Daylight Saving has begun – a good time to remember how important sunlight is for our health and happiness.
Exposure to sunshine raises our serotonin level, which improves mood, lifts depression and makes us more alert. Sunlight, especially morning sun, improves melatonin regulation, leading to better sleep at night. And the Vitamin D that we get from sunshine helps build strong bones, preventing rickets and osteoporosis. Vitamin D also regulates genes associated with virtually all our body tissues and is essential for immune system functioning.
Sunlight has been shown to help prevent various cancers and to protect against type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Sunlight reduces blood pressure, increases relaxation and reduces pain. It helps heal wounds and skin conditions such as psoriasis, acne and eczema.
We can be forgiven for forgetting the benefits of sunlight, since we’re constantly warned about its dangers. Over-exposure causes sunburn, which can lead to skin cancers later in life. But we don’t need scientists to tell us that sunburn is bad (it hurts!) and that sunny weather makes us feel good. Nature has designed us to know instinctively what is good for us. It’s only when we become disconnected from nature that we find ourselves substituting the artificial light of a screen for the real thing.
It’s no wonder that the sun has been worshipped in many cultures. It provides virtually all our energy, all the food we eat and the fresh water that we drink. We owe our lives to this wonderful source of light, the radiant star at the centre of our solar system.
Stephanie Hills ©