Spend time in the sun, your body will thank you for it. No seriously, turns out spending time in the sun is actually healthy for you and we don’t spend enough time outside. Most of us like to be inside where it’s cool and comfortable, but our bodies are suffering for it. So, let’s talk about why you need to spend time in the sun.
Spend Time In The Sun To Be Healthier
So, let’s talk about why spending time in the sun is important. Turns out, the sun is more than just fun to play in. The sun actually plays a big role in your mental health, biological processes, helps you get a certain vitamin, and help prevent diseases as well as other bodily functions.
Yeah, crazy right? Who would have thought spending time in the sun is so vital to our health and well-being? It makes sense though, some of the people with the happiest professions are those who work with their hands outside. And while I think that is probably a combination of hard work and being outside, it still stands to reason the sun plays a big part in our mental health.
Related: Why do we need probiotics in our diet?
Benefits Of Spending Time In The Sun
So let’s dig deeper into why we should spend time in the sun and what the benefits of being in the sun are.
1. Being In The Sun Is The Best Way Of Getting Vitamin D
We only get a small amount of vitamin D from our diet and if you’re overweight it’s much harder for your body to get vitamin D. So you need the sun to help since it’s the best source of vitamin D. Vitamin D plays a huge role not just in your bone health, but your immune health as well. Plus it helps reduce inflammation, manage calcium levels, and glucose levels.
2. Spending Time In The Sun Can Lower Your Blood Pressure
Researchers have found that being in the run regularly can help you keep a low blood pressure and reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases. The sun triggers your skin to release nitrogen oxides which causes your arteries to dilate which reduces blood pressure and metabolic syndrome.
3. Being In The Sun Can Help Protect You From Diseases
Did you know research also shows that spending time in the sun can keep you healthier by helping you not get sick? Researchers found that spending time in the sun can help you reduce your chances of certain cancers, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and other illnesses.
4. Spending Time In The Sun Can Help You Sleep Better
Can’t sleep? Spend time in the sun! Turns out the sun supports better sleep by helping set people’s circadian rhythms. And in case you don’t know what that is, it’s basically our “internal clock.” The sun does this by helping the body regulate serotonin and melatonin.
5. Being In The Sun Can Help Reduce Pain
Turns out UVB rays can cause our skin to produce hormones called beta-endorphins. Why are the hormones important? Because they help reduce pain which is great if you suffer from chronic pain. What else do beta endorphins do? Well they help with:
- Helping people feel alert
- Improved mood, sense of accomplishment, and happieness
- Promotes relaxation
- Heals wounds
- Reduces depression
- Gives you a stronger immune system
6. Spending Time In The Sun Can Help Reduce Mental Illness
Low vitamin D levels, beta-endorphins, and other functions the sun helps regulate in the body can effect the way we feel. Research shows that a number of illnesses are caused/made worse because of low vitamin d levels. These include illnesses like: S.A.D, depression, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and anxiety. It’s not a cure, that’s not what I’m saying so don’t get it twisted, but it can make these mental issues worse when you don’t spend time in the sun.
The Effects Of Spending Too Much Time In The Sun
We talked about the benefits, now let’s talk about the effects of spending too much time in the sun. The sun is great, but too much of anything is bad for you and the sun is no different. Spending too much time in the sun can cause a number of issues.
1. Too Much Time In The Sun Can Cause Sunburn
We’ve all probably have had sunburn at one time or another. But sunburn is not good for your skin or body. And sometimes the sun burn can be bad enough to cause open wounds, blisters, and will actually need medical attention.
2. Spending Too Much Time In The Sun Can Cause Dehydration
The sun is hot. And when it is hot our body sweats. When our body sweats we lose water. Our body needs water to function and when you lose too much of it you can become dehydrated which is a big problem. You need to replace fluids and electrolytes. In severe cases dehydration can even be deadly.
3. Too Much Time In The Sun Can Cause Hyponatremia
Most people recognize hyponatremia from the stories of people drinking too much water. What happens is the body holds onto the liquid and can actually kill you. This is because there is too little salt in the body. But this can also happen when the body loses too much water too. It can disrupt your electrolyte levels which then makes you retain the water.
4. Spending Too Much Time In The Sun Can Cause Heat Exhaustion
When you’re hot your body temperature rises and you sweat. But if you live somewhere where it is humid or you’re dehydrated, your body cannot cool down. So your core temperature rises and you end up with heat exhaustion. It’s one of the lesser conditions of heat related illnesses, but can escalate in seriousness if you don’t take care of yourself.
5. Too Much Time In The Sun Can Cause Heat Stroke
Heat stroke is not fun. I’ve had it, it’s terrible. So, when you are dehydrated, can’t cool down, overheated you can end up with heat stroke. Heat stroke happens when your body temperature rises to dangerous levels. Left untreated you can have organ failure and even death. So, it’s important to stay cool and hydrated especially if you’re more frail, super young, or elderly.
How Many Hours Should You Spend In The Sun To Get The Benefits?
No that we know the benefits and effects of being in the sun the big question is… how much time do I have to spend outside to reap the benefits. Well, that’s the hard part. It really depends on your skin color, geographic region, and time of year.
The good news is you apparently don’t need to be outside for hours. The bad news is, the answer is unclear. The general consensus is you need at least 15-30 minutes of unprotected sun exposure on most of your body to gain the benefits of the sun. And that time frame is for the hours 10a-3p where the sun is most powerful.
Spend Time In The Sun Everyday
We live in a rough world and we have enough problems. Boost your mental health and physical health by getting outside a little bit everyday. We all need more breaks throughout the day anyway. The 9 to 5 schedule is unnatural. We all need to work, I’m not one of those “why do I have to work” types. Whether you’re in the office, farming, construction, homemaker, stay at home mom, teacher, we all need some sun and a few minutes to breathe the fresh air.
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Do you spend time in the sun? Do you avoid it?
