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Introduction: I saw an image on Facebook with a list of things that life gives us to boost our energy. This series of posts detail the benefits of getting these free gems into our life! We’ll start with SUNLIGHT! Getting direct sunlight for 10-30 minutes a day offers numerous energy boosting benefits.
Keep reading to the end for a little bonus.
Sunlight
If you get just the right dose of daily sunlight, you’re doing your health a solid. The first great thing is a miracle. Our skin manufactures Vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D helps bones, as my friend Dawn Holey from OsteoStrong will tell you. Good Rx also says that Vitamin D has these benefits:
Being exposed to sunlight enables your body to make vitamin D from cholesterol in your skin cells. Known as the “sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D benefits your health in many ways, including:
- Supporting your bone and muscle health
- Regulating your blood pressure
- Regulating your immune system
- Maintaining the health of your blood vessels
- Keeping your brain working well
- Regulating your blood sugar
Vitamin D also prevents ugly diseases like rickets.
But wait, there’s more! According to WebMD, sunlight helps boost serotonin, and that can give you more energy and help keep you calm, positive, and focused.
The WebMD article further states that sunlight helps regulate better sleep:
Better Sleep
Your eyes need light to help set your body’s internal clock. Early morning sunlight in particular seems to help people get to sleep at night. This may be more important as you age because your eyes are less able to take in light, and you’re more likely to have problems going to sleep.
We are fine-tuned to the sun in what’s known as circadian rhythm. People with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – depression-like symptoms during fall and winter – have to use artificial sources to mimic sunlight as a coping mechanism. For further information, see this article from University of Florida.
This seems universal, as people’s energy levels rise with the additional hours of daylight during summer.
Authoritative sources recommend getting 10-30 minutes daily of sunlight. Less if you’re fair skinned, and more if you have more melanin.
When is the best time to get exposure to the sun?
According to the National Institutes of Health, the best time may be between 10:00am and 1:00pm. This runs counter to the mainstream guidance. For more, see the abstract here.
Conclusion: Getting direct sunlight for 10-30 minutes a day between the hours of 10:00am and 1:00pm offers numerous energy boosting benefits. Sun exposure stimulates production of Vitamin D, promotes better sleep, and releases serotonin for an energy booster.
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What’s your favorite thing to do outdoors? Leave a comment.
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