According to experts, spending a lot of time under the sun can be harmful to your skin. But spending time under sunlight for 15-20 minutes or so can be beneficial for the body.
Spending time under the sun can make you feel fresh and invigorated. When you look at it, your body realizes the day has started, and it can function well.
The biggest perk of spending time under the sun is that your body has vitamin D in its inactivated form. To get it in an active form, you must spend some time under the sun. Experts advise that it be the morning sunlight. You can do physical exercises or just sit on a chair and enjoy the cool morning breeze with sunshine.
If you have symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, such as bone pain, body aches, and depression, you must consult a healthcare provider. To get an expert opinion, you can visit an Internal Medicine Specialist in Karachi.
Mood-lifting
Going out in sunlight triggers the release of certain hormones in your brain. One of those hormones is serotonin.
Serotonin is a mood-lifting hormone. It helps a person feel calm and focused. Without appropriate sun exposure, your serotonin levels can fall. Decreased serotonin levels for a prolonged period are associated with a risk of major depression with a seasonal pattern (formerly known as Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD). It is a depression that gets triggered by the changing seasons.
Building strong bones
Spending some time under the sun can be beneficial for your bone. Sunrays can help get an activated form of Vitamin D- an essential vitamin for calcium absorption from the diet.
Without Vitamin D, the calcium in the milk you consume goes wasted. It does not get absorbed, which leads to a drop in the calcium levels in your body, hence resulting in weak bones.
Low vitamin D levels have been linked to diseases like rickets in children, osteomalacia in adults, and osteoporosis. Therefore make sure you consume ample amounts of vitamin D through natural sources such as milk and supplements.
Better Sleep
You may need sunlight to sleep. Sunlight can help set your body’s internal clock. Early morning sunlight, in particular, is very beneficial for people to get a good sleep at night.
Moderate exposure to sunlight may be essential as you age. It is because, at this age, you have more problems regarding the sleep cycle because of less exposure to sunlight.
Eye Health
Moderate amounts of sun, especially in your teen and young adult years, might be helpful for your eyes. You are less likely to have problems seeing things at a distance (nearsightedness) with appropriate exposure to sunlight.
But too much sunlight can hurt your eyes. It can lead to problems like blurred vision and increase the chances of cataracts.
Cancer prevention
It is believed that excess sunlight can cause the development of skin cancers, but an appropriate amount of sunlight exposure has preventive benefits when it comes to cancer.
These cancers include:
- colon cancer
- Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- ovarian cancer
- pancreatic cancer
- prostate cancer
Healing Skin Conditions
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sun exposure can help treat many skin conditions. Sunlight is known to treat the following skin conditions:
- psoriasis
- eczema
- acne
Treatment Of Other Conditions
Research analysis indicates that sunlight can treat several other conditions as well like :
- rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
- systemic lupus erythematosus
- inflammatory bowel disease
- thyroiditis
The Bottom Line
In short, from treating skin conditions to improving mood, sunlight has several benefits. If you live in places with less sunlight exposure, you may have weak bones or may get depression or anxiety. It is better to spend at least 10-15 minutes of sunlight exposure because it not only enlightens your mood but also helps treat skin and other health conditions, as mentioned earlier.
Sunlight plays an essential role in elevating your mood. If you feel low or lethargic, you must attend a check-up visit with the healthcare provider. To get an expert opinion, you can visit an Internal medicine Doctor in Lahore.
