We all know about how UV radiation can penetrate the skin and damage cell DNA. This has been linked to skin cancer.
This is exactly why there is a wide range of skin products for our skin.
Little did you know, that UV rays have a critical role in regulating our hormones and our circadian clock.
Our hormones get triggered by light and dark.
Why do you think we sleep with the lights off?
Apart from the fact that we don’t want any disturbance, sleeping in the dark produces melatonin. This hormone is responsible for helping you sleep.
When you expose yourself to the morning sunlight, the rays need to enter your eyes.
Getting some sun will increase cortisol levels in your body in a good way which increases your levels of alertness along with body temperature.
This sets a timer for melatonin release. When you get sun in the morning, melatonin will secrete from the pineal gland 16 hours later.
This helps you to sleep on time.
Sunlight exposure also increases the release of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is associated with boosting mood and helping a person feel calm and focused.
Without enough sun exposure, your serotonin levels can dip. Lowered levels of serotonin are associated with a higher risk of major depression pattern which is because of seasonal changes. This is called as seasonal affective disorder. It is a form of depression triggered by the changing seasons.
A mood boost isn’t the only reason to get increased amounts of sunlight. There are several health benefits associated with catching moderate amounts of rays.
As mentioned above, sunlight should enter the eyes. This is where it will fall on the retina, which triggers the release of serotonin.
This is why one of the therapies for depression or SAD is phototherapy which is also called light therapy
Apart from mental benefits, sunlight also causes a person’s skin to create vitamin D. This vitamin is essential for bone health. Low vitamin levels have been linked to rickets in children and diseases like osteoporosis and osteomalacia
It is also found that it can help in inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, SLE(systemic lupus erythematosus) and IBD(Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
To conclude, excess sun exposure is also not advised since it is linked with increased skin cancer risk. If you’re going to be outside for longer than 15 minutes or so, you’ll need sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15.
But getting some sunlight every day in the morning has a lot of benefits with which you can overcome very common deficiencies in your body.
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