Health Benefits of the Sun

Overexposure to the sun is harmful to your skin. However, getting some sun each day is actually highly beneficial for you, despite what sunscreen manufacturers and vampires have lead you to believe.

The sun floods your body with healthy hormones and micronutrients. Although you can't see it, you can still feel it happening. When you step outside on a sunny day, you feel like you're being given a warm hug just before your nice shirt is soiled with pit perspiration.

Serotonin, or "the happy hormone," is released by sunlight, which also improves bone health and may be used to treat a number of skin disorders.

Have you ever questioned why the colder months make you feel angrier and moodier? It might not only be that the baseball season is over and your favorite ice cream shop is closed.

You may not be getting enough sun exposure, too. Your brain is stimulated to release a hormone called serotonin when the sun touches your skin. Serotonin has been linked to elevating mood and promoting calm and concentration.

Your serotonin levels drop when you don't get enough sun, which may increase your chances of developing serious depression and general feeling of gloom.

Therefore, try getting outside in the sun and see how it makes you feel before you start journaling about your emotions and turning on that old Leonard Cohen album.

Another advantage to our health that comes from our oldest friend in the sky is vitamin D. Bone health is greatly influenced by vitamin D, and osteoporosis and rickets in youngsters have both been linked to low vitamin D levels.

How much sunlight is required to produce enough vitamin D, then? To receive your daily value, you simply need to expose your arms, hands, and face to sunshine for 5–15 minutes.

Spend more time in the sun if you have a darker complexion. Get outside for a while and let the sun do its thing instead of swallowing a grainy vitamin every morning.

In a future episode, we'll go into greater detail about the sun's positive effects on health.