The Health Benefits of Sunlight
Every health article has told you to stay out of the sun and to slather on sunscreen before you go out each day. While this advice can be helpful, it is also extremely beneficial that all individuals get a good dose of sun exposure each day. Ten to 30 minutes of sun exposure each day, without sunscreen, has a lot of health benefits, and the chances of getting skin cancer are quite slim. Skin cancer chances rise when you spend many hours in the sun unprotected, sun bathe, or get frequent sun burns. Here are just a few sun exposure benefits.
Lower Blood Pressure
A group of researchers from the University of Edinburgh discovered that a compound called nitric oxide helps lower blood pressure. This compound is released into the blood vessels as soon as sunlight touches the skin. This means that sun exposure can help decrease risks of heart attacks and strokes. This could be why you instantly feel calmer and less stressed as soon as the warm sun hits your skin during a nice day.
Improves Bone Health
Vitamin D is essential for better bones, since it stimulates the absorption of calcium. New studies have also found that regular bouts of sunlight can also help increase levels of vitamin D3, which lead to lower risks of fractures.
Improves Brain Function
Vitamin D is not just essential for bone health, but also for your brain’s health and functioning. Studies found that sunlight could help nerve cell growth in the hippocampus, which is responsible for forming and storing memories. So if you need to remember something important, try studying outside in the nice sunlight.
Reduces Mild Depression
Depression is a serious issue in America. There are many different types and degrees of depression. Many people experience a mild depression that is caused by the colder weather. It is called seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and is related to the fact that people get less sunlight in the winter time. Instead of getting antidepressants, more sunlight each day or sleeping with a special light to help vitamin D production, helps relieve and ease the depression.
A good night of sleep starts off with a good day in the sun. When our eyes see sunlight, the production of melatonin is shut down. This helps the body get a clear sleep signal at night time when it is dark outside. Train your body to have better sleep naturally by getting in more sunlight when you first awake, and by keeping your room dark an hour before bed.
Sunlight is an amazing thing that boasts of many health benefits. It is much healthier to get your vitamin D in naturally through regular doses of sunlight than through a supplement.