Maximize Sunlight’s Health Benefits for Ultimate Health
Sunlight is one of the most underrated health resources, yet it is one of the most important elements of health. It is not just a light sensation that brightens the day, it is intimately involved in regulating our biology. Our life is run to the fullest by sunlight. This environment regulator brings into sync our biological clock “circadian rhythms” which regulates profoundly all processes which occur in the inner body. The health of men comes from hormone production, brain chemistry, energy supply, and immune protection. Sunlight is the environmental provider, giving those signals which are necessary for this delicate machinery to run smoothly. Disruption from this biological clock by indoor living, sedentary hours, irregular working hours, and eye screen exposure develops sickness and poor health. In order to allow our potential to develop, we have to be in acceptance with the Sun’s rhythm. This paper details the reasons for the order of the Sun, how it develops over the twenty-four hours in the biological clock, and methods to fully absorb its benefits.
Sunlight and Circadian Rhythm:
Our bodies have been developed under the light and dark so marked throughout the ages that sunlight has been the special environmental signal for the circadian rhythm. The twenty-four hour rhythm is biologically arranged to give an approximate pattern of sleep, wakefulness, secretion of hormones, digestion of food eaten, and repairs going on in the body. The little part of the brain (hypothalamus) known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus is the body clock responding to all over light which comes in through the optic nerve on its way to the optic center of the brain. As the incoming light strikes the retinas, this instructs the nucleus to regulate the hormones when not only light is seen through the eyes but that are now experienced, which hormones are cortisol for the alert contented life, and other enabling hormones with regard to melatonin and its function in the night sleep. This course is necessary for enabling all body functions to work in harmony with the environment. Disrupting this rhythm through exposure to artificial light, shift work, and staying indoors can mess up our “biology,” however. Studies have shown that circadian misalignment has been linked to sleep maladies, mood imbalance, immune system dysfunctions, and chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Emphasizing natural sunlight will help restore alignment within the tissues of the body and longevity overall, literally from the cells outward.
The Benefits of Sunlight: Sunrise Resetting the Biological Clock
The soft reds and oranges of sunrise are biologically a signal that it is time to wake up. Morning exposure to sunlight decreases melatonin (which induces sleep) and increases serotonin (which enhances mood and mental activity). These changes maximize the potential for mental clarity and emotional balance. Studies, including those reported in Sleep Medicine Reviews, indicate that exposure to light improvement in quality of sleep, depression symptoms, and energy level throughout the day. Even a daily exposure to compared with darkness for 10-15 minutes within one hour of waking up can readjust one circadian rhythm, especially if one refrains from wearing sunglasses allowing full spectrum light to get to the eyes.
In addition to mood and sleep, exposure to morning sunlight is important for metabolic health. Such exposure regulates blood sugar and appetite, working through its effect on insulin sensitivity according to studies reported in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Exposure to sunlight marks the beginning of the day with a kind of daily reset of one’s biological clock, bringing one’s internal biological clock into alignment with that of the outside world.
Midday Energizing Vitamin D Production and Mental Function
By midday, when the sun is at its zenith, the bluish light it produces becomes a stimulus for productivity and vitality. Midday exposure to sunlight promotes intelligence, keeping you alert and focused. It is also a maximum time for synthesis of Vitamin D (the nutrient related to good bone health, immunity, and mental health). Just exposure to sunlight for 15-30 minutes (depending upon skin type, latitude, and time of year) can allow production of sufficient Vitamin D to prevent the risks of production of the nutrient and bone health problems related to osteoporosis, autoimmune problems, and seasonal affective disorder.
Exposure to mid-day sun stimulates also the function of mitochondria in the body. Mitochondria are the organelles in cells that produce energy or work through aerobic metabolism of glucose. According to studies reported in Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, exposure to light increases the efficiency of mitochondria which promotes physical stamina in addition to mental clarity. Thus, whether it is by walking, eating lunch outside, or just stray from behind the desk), mid-day sunshine enhances performance naturally.
Sunset Preparation for Deep Sleep
As now, however, we wind toward sunset, again warm sunshine and red-orange light tell the body that it is time to rest. Melatonin productions which are involved in deep and proper restorative sleep are presaged by this exposure to sunlight, which lowers sleep duration and regulate periods of sleep properly according to studies (like those evaluated in Journal of Sleep Research). Such exposure to sunlight on the other hand, this should be noted, augments the effect of the effect of sunset exposure, watching the sunset there. Here, however, as well, it is particularly effective if augmented with decreased artificial blue-light exposure from computer and cellphone screens.
Artificial light from phones and computers especially, while producing light, tends to lower inner melatonin and again interferes with restful sleep. Thus, it is wise to at night lower greets artificially emitting lights and wear glasses that block blue light after sunset. This simple remedy will allow effective transformation of sleep quality and overall recovery ameliorated boldly!
Practical Ways to Get Sunlight
It is easy but requires consistency to bring sunlight into your life. Here are actionable ways to use the sun’s cycle:
Morning sun: Spend 10 to 30 minutes outside in the morning sun, within 1 hour of waking. Take a walk, meditate, or eat breakfast outside. Do not wear sunglasses. This allows the natural light to reach your eyes.
Midday sun: Get outside for about 15 to 20 minutes on the lunch break or break from work. This raises vitamin D production in your body and expands your focus. If you live in a city get to the park or out in the open for maximum effect.
Evening sun: Just as with the morning sun, experience the sunset or be outside in the late afternoon. This prepares the body for rest mode. Don’t use screens about 1 hour before bed or employ blue-light filters that let you experience evening light’s effects.
Lighting solutions: When there is no light coming from the sun you can simulate those effects with full spectrum lights in the morning and the middle of the day. In the evening use warm colored bulbs that are low intensity to generate the proper effects of light help the body’s melatonin production.
Seasonal solutions: In winter or cloudy climates take advantage of daylight in each instance you can and use Vitamin D supplements when sunshine is a rarity. Recommended doses are available through the National Institutes of Health.
Dangers of Inadequate Sun
The lifestyles we lead and keep today isolate us inside shelters where artificial lights confound nature’s cycles and rhythms in our body. We are inundated with media, mostly at night, which impedes melatonin production and confuses the SCN. This leads to insomnia, tiredness, and mood swings. Long term deprivation of sunlight also leads to chronic vitamin D deficiency which in some areas affects 40% of the adult population, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This can create bone weakness, injuries to the immune system, and chronic problems as well.
The long term habitual daily circadian rhythms may lead to in increase incidence of obesity problem, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to articles in The Lancet. If exposure to sunlight routines occur then those ills may also be reduced.
Call to Action
Sunlight is not a luxury, it is a biological necessity that is inscribed in our DNA. Adapting to the sun’s daily patterns, we optimize our energy, mood, sleep, and health. Please start with small intentional habits: morning walks, midday sun breaks, evening studies of the sunset. These things remind us that we are governed by cyclical rhythms that have governed the health of our species for thousands of years. Our bodies crave these signals from the sun, so let’s give it the signals that it needs so our health can return.