Fascinating new research suggests spending more time in the sun won’t just brighten your mood, but might also help you avoid serious diseases.
What happens when you spend lots of time outside bathing in the sun’s rays each day? Ask the average person on the street and they’ll tell you that you’ll get a tan (or if you forget the sunblock, a burn). Maybe you’ll get warm. You could feel a little more awake.
But someone familiar with the latest science of spending time in sunlight exposure will offer you a very different — and far more impressive — list of benefits.
The classic case for spending more time outdoors
Researchers and neuroscientists have long urged deskbound entrepreneurs to close their laptops and get outside more, citing a variety of reasons. Early morning sun in particular helps regulate your body’s internal circadian rhythm. That helps you sleep better and feel more awake during the day.
Plus, spending time in nature in general (whether on a cloudy or sunny day) seems to have a whole host of health benefits, including stress reduction and faster healing. Moving around for a stroll or hike is clearly good for your mental and physical health whatever the weather.
Which is already a pretty strong case to make sure you step outside and catch some sun each day. But new research is uncovering even more compelling reasons to open the door and soak in some rays.
Sunlight makes you happier
The whole idea behind beach vacations is that sunning yourself on the seaside will increase your happiness. The surf, the relaxation, the blue skies, and perhaps a nice tropical drink with a mini umbrella all combine to help you chill out and forget your worries.
But how much of the positive mental health effects of your time in a lounge chair is actually down to the sun? Will just sunning yourself on your front porch give you some of the same benefits? And if so, how much?
To begin to answer these questions, a group of researchers recently analyzed a massive data set from China that included repeated interviews with nearly 30,000 people about their mental health over an eight-year period. By combining the results with weather data at the place and time of each interview, the scientists could analyse the effects of the weather on people’s assessment of their overall life satisfaction.
The results confirm common sense. Life does indeed look a little brighter when the sun shines.
“After adjusting for a wide range of factors—including air pollution, temperature, precipitation, wind speed, humidity, income, age, education, and health—the researchers found a small but consistent association between sunshine and life satisfaction,” reports PsyPost.
Those interviewed on sunny days declared themselves happier with their lives. Those who spoke to the scientists on cloudy days expressed more dissatisfaction.
Sun exposure can be medicine
It’s good to have common sense confirmed in this way. But few will be shocked to learn that life looks a little brighter when the sun shines. You may be surprised, however, to learn about what the latest science says about the sun’s possible health benefits.
New studies suggest that UV light, the highest energy part of sunlight, can calm the immune system and help treat serious diseases like multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and type 1 diabetes that are tied to an overactive immune response. Other much feared conditions like Alzheimer’s and cardiac disease seem to have a connection to the immune system too. UV light may also benefit those with these conditions, though it is early days for this research.
As a detailed Scientific American article notes, these findings explain a longstanding pattern noticed by doctors: “autoimmune and cardiovascular conditions follow a latitude gradient.” The further from the sunny equator you live, the more likely you are to suffer from autoimmune conditions.
Doctors long suspected that more sunlight meant more vitamin D, which explained this effect. But vitamin supplements don’t produce the same benefits at all, so that hypothesis turned out to be wrong. The sun is doing something else to keep us healthy. Scientists just don’t know exactly what yet.
Get more sun exposure — safely
One day doctors may come up with a pill that can mimic the positive effects of spending more time in the sun. But in the meantime entrepreneurs and other office workers might want to consider whether they’re getting enough sunlight.
You don’t want to burn, of course. Sunlight might be good for you in many ways, but too much of it increases your risk of skin cancer. Which is why health authorities in Australia have issued new, detailed guidance on how to balance the risks and rewards of getting more sun based on your skin tone and other risk factors for skin cancer.
So far U.S. authorities have stuck with a messaging that focuses exclusively on the risks of sun exposure. But as the Atlantic recently summed up, “we now know that many individuals at low risk of skin cancer could benefit from more sun exposure.”
Maybe it’s time to take a closer look at whether a little more time in the sun each day might make you healthier and happier.
This post originally appeared at Muara Digital Teamcom.
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