Getting sunlight is one of the easiest & FREE things you can do everyday to improve your health & well-being. I like to go outside first thing in the morning get 15-min of sunlight. Morning sun flows with the circadian rhythm. If you live in a hotter climate, go without sunscreen or sunglasses for this short period of time. Make sure the sun hits your face & skin so you can get the benefits. Take your coffee, tea or that extra glass of water outside, relax & soak it in. As a society, we are chronically vitamin D deficient. But the sun provides so many more health benefits:
- when sunlight gets in through your eyes it helps to make serotonin, which helps to boost mood & lower anxiety
- it helps to regulate our circadian rhythm (this is our internal clock that tells us to be awake & alert during the day & sleepy at night)
- With our chronic exposure to blue light from our computers, TV’s & cell phones, it’s even more important to get sun exposure during the day
- important for bone health
- can help treat skin rashes such as eczema, psoriasis & acne
- lowers our risk for cardiovascular disease
- improves cognitive function
- regulates the immune system & can help protect against autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
If you are going to be outside for longer than 15 minutes particularly for hotter climates, this is when you want to utilize some sort of sunscreen to help prevent damage by over exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Whether that is a non-toxic sunscreen (check www.ewg.org), or cover up with clothing, shade & sunglasses. Too much sun can lead to skin cancers. Like many things in life…moderation is the key.