vitamin D might seem unrelated at first, but the science is painting a more connected picture. Whether through muscle function, inflammation, brain chemistry, or lifestyle factors, there’s increasing evidence that low vitamin D levels and sleep apnea often go hand in hand.
Better sleep, more energy, and healthier days might start with something as simple as a little more sunshine and the right support from your healthcare team.
Curated Wellness offers a wide range of high-quality vitamin D supplements from trusted global brands. Whether you're addressing sleep issues, low energy, or immune support, their collections make it easy to find the right product for your needs.
Top Recommended Vitamin D Supplements for Sleep Apnea:
Vitamin D Synergy™ provides clinically useful amounts of vitamin D3 and vitamin K (both K1 and K2 [as MK-4]), along with geranylgeraniol (GG), a substance produced naturally in the body, to promote optimal bone and arterial health and to maintain the immune system in proper balance. This formula may be ideal for those looking to maintain optimal vitamin D status in the body.
Vitamin D Liquid provides easy supplementation of Vitamin D, which plays an important role throughout life. Vitamin D Liquid is soy free and mixed tocopherols are used to preserve freshness. Vitamin D plays an important role at every stage of life, beginning with fetal development.
The major biologic function of Vitamin D is to maintain healthy blood levels of calcium and phosphorus.* Vitamin D supports bone health by promoting calcium absorption and bone mineralization.* Vitamin D also plays an important role in immune function and helps to regulate cell growth and differentiation.
