Three Surprising Health Benefits of Sunshine
Spring is approaching and the weather is getting beautiful! We are all getting stir-crazy after a snowy winter, so hopefully everyone is going outside to take a walk or enjoy the sunshine. It is easy to get outside when the weather turns, but it is March, so we know there will be more cold and rainy days in the future.
Need a little extra motivation to enjoy the outdoors? Exposure to sunlight is good for your health!
Improve Sleep
Our brains and bodies have mechanisms in place to create a circadian rhythm, or a sleep-wake cycle that corresponds to the 24-hour sun cycle. You may have heard that artificial lights, whether electricity or the light from tablets, phones, TVs, and other devices, can disrupt our circadian rhythm and therefore our sleep. Exposure to sunlight can improve your sleep – shortening the time it takes you to fall asleep, helping you get tired earlier at night, and improving the quality of sleep.
This is especially true of morning exposure to sunshine. The strong sunlight in the morning advances your circadian rhythm, making you feel more alert and energetic during the morning, and sleepy as the evening progresses. What a great reason to enjoy your coffee or tea on your porch in the mornings!
2. Increase Vitamin D
One of the main sources of vitamin D is UVB radiation – sunlight! When sunlight hits our skin, we endogenously produce Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), that is then metabolized by our liver and kidneys to a bioactive form. Vitamin D plays a critical role in our health. It is important for bone mineralization and maintenance, immunity, and cell growth, maturation, and differentiation. Studies suggest poor vitamin D can be associated with conditions such as osteoporosis, colorectal and breast cancers, Type 2 Diabetes, and autoimmune conditions.
3. Boost your Mood
Exposure to sunlight can help trigger the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is implicated in maintaining a stable mood and preventing mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Serotonin levels can dip without adequate exposure to the sun, and low serotonin is associated with major depression with seasonal patterns (formerly called Seasonal Affective Disorder [SAD]).
Additionally, sunlight can help to regulate the stress hormone, cortisol, with exposure reducing cortisol levels. The combination of this mechanism, along with increased vitamin D, and improved sleep, all contribute to the observation that people report less stress with more sun exposure.
This list barely scrapes the surface of physical and mental health benefits that nature has to offer us. So get outside in the morning and enjoy your coffee, go for a walk, take a bike ride, garden, whatever suits your fancy!