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You’ll Be Amused To Find Out What Is The Secret Weapon For Optimal Health!
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Have you ever noticed that during the long, cold winter months your mood changes? Week after week of grey, overcast skies leads to lower energy and even feelings of sadness and apathy. There’s a reason for that: our bodies crave sunlight for health. We are evolved to absorb sunlight for a variety of health reasons, and when we do not get enough, our bodies simply don’t function properly.
So many people in the modern, industrialized world spend all their waking hours indoors- watching TV, shopping, or sitting in climate-controlled offices. Regardless of what they are occupying their time with, the effect is the same: insufficient sunlight. You cannot get the amount you need in the 10 seconds it takes you to walk from your front door to the car. In this article, we will explore benefits of sunlight to see why it is so important for maintaining good health, find out the lesser known pros of the sun exposure, and tell you how you can use this information to turn your baseline levels of energy and vibrancy in the right direction.
How Sunlight Affects Your Health
Sunlight gives you vitamin D, and this is the cornerstone of most of the health benefits associated with sunlight exposure. Vitamin D is a somewhat misleading name, as it is technically speaking a hormone which is naturally synthesized (produced) by your body when sunlight hits your skin. Vitamin D plays a role in maintaining overall health and wellbeing, and in the regulation of some 2,000 different genes in the human genome.
Not getting enough sunlight is a contributing factor in a variety of health problems and outright illnesses. These include physical conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis and more. There is also evidence suggesting the vitamin D deficiency is linked to an increased risk of various forms of cancer, including cancer in the breasts, ovaries, colon, prostate, and more.
The psychological component of not getting enough sunlight also important. Vitamin D plays a role in neurochemistry and hormone levels as well, and deficiency is linked to lack of energy and an increased risk of depression. There is even a seasonal form of depression called seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which is directly linked to the reduction of sunlight hours in winter months.
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