Sunlight and Why We Need It

Sunlight is essential to our everyday life. Without sunlight, our bodily processes would not function properly. It might seem like a simple, everyday occurrence, but sunlight profoundly impacts our health and well-being. In fact, ancient civilizations recognized the healing properties of sunlight and incorporated it into their healing practices. Here’s a mind-blowing fact on how we utilized the Sunlight in the past compared to recent times. 150 years ago, we spent an average of 4 hours under the sunlight. Today, the average time spent under the sunlight has dwindled down to a mere 15 minutes per day!

If we know that sunlight plays a crucial role in regulating our body's internal clock and supporting overall health, why aren’t we spending more time outdoors?  Put simply, our modern, busy lives and the convenience of artificial light have brought us indoors and made it easier to miss out on the powerful healing properties of the sunlight.

Let’s talk about how sunlight supports our bodies and the practical tips for incorporating the richness of sunlight into our daily life.

The Healing Benefits of Sunlight

Regulating Circadian Rhythm and Metabolism

For starters, the sun regulates our Circadian Rhythm and hormones such as melatonin and cortisol. That’s not all, the sunlight also has the ability to influence our digestive and metabolic health. Surprisingly, it can penetrate your fat cells and help you get that perfect summer beach body. (Thank you, sun!)

Enhancing Focus, Alertness, and Productivity

If you have a tedious job that makes you watch funny cat videos instead of completing our tasks, it may interest you to know that the sun can enhance our focus, alertness, and productivity. Yes, this is so Serotonin which is a hormone associated with boosting mood and enhancing calmness.

Increasing Energy Levels

For those of us who tend to become a bit lazy and lethargic at times, the sunlight can actually help us kill two birds with a stone. This is true because sunlight can increase our energy levels and also increase the oxygen levels of our bodies.

Improving Quality of Sleep

Have you been tossing and turning at night? If yes, it may be the right time to get some vitamin D! The sun improves our sleep quality and synchronizes with our Circadian Rhythm.

Boosting the Immune System

With flu season upon us, it is extra important to catch some rays of the sunlight. This is primarily essential because sunlight is an immune booster itself. The sun’s rays contain vitamin D (when UVB is present), which is necessary for the body to produce antibodies that fight off viruses and bacteria.

Lowering Blood Pressure and Detoxing the Body

The sun strengthens our bones and improves gut health.  On top of that, it lowers blood pressure and detoxes our body Lastly, this giant ball of fire in the sky prevents autoimmunity.

The Four Stages of Sunlight and Their Benefits to the Body

There are 4 primary stages of sunlight, each of which has its own unique benefits:  Sunrise, UVA, UVB, and sunset. It is important to note that different types of sunlight build upon one another, so getting them in consecutive order is essential to receive the most benefit.

Stage 1: Sunrise

At sunrise, our bodies produce euphoric chemicals, which can help in reducing inflammation in our bodies. The light we receive from the dawn also tells our bodies that it is time to start producing cortisol instead of melatonin which is used for sleep.

Further studies have shown that the sunrise acts as an on-switch for our endocrine system. We also need the light that sunrises provide to regulate our hormone signaling.

The sun sets our circadian rhythm for the day, making sunrise especially important for our general health. Besides, the sunrise is so beautiful. Who would not want to watch it?

Stage 2: UVA

UVA light appears during the summer between 8 am -10 am. This spectrum of light has a dynamic impact on our neurotransmitter activation and production.

As a matter of fact, it helps our bodies produce dopamine and serotonin. This is an important process that prevents depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric disorders.

Moreover, UVA light affects our cellular repair and prevents insomnia since it affects the recycling of melatonin in our bodies. It also prevents cancer, constipation, and other chronic health conditions and supports our overall health.

Stage 3: UVB

A lack of UVB light can be quite hazardous to our health. It can lead to skin cancer and skin pigmentation diseases. Although popular belief suggests that excessive exposure to UVB light causes skin cancer, otherwise known as melanoma. On the contrary, recent studies have shown the opposite - that people who spend less time outdoors are more likely to contract skin cancer than those who spend time outdoors.

Did you know that one of the top 10 reasons for death is a lack of exposure to UVB light? UVB light enhances our immune system and supports our general health, despite what we may hear or read.

Stage 4: Sunset

The most essential function of a sunset is the way in which the light regulates our circadian rhythm. The sunrise is composed of red light, which resets our physiology, helps with hormone repair and generation, and synchronizes our circadian biology with nature’s natural rhythms.

When the sun goes down and we are exposed to darkness, our bodies start producing melatonin again. This is why it is so important to steer clear of artificial light after the sun sets.

Difference Between Sunlight and Artificial Light

To put it plainly, sunlight is a natural form of light that synchronizes our circadian rhythm.

Artificial light, on the other hand, is man-made light that disrupts our circadian rhythm. Non-native EMFs, a form of artificial light, can also affect melatonin production, dehydrate our cells, and cause cancer and other metabolic and neurological conditions.

Sunlight is the opposite of artificial light. Its healing rays regulate our body clock rhythm and ultimately improve our health.

To Wrap it Up

Sunlight is essential to our overall health. It enhances our brain functions, regenerates our cells, produces cortisol, serotonin, and dopamine, and synchronizes our circadian rhythm.

The four types of sunlight work best when received in chronological order. Step one needs to be completed for step two to be effective.

Natural light is also much healthier than artificial light, which can be detrimental to our health. So, get ready to synchronize your circadian rhythm and catch that perfect summer glow!

References

1. Mead, N. (2020). National Library of Medicine. Benefits of Sunlight: A Bright Spot for Human Health.

2. Light, Medicine of the Future by Jacob Liberman, O.D., Ph.D

3. Health & Light By John N. Ott

4. The Influence of Ocular Light Perception on Metabolism in Man & in Animal by F. Hollwich

5. Embrace the Sun By Marc B Sorenson

6. Sunlight e-book by Heathar Shepard: