The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

Vitamin D Expert: The Supplement World Is Giving The WRONG Advice!

July 27, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In 2009, neurologist Dr. Stasha Gominak noticed something strange in her sleep study data. Her patients—young women with daily headaches—were missing almost all of their rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. They weren't the classic sleep apnea profile, yet their brains had simply "forgotten how to sleep." What she found next led her to a radical conclusion: the modern epidemic of sleep disorders is not primarily a behavioral problem. It is a chemical deficiency state, driven by vitamin D loss and a broken gut microbiome, that standard medical advice has completely overlooked.

The Brainstem, REM Sleep, and the Acetylcholine Problem

To understand Gominak's framework, you have to start with the brainstem. During REM sleep, the brainstem paralyzes the body—every muscle except the heart and diaphragm goes still. This paralysis is controlled by a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. Gominak discovered that vitamin D is not just a bone vitamin; it is a hormone that acts as a switch. Vitamin D enters the nucleus of cells in the brainstem and triggers the production of an enzyme that makes acetylcholine. When vitamin D levels fall too low, the brain cannot produce enough acetylcholine to enter and sustain REM sleep. The result is fragmented sleep, chronic pain, mood disorders, and a failure of the body's nightly repair system.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:30) **The Core Claim: Vitamin D Is a Hormone, and the Supplement World Has It Wrong** - Dr. Stasha Gominak introduces her central thesis: the vitamin industry’s advice is dangerously misguided, and vitamin D is actually a hormone, not a vitamin.
  • 2 (03:46) **The Accidental Discovery: From Headaches to Sleep Apnea** - Dr. Gominak recounts how a patient insisting on a sleep study led to her first major insight.
  • 3 (06:55) **The "Mexico Beach House" Insight: Humans Were Meant to Live Outdoors** - A trip to Mexico provides a key piece of the puzzle, linking modern health problems to an indoor lifestyle.
  • 4 (09:00) **The Brainstem, REM Sleep, and the Acetylcholine Connection** - Dr. Gominak explains the neurology of sleep and identifies the specific chemical deficiency driving her patients' problems.
  • 5 (17:36) **The 1980s Tipping Point: Sunscreen, Computers, and Air Conditioning** - Dr. Gominak identifies the historical moment when the modern sleep epidemic began.
  • 6 (22:55) **Challenging Chronotypes: The "Night Owl" Myth** - Dr. Gominak argues that extreme chronotypes (early bird vs. night owl) are often a symptom of deficiency, not a fixed genetic trait.
  • 7 (25:38) **Two Patient Case Studies: Madeline and Natalie** - Dr. Gominak introduces two contrasting patient stories to illustrate the spectrum of vitamin D-related sleep disorders.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Nearly 1 in 3 American adults now take vitamin D, but Dr. Stasha Gominak says many of them are taking it wrong, and that done carelessly, supplementing can leave you worse off than before.

Dr. Stasha Gominak practiced neurology for over 20 years. She earned her MD from Baylor College of Medicine and completed her neurology residency at the Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. After working with her own patients, she believes that nearly everyone struggling to sleep shares the same hidden deficiency, a conclusion she published in 2 papers and built into RightSleep, the method she now teaches full time.


She explains:
◼ Why she believes your skin is the best producer of vitamin D, and why she says no amount of pills or salmon can replace it
◼ Why she believes insomnia isn't a behavior problem but a chemical deficiency, and what she thinks changed when we moved indoors
◼ The role she says your gut bacteria play in producing your B vitamins
◼ Why she believes taking vitamin D on its own can burn through your B vitamins, and what she says happened when she tried it herself
◼ Why she connects the rise in conditions like ADHD, depression, fatty liver and diabetes to the same period, and what she thinks links them
◼ Why she considers supplements a form of biohacking, and just as risky as any drug if you get them wrong


The views expressed are those of the guest, and this conversation is intended for general informational purposes only. This podcast and its associated materials should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician before making any changes to your diet, supplements or health regimen.

Chapters

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:02:20 Why So Many People Are Suddenly Struggling With Sleep
  • 00:03:22 Why Healthy Young People Are Waking Up Exhausted With Headaches
  • 00:07:55 How Your Brain Secretly Controls Every Stage Of Sleep
  • 00:15:15 How Vitamin D Could Be The Missing Piece For Better Sleep
  • 00:20:42 Are Sleep Chronotypes Actually Real Or Just A Myth?
  • 00:24:56 How Can You Prove Vitamin D Deficiency Causes Disease?
  • 00:40:36 Why Vitamin D Isn't Actually A Vitamin
  • 00:50:21 Ads
  • 00:52:20 What Happened When I Started Treating Patients With Vitamin D
  • 00:56:55 Does Vitamin D Deplete Your Body's B Vitamins?
  • 01:00:26 Can Vitamin B Supplements Really Fix Your Gut?
  • 01:14:38 Why Minerals Could Be The Overlooked Key To Better Health
  • 01:15:25 Ads
  • 01:16:34 Does Modern
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