What You Don't Know About Sun Exposure (It's a Good Thing)

Roman Payne: "O, Sunshine! The most precious gold to be found on earth."

Ah, the glorious feeling of sunshine on a cool day.  I love the sun and, if asked where my favorite place is, my answer would be outside in the sun (barring a few miserably hot days in August).  The sun gives me energy and fuels me.  The sun is a vital part of how we are charged and even our cells have the capacity with a chlorophyll-rich diet to turn sunlight into energy.  

Truth be told, like so many from my generation, my sun-worshipping went a little far with the baby oil and iodine slathered on my skin, but I think we have demonized the sun and paid the price.  There is balance and we need to return to it.

Early morning sun is vital to optimal health and I want to focus on the benefits of getting outside in the sun during the first hour of waking and, preferably, around sunrise.  By now, everyone is aware of the Vitamin D benefits of sun-exposure, but what other benefits are we missing out on?  Let’s delve into “the most precious gold to be found on earth…”

1. It is a Zeitgeber (word of the day) – a tool to reset your circadian rhythm and your day/night cycles.  Studies show that early morning sun helps people fall asleep more rapidly and wake up feeling more refreshed.
2. Feel more awake and alert.  By suppressing melatonin production and increasing cortisol (this is natural in the morning), you are more alert and your brain works better.
3. Improve mood.  Morning sunlight increases serotonin and dopamine production by stimulating the brain, via the retina, to release these feel-good neurotransmitters.  There is a direct correlation between lack of sun exposure and poor mental health.  
4. Reduce fat cells and potentially lower weight.  There is a direct connection between fat cells, metabolism and sunlight exposure.  This is, in part, why people tend to gain weight in the winter when they have less sun exposure.  

Tips from Tracy: 

Wearing glasses and sunglasses block the wavelengths needed to activate the retina which creates many of these benefits – take them off when possible. 

Expose as much of your skin as possible to the light.  Both clothing and sunscreen block the sun’s benefits.  And, many sunscreens are very toxic and carcinogenic.  Do we have a previous article that we an link to about this?

Aim for 30-45 minutes.  This is a perfect time for a morning walk (a 2-fer!).

Go outside, even if it is cloudy – you will still benefit.

Try using a sun lamp if you live in an area with low sunlight and/or in the winter months.

Glass filters out some of the valuable wavelengths, so sitting in a car or behind a window does not confer the same benefits.

Use this tool to your advantage while traveling between time zones to reduce jetlag.  On Sunday, March 9^th, we jump forward to start “saving daylight” with our daylight-saving time change.   Love it or hate it, you can also use these tips to help ease your adjustment to daylight savings changes.  (At the very least it will make easier to catch some rays later in the day.)

Two supplements that I recommend taking to help protect the skin from damage are Astaxanthin and Turmeric/Curcumin, available for purchase at Heights of Health.

High levels of Omega 6 fats from industrial seed oils can make you more susceptible to burning – avoid seed oils, including Canola, Soy, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Safflower, Grapeseed, Corn, and Peanut.

If you are super-sensitive to the sun, avoid staying out past the time that your skin starts to turn a little pink (this happens more readily in the middle of the day) and, by all means, do NOT let yourself burn.  More is not better here.  Talk to your health care provider if you have concerns.