At this time of year, we all tend to want to walk on the street. It is good to feel the sun on your skin. Sun exposure without some care puts your skin at risk, causing wrinkles at best and cancer at worst.
However, while most people are aware of the dangers of too much sun, many are unaware that sunlight also provides enormous health benefits. Knowing that, for much of the day, you need to protect your skin with a high-quality sunscreen, here are some of the amazing benefits of sunlight:
- Sunlight helps prevent cancer.
It is not just plants that metabolize sunlight. Human beings too. Through a complex process, our bodies transform sunlight into revitalizing vitamin D. The connection between vitamin D deficiency and cancer was made several years ago. The lack of exposure to the sun influences the development of cancer. Studies have long proven that a lack of vitamin D increases the risk of several types of cancer, especially breast and colon cancer.
- The sun is beneficial for patients with Alzheimer’s.
Clinical research shows that exposure to sunlight during the day, alternating with the darkness of the night, helps to improve some aspects of Alzheimer’s disease, reducing restlessness, increasing sleep efficiency and decreasing insomnia.
- Lower risk of multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis is more common in populations living far from Ecuador. People who move from a low-risk area to a high-risk area before the age of 15 are more likely to develop multiple sclerosis than those who do it later. In addition, studies in Europe found a lower risk for births occurring after October and a greater risk for births occurring after May. The mother’s vitamin D levels during pregnancy influence the risk of contracting multiple sclerosis.
- Helps cure psoriasis.
Exposure to sunlight is extremely beneficial for people with psoriasis. One study has shown that sunbathing therapy for four weeks causes a significant decrease in symptoms of psoriasis in 84 percent of individuals.
- Sunlight can relieve depression.
There has been a lot of research into the relationship between sunlight and mood. One of the most reputable studies has shown that the sun actually increases the levels of one of the brain’s natural antidepressants. On sunny days, the brain produces more serotonin than on overcast days. More about depression.
- Sunlight contributes to bone health in the elderly.
We already know that vitamin D stimulates the absorption of calcium by the bones. The vitamin D manufacturing process begins when sunlight turns 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin into vitamin D3. More recent research shows a direct link between bone density and blood levels of vitamin D3. Blood levels with more vitamin D3 are associated with decreased fractures of virtually all types. Low levels of vitamin D3 in the blood are associated with higher fracture rates of any kind. More on osteoporosis and Chinese Medicine
- Sunlight improves the quality of sleep.
When sunlight hits the eyes, the optic nerve sends a message to the gland in the brain that produces melatonin (a hormone that helps you sleep) by decreasing its secretion until the sun goes down. In other words, sunlight during the day naturally increases melatonin production at night. Low levels of melatonin production are linked to poor sleep quality, especially in young people.
