The sun is medicine. It warms us up, makes us feel better, lights up our world, adds beauty with it’s sunrises and sunsets, and gives life to the world. There is nothing like stepping outside and feeling the sunshine on your face. It is one of my favorite feelings.
The sun has been demonized over the last few decades, and while there are some risks to overexposure, there are just as many, if not more, risks to avoiding the sun. 10-30 minutes of daily sun exposure, particularly between 10 am and 3 pm, can benefit your over all health!
- Vitamin D
The sunshine vitamin. Sunlight helps the body produce vitamin D which has so many functions. Vitamin D helps build and maintain strong bones as well as strengthens and regulates the immune system. Regular physical activity is also linked to improved vitamin D levels, so getting outside and moving is even more beneficial.
Low levels of vitamin D (which is very common) have been connected to increased risk of certain diseases: diabetes, multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure as well as weight gain, fatigue, depression and joint pain.
You can get vitamin D from some foods like salmon, egg yolks, and mushrooms, but it’s hard to get enough from diet alone (Graasi water has 100% of daily vitamin D!!), so sunlight is your best bet. - Natural disinfectant
Another amazing power of sunlight is that it is a natural disinfectant. The UV rays are antiviral, anti-fungal and even antibacterial, which is one reason hanging clothes to dry outside is still very common and beneficial. Sunlight can also be used to make water safe for drinking.
One way to harness the disinfecting power of the sun is to place larger items such as mattresses, pillows, couch cushions, or even carseats outside in the sun to dry after being washed to help get rid of the germs and bacteria. - Helps us sleep and wake
Humans are designed to be up and outside during the daylight and to sleep at night when it’s dark out. This is what’s called our circadian rhythm. The hormone melatonin, which helps us sleep, is produced at night, and it stops in the morning when we are exposed to light. However, the use of blue light (smartphones, computers and TVs) specifically at night prevents melatonin from being produced.
People commonly take a melatonin supplement to help them sleep, but morning exposure to sunlight can have the same effect as taking a supplement. Getting outside early in the morning and exposing yourself to sunlight can help your body produce melatonin earlier at night and help you fall asleep easier. Early sun exposure can also help with PMS and seasonal affective disorder as well as insomnia.
If you work inside all day, it may be worth going outside for 15-20 minutes to get some full sunlight. Particularly without sunglasses and sunscreen to get the maximum effect. - Mood Booster
It’s fairly obvious that simply sitting outside or a short walk in the sun can instantly make you feel better/calmer. For me, that’s enough reason to try and get outside everyday, but what is actually happening is the sunlight is triggering the body’s production of serotonin, which is a main hormone in regulating mood, emotions and appetite.
Sunlight also triggers an increase in another common mood booster, dopamine, which is commonly called the “feel-good” chemical in our brain. More dopamine leads to increase in pleasure, positivity and over-all sense of well being. All the more reason to get your daily dose of sunshine.
As you can see, the sun has such a powerful impact on our lives and our bodies. By choosing to get just 10-30 minutes sunshine in your day, you are allowing so many other positive effects to take place. May your day be filled with sunshine, and on the days when there is no sun, may you be your own sunshine.
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