Sunbathe to Boost Health and Fight Diseases
Sunlight is one of the most critical factors for human growth and health, as it governs our physiological and psychological functions through our day-night cycle
So how can we safely harness the benefits of sunlight? Which diseases can it treat?
The Benefits of Sunlight
1. Improves Cognitive Function
Natural light can boost one’s mood and increase cognitive function. Alzheimer’s disease patients also experience significant improvements in cognitive function, life skills, mood, and irritability when exposed to full natural sunlight.
A 2008 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that light has particular benefits in improving specific cognitive and noncognitive symptoms of dementia.
Another study published in Clinical Interventions in Aging in 2018 showed that long-term exposure to strong sunlight positively correlates with better cognitive function.
2. Reduces Depression
Light has a significant impact on emotions. A study published in Translational Psychiatry in 2023 found that spending an average of 1.5 hours outdoors exposed to light is associated with a lower risk of depression.
Another study showed that among depressed patients living in different wards, those exposed to direct morning sunlight had significantly shorter hospital stays than those exposed to direct evening sunlight.
3. Helps Regulate Sleep
Many people feel anxious when they cannot fall asleep at night. Whether we sleep well or not at night is determined by how much natural sunlight we receive during the day.
When we receive sunlight during the day, our body inhibits melatonin production. When the light dims at night, melatonin secretion increases, promoting sleep. Adequate sunlight makes the brain more sensitive to dimness, meaning that the more sunlight we receive during the day, the better our brain’s ability to produce melatonin at night and thus improve our sleep quality.
Therefore, people with insomnia should not only focus on what they can do at night to fall asleep but also enjoy sufficient sunlight during the day and bathe in it as much as possible.
4. Boosts Immunity
Sunlight produces vitamin D in our bodies, which regulates brain, bone, cardiovascular, and immune system functions.
Vitamin D is not only a vitamin but also crucial for calcium absorption and phosphorus metabolism in bones. It is also a hormone that regulates body functions through vitamin D receptors.
However, it is difficult to obtain vitamin D from food. Even if we consume foods rich in vitamin D, we can absorb very little. The primary source of vitamin D is sunlight.
When sunlight shines on our skin, it converts cholesterol on our skin into vitamin D precursors. Vitamin D is then produced inside cells and metabolized in the liver before being activated in the kidneys.
This active form of vitamin D regulates various cells in our body. For example, combined with immune cells, it can regulate immune function and reduce excessive inflammatory responses in COVID-19 patients. Research has found that a lack of vitamin D is associated with higher rates of COVID-19 infection, severity, and mortality.
Most importantly, it can evade immunity from past infections and vaccines. Therefore, the body’s immune function becomes even more essential, and vitamin D is one of the most crucial protective factors.
Keep your body healthy and prevent infections by getting enough sunlight.
Adequate exposure to sunlight can also reduce the occurrence of many other diseases. Studies have found that people accustomed to receiving sunlight have a lower risk of all-cause mortality than those who avoid sunlight.
Other chronic diseases, such as diabetes and autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases, can also be warded against by supplementing vitamin D through sunbathing.
Best Time to Sunbathe
People with darker or thinner skin will have less vitamin D converted through sunlight. In some places, the ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight may not be strong enough, which can also reduce the conversion of vitamin D.
The best time to sunbathe is between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. when the sunlight is strong enough to produce more vitamin D3 in the body. Do not apply sunscreen when sunbathing; limit exposure to 15 minutes for best results. However, be careful not to get sunburned.
Parts of the Body That Benefit From Sunbathing
From a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) perspective, sunlight is nature’s yang energy. The human body is an energy system, and its meridian system serves as a pathway for energy circulation that transports qi and blood throughout the body.
These are essential substances that make up and maintain human life. There are 12 main meridians in the body corresponding to 12 organs connected to the body’s surface through the meridians. Particular points on the meridians are called acupoints, which correspond to various body parts.
TCM has specific guidelines for sun exposure. For example, exposing the top of your head can stimulate the Hundred Convergences (GV 20) acupoint located at the center of your head, which is part of the yang meridian.
This can help replenish your body’s yang energy. Exposing your back can stimulate your bladder and Du channel (governing vessel) meridian, which belongs to yang meridians. These meridians require support from yang energy and can regulate qi and blood flow.
Exposing your forearms, hands, lower legs, and feet to the sun is essential. This will help regulate qi and blood flow and improve the function of corresponding organs through important acupoints.
Exposing your palms can also stimulate the meridian corresponding to your heart, which governs mental health.
Getting enough sun exposure during the day will replenish energy and calm the mind at night.
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Header image: Healthline
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