I don't know about it helping fight insomnia, but modern research is finding that larger doses of Vitamin D than in the past has positive effects on a broad spectrum of health and wellness measures. Further, there seems to be no downsides for almost everybody at the larger doses and there seems to be no effective upper limit for most people (but be reasonable and consult a doctor before getting extreme). Some people have taken 100,000 IU doses with no ill effect (that's extreme!).
The old recommended doses were, say, 200 to 600 IU per day. The National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine cautiously upped it in 2010 to 600 from 200 and to 800 IU for seniors. Now, many doctors are recommending 2,000 IU or more. My elderly but active mother, who only trusts ordinary mainstream doctors, takes 2000 IU upon her doctor's recommendation.
Unless a person works outdoors bare backed all day all year in sunlight, it is practically impossible for the body to make as much Vitamin as is beneficial.
In the past couple of years I had been reading several articles as they came out touting the benefits of increased vitamin D for cancer prevention, skeletal strength, and cardiovascular health, so I had started taking a Vitamin D gelcap to increase my intake from 600 IU to 1600 IU. This summer I lucked into a great free nutritional supplementation program through work. Through it I saw a doctor for the first time in over 15 years and had my first blood test in 30 years.
They recommend high doses of Vitamin D to their participants, as high as 10,000 IU per day. I decided to take 5,000 IU per day as a combination of 2,000 in a multi-vitamin and 3 x 1000 IU drops. I had been taking a one a day multi-vitamin. With the new supplementations the last three months, I am feeling that everything has been tuned up very slightly or slightly, and I continue to feel great.
Always, build a strong foundation by eating a very healthy diet and gradually bring weight into a healthy range. Supplementation is only supplementation.
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02812/vitamin-d
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400849/Too-Much-Vitamin-D.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_d
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