Why Sunlight is Your Secret Weapon for Better Health (and It's Free!)
Now that Spring is here, it’s a great time to talk about sunlight. I often talk to patients (in partial jest) about my “Inverse Rule of Health”—basically that if it feels good it’s bad for you, or tastes good, then it’s bad for you, and vice versa. Sunlight is an exception to that rule, and…it’s free!
Sunlight, especially in the morning hours, offers amazing health benefits. Here are some of the main examples:
Synthesis of Vitamin D
A large amount of your daily vitamin D comes from synthesis by the skin. This process requires sunlight, and most cases of D deficiency is a result of a lack of sun exposure. Vitamin D regulates over 1000 genes that control nearly every system in the body including, but not limited to immune function, mood, calcium metabolism, cholesterol regulation, sleep, and muscle function.
Regulation of your internal “Sleep Clock”
Exposure to the sun first thing in the morning basically sets your sleep clock to go into sleep mode earlier in the day when you are supposed to be sleeping. It also helps your body know when to wake up the next day. Pro tip: You should get lots of natural light early in the day, but after dusk, you should avoid ANY artificial light (screens, LED lights, appliance displays, night lights). Blue is especially bad. Put your phone in red light mode or wear blue-filtering glasses after sunset.
Mood Enhancement
This is partly related to the Vit D thing, but worth mentioning separately. Sunlight increases your production of Serotonin-one of your “feel good” hormones. This is why we feel more depressed and tired in the winter months when we are not getting as much sun.
Natural Antioxidants
While excessive sunlight has a damaging (oxidizing) effect on the skin, small doses, especially of morning sun, can stimulate the body’s production of natural antioxidants. Without going too much into the fascinating details of the study, it was found that sunlight was helpful against the COVID-19 virus, and this was not so much because of the Vit D, but rather the stimulation of the production of “daytime melatonin” which is a powerful antioxidant!
How much sunlight should you get?
Morning sunlight is FAR safer than afternoon. I’d recommend a minimum of 10 minutes each morning as close to waking time as possible, up to 45 minutes if the sun isn’t too intense (listen to your body). No sunscreen needed in the morning, but if you are going to be out longer than that or later than morning, I’d bring the sunscreen.
