7 Benefits of Sunlight in Healthy Living

Imagine, for a moment, an entire world without sunlight. What do you see; what would you do? Perhaps we would begin to realize that all life on earth depends on sunlight. Besides utter darkness, we would miss out on our natural source of energy, the warmth, and rays of light it provides to nourish and grow our natural food supply. Not to mention its healing and sustaining power to mankind. Perhaps because it has been available to mankind since the beginning of time, we simply take it for granted. You see, aside from the fact that it helps us to see during the day, there are other amazing benefits of sunlight in nature, as well as our overall health and wellbeing.

FUN FACT:

Did you know that in 1877 it was discovered that sunlight has the ability to destroy bacteria naturally? In fact, the ultraviolet rays were later proven to treat skin diseases like tuberculosis. This led to the use of light therapy, since some geographical regions lacked sufficient sunlight.

As early as 1845, it was known that microorganisms respond to light. A breakthrough came in 1877, when Downes and Blunt observed that exposing test tubes containing Pasteur’s solution to sunlight prevented the growth of microorganisms inside the tube and, upon increased exposure durations, the test tubes remained bacteria-free for several months.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2789813/

In…experiments Finsen demonstrated that the most refractive rays from the sun…may have a stimulating effect on the tissues…and this led to the treatment of lupus vulgaris or other skin diseases – or employed as general sun-baths, which on Finsen’s suggestion was tried in cases of tuberculosis.”

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1903/finsen/biographical/

However, with the recent reports on the harmful effects of excess sunlight, let me set the tone of temperance in exposure to sunlight. As with other natural resources that aid healthy living, in moderate amounts, sunlight has been proven to be excellent for our health. Let’s look at a few health benefits of sunlight.

7 Health Benefits of Sunlight

Sunlight Sustains Life

As basic as this may seem, life and vegetation as we know it would not be possible in the absence of sunlight. The herbs, grains and other plant-based foods that are highly nutritious to us wouldn’t grow in the absence of sunlight. Let me take you back to a bit of biology. Sunlight helps green plants, rich in chlorophyll, produce their own food through a process called photosynthesis. More food for the plants mean more food for us too.

Prevents Cardiovascular Diseases

Excess cholesterol in the body predisposes us to lots of illnesses especially cardiovascular diseases. Sunlight helps to reduce the risk of these diseases by clearing up the excess cholesterol, converting them to Vitamin D. This is a very important vitamin needed by the body. Note that about ten percent of the sunlight we receive is absorbed through the skin and is used in the production of Vitamin D. People who do not receive sufficient sunlight daily have been reported to have higher levels of cholesterol. In turn, they are more susceptible to many cardiovascular diseases.

Maintaining Stronger Bones and Teeth

Vitamin D produced in the presence of sunlight has many functions in the body. This includes the absorption of phosphorus and calcium. As we know, calcium is important in the formation and maintaining of strong bones and teeth. Our bones and teeth are composed of calcium salts and adequate supply of calcium helps to keep them healthy. As a result, Vitamin D deficiency can lead to bone complications such as osteomalacia. This disease is associated with the softening of bone tissues and also osteoporosis, and happens when bone tissues become weak and brittle.

Mental Health

Sunlight triggers the release of the hormone serotonin in our brain. This hormone is released in sufficient amounts in the presence of sunlight. Serotonin has been known to improve the feelings of wellbeing and happiness. It has also been associated with helping a person to focus. As a result, a person receiving enough sunlight is seen to be more productive and happier than persons lacking sufficient sunlight.

Decreased exposure to sunlight can lead to a drop in the serotonin levels. It has been recorded as a contributing factor to serious depression. This form of depression, sometimes termed winter blues, is often recorded during seasonal changes when there is little sunlight available to the body. Sunlight serves as natural therapy to help fight depression; more solutions are discussed in Winter Blues: How to Fight Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Regulates Circadian Rhythm – Sleep

Sunlight helps to maintain the circadian rhythm through the regulation of the release of hormones in the brain. How does this work? Some hormones, are released in the presence of sunlight and helps the body understand it is day and time to carry out some activities. Other hormones are released in the absence of sunlight, which triggers other specific metabolic activities in the body. This process helps maintain a regular pattern in the body, which aligns with that of nature as a whole. Serotonin and melatonin are examples of day and night time hormones, and helps us to sleep.

Immunity

Appropriate exposure to sunlight can also help boost the immunity of the body through adequate production of vitamin D by the skin. Recent research has shown that vitamin D does in fact boost the body’s immune system and in the appropriate amounts, reduces the susceptibility of the body to autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases are diseases in which the body’s immune system begins to attack healthy cells and destroying them. In a research, people who had adequate exposure to sunlight were discovered to be less susceptible to flu as opposed to people who didn’t receive adequate exposure.

Cancer

While excess amount of sunlight has been discovered to be a cause of some kinds of cancer, sunlight in the right amount can actually help prevent cancer. Sunlight helps the skin to produce more melanocytes or melanin which gives a tan to the skin, making it a bit darker. Melanin helps protect the skin against the dangerous type of UV rays that cause cancer.

Sunlight increases the use of oxygen in the tissues that stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies. Cancer cannot grow in a high oxygen environment, but the oxygen in the blood must be able to get directly to the cells. This mechanism is obstructed by the high fat diet that causes thickening of the blood and plaque build-up inside the arteries…Sunlight lowers blood pressure and there is an association between elevated blood pressure and cancer…”

Dr. Lorraine Day, MD

Final Thoughts

Sunlight is one of the 8 Natural Laws of Healthy Living that has been available to man since the beginning of time. In fact, sunlight was so important that it was the first natural resource that God called into existence. The far reaching benefits of sunlight impact nature and man alike. Yet, we only had time to share a few in this article.

Man was created to bask in the beauty and warmth of the sunlight for a healthy lifestyle. A minimum of fifteen to twenty minutes should be spent under the sun daily, preferably in the morning before 10 AM and evenings after 4 PM, when the sun is warm and not scorching hot to prevent burns. Remember to get the full benefits of sunlight, temperance is key in balance to healthy living.