Though intense overexposure to sunlight can lead to burns and even skin cancer, did you know that a moderate amount of the vitamin D vitamin provided by sunlight can promote bone growth and prevent illnesses such as breast and colon cancer, inflammation, multiple sclerosis, seasonal disorders, and depression?
Sunlight Enhances Mood
One study in particular displayed how “the rate of production of serotonin by the brain was directly related to the prevailing duration of bright sunlight”. Serotonin is the chemical our brain produces to help us feel happy. This means, that being out in the sunlight can lead to being happier and help fight mild cases of depression. This is especially important to remember in the winter, when seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or seasonal depression may effect individuals due to the lower amounts of sunlight available in the winter.
Early to Rise, Early to Bed
Exposure to sunlight in the morning can help you sleep better at night. According to this study, sunlight engages your brain’s circadian rhythms (a biological clock), which controls sleep patterns. “The body’s master clock, or SCN, controls the production of melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy. Since it is located just above the optic nerves, which relay information from the eyes to the brain, the SCN receives information about incoming light. When there is less light—like at night—the SCN tells the brain to make more melatonin so you get drowsy.” The contrast of morning light to twilight helps your brain experience a normal day so that it can wake up properly in the morning, leading to relaxing properly at night.
Sunlight Can Help Cure Illnesses
Research by the Nobel Prize winner, Niels Finsen, has shown how sunlight can help disinfect and heal wounds. Other studies led by Dr. Zane Kime showed additional benefits of sunlight, including the lowering of blood pressure, cholesteral, and even reducing the risk of cancer. “Dr. Zane Kime has suggested that it is the combination of unnatural, hydrogenated oils in the diet, together with over-exposure to sunlight, that causes cancer. We believe that once you have eliminated hydrogenated oils from the diet, you need have no fear that the sun, in reasonable dosages, will cause cancer. In truth, once these unnatural oils are eliminated from the diet, the sun, together with the other laws of health, will in all probability do more to heal cancer of the skin than to cause it.”
So next time you are asked to take a break, and go out to get some sun, take the chance! Even just 15 minutes of sunlight each day can provide significant health benefits.