Benefits of Sunlight for Treating Various Conditions

By Shanaya Maryam on December 23, 2021

Benefits of Sunlight

The following are the benefits of soaking in the sun which includes:

Sunlight and serotonin

We’re always hearing about how too much of the sun’s rays can be dangerous to your skin. But do you know the right balance of sunlight can have lots of mood-lifting benefits.

Sunlight and darkness are trigger factors which release hormones in your brain. Exposing yourself to sunlight increases the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin which is associated with boosting mood and helping a person feel calm and focused. And during night time darker lighting triggers the brain to make a hormone called melatonin. This hormone helps to induce sleep.

Benefits of Sunlight

Without sun exposure, your serotonin levels can decrease. Lower levels of serotonin are associated with a risk of major depression with seasonal patterns. This is a type of depression which occurs due to the changing seasons.

A boost in the mood isn’t the only reason to increase the amount of sunlight. There are many other health benefits associated with catching moderate amounts of rays.

Sunlight and mental health

Decreasing the sun exposure has been associated with a dip in your serotonin levels, then it can lead to major depression with seasonal patterns of depression. The light-induced effects of serotonin create sunlight that goes in through the eye. Sunlight cues special areas in the retina of the eye, which affects the release of serotonin. So, you’re likely to experience this type of depression during winter time, when the days become shorter.

Due to this connection, one of the major treatments for depression with seasonal patterns is light therapy, which is also known as phototherapy. You can have a light therapy box at home. The light from the box imitates natural sunlight that stimulates the brain to make serotonin and reduces excess production of melatonin.

Exposure to sunlight can also benefits the patients with:

other types of major depression
premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
pregnant people with depression
Panic attacks and Anxiety-related disorders are linked with changing seasons and reduced sunlight.

Additional sunlight benefits

The sun’s rays’ benefits go beyond fighting stress. The following are some reasons to catch some rays:

Building strong and healthy bones

Exposure to the UV-B radiation of the sun causes a person’s skin to create vitamin D. According to a study from 2008, in a half an hour period while wearing a swimsuit, people were making the following vitamin D levels:

50,000 IUs in most Caucasian people
20,000-30,000 IUs in tanned people
8,000-10,000 IUs in dark skinned people
Vitamin D is made thanks to the sun because it plays a big role in bone health. Low vitamin D levels are linked to rickets in children and bone-wasting diseases like osteomalacia and osteoporosis.

Cancer prevention

Although higher exposure of sunlight can contribute to skin cancers, a moderate amount of sunlight actually has preventive benefits when it comes to cancer.

According to researchers, those who live in areas with less hours in the daylight are more likely to have some specific cancers than those who live where near more sun during the day. These cancers include:

colon cancer
Hodgkin’s lymphoma
ovarian cancer
pancreatic cancer
prostate cancer
Healing skin conditions

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sun exposure might help treat several skin conditions, too. Doctors recommends some amount of UV radiation exposure to treat:

psoriasis
eczema
jaundice
acne
While light therapy isn’t ideal for everyone, a dermatologist can recommend whether light treatments will benefit your specific concerns of the skin.

Additional conditions

Research studies have also reveals links between sunlight as a potential treatment for several other conditions. These include:

rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
systemic lupus erythematosus
inflammatory bowel disease
thyroiditis

However, more studies are needed to be conducted before researchers can conclude that sunlight can be a treatment for the above mentioned and other conditions.