The Benefits of Sunlight
Human beings were not made to live indoors and out of direct sunlight.
A bit of history
Much of the public discussion when it comes to sunlight focus on the negative impacts of spending too much time in the sun. A hypersensitivity to skin cancer and diseases related to sun exposure has caused the general population to be cautious when it comes to being in direct sunlight. The way our society is structured means that the majority of the population spend their time indoors and away from nature. Most people agree that there are clear benefits to spending time in nature although many never take the time to make this a priority in their lives. However, most people do not agree that we as a population require more sunlight, most say that we need to decrease the amount of time in the sun to decrease health risks. The sun gives off UVR (ultraviolet radiation) which can have both beneficial and hazardous effects on the human body and mind. The ancient Greeks knew this and Apollo, their sun god, could bring both health and sickness to those who did/did not worship him. The Mayans also knew this and their sun god Ah Kin could bring both doubt and protection. Many ancient figures that are associated with the sun bring both good and bad to the population that worships them. A final example is the god Utu which was worshipped in Mesopotamian culture and was thought the be the bringer of divine justice, giving those who he visited what they deserved (good or bad). Even Jesus Christ is often depicted with light radiating from him and is indirectly associated with the sun. Historically, most cultures in habitable and comfortable climates wore very little clothing and spent a large amount of time in the sun. By the 1600s most places had adopted the wearing of clothing and many spent cultures spent increasingly more time in the sun. Eventually, doctors in Europe and North America began to recommend full-body sunbathing as a treatment for many diseases. These treatments proved to be effective in curing or assisting in the curing of diseases like rickets or TB.
The Body
Getting back to modern science, about 95% of all UVR can penetrate through the skin and damage the internal structures indirectly by generating hydroxyl and oxygen radicals. Diseases caused by excessive UVR exposure account for less than 1% of all the disease burden on the planet. On the flip side of this is the WHO which recently acknowledged that a disease burden of 3.3 billion DALYs (disability-adjusted life years) is a result of low UVR exposure. Meaning that more people lose years off their life from not being in the sun than those who suffer negative impacts associated with too much sunlight. Direct sunlight provides a boost to the body’s supply of vitamin D which is involved in regulating around 1,000 different genes in the human body. The body was made to thrive in sunlight. Deficiency of vitamin D can cause many issues in the human body such as growth retardation and skeletal deformities. Michael Holick, a medical professor and director of the Bone Health Care Clinic at Boston University Medical Center, says, “The primary physiologic function of vitamin D is to maintain serum calcium and phosphorous levels within the normal physiologic range to support most metabolic functions, neuromuscular transmission, and bone mineralization.” Children who do not get enough sun exposure will not develop appropriate bone strength and will be more likely to suffer from osteoporosis later in life. There is also some evidence to suggest that lack of sunlight exposure can even increase the likelihood of getting other forms of cancer. “Populations that Living at higher latitudes increases the risk of dying from Hodgkin lymphoma, as well as breast, ovarian, colon, pancreatic, prostate, and other cancers, as compared with living at lower latitudes. A randomized clinical trial by Joan Lappe, a medical professor at Creighton University, and colleagues, published in the June 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, confirmed that taking 2–4 times the daily dietary reference intake of 200–600 IU vitamin D3 and calcium resulted in a 50–77% reduction in expected incidence rates of all cancers combined over a four-year period in postmenopausal women living in Nebraska” (M Nathaniel Mead).
The Mind
There is also strong evidence that exposure to sunlight can bring psychological benefits in addition to physiological benefits. It is common for people to feel better after spending time outside in nature which often includes direct sunlight. A 2009 study found “among depressed participants, a dose-response relationship was found between sunlight exposure and cognitive function, with lower levels of sunlight associated with impaired cognitive status (odds ratio = 2.58; 95% CI 1.43–6.69). While both season and sunlight were correlated with cognitive function, a significant relation remained between each of them and cognitive impairment after controlling for their joint effects”(Shia T. Kent). The presence of seasonal depression is also a clear sign that human minds do better when the body is exposed to sunlight. Many people find themselves struggling with emotional issues during the winter or rainy seasons. The lack of sunlight can cause cognitive issues such as weaker memory and depression. Those suffering from seasonal depression can suffer from low energy, sleep disruption, weight gain, and even suicidal thoughts. Direct sunlight can also assist in the regulation of a normal sleep schedule, human beings are designed biologically to take the setting of the sun as a trigger for sleep. The body releases melatonin as a response to darker lighting. During the day, sunlight increases the body’s levels of serotonin which impacts every part of the body and regulates mood. In a society in which many people work and live indoors with very little exposure to direct sunlight, is it any surprise that mental health issues are on the rise?
Conclusion
Exposure to sunlight can assist the body in growing correctly and functioning properly as time goes on, without sunlight, the human mind will suffer from a variety of issues. Our society pushes us indoors and encourages us to live our lives online with no thought to the nature around us. The increasing technology and dependence on social media cause many people to decrease the amount of time they spend in the sun. It is rare to see children playing outdoors when just a decade or two ago that would have been common. It is foolish to think that the human body can live like this after thousands of years of living in sunlight and not suffer adverse effects. Many diseases that people suffer from both mental and physical could be positively impacted by more time spent in the sun. There is a reason that the sun is associated with life, virility, and strength. Live life in the sun and prosper.
*The information provided in this post is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2290997/ - M. Nathaniel Mead
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2728098/ - Shia T. Kent
https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/benefits-sunlight#mental-health
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/serotonin
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