18 Ways Sunlight Can Benefit Your Health

Posted On April 26, 2024

He is the supreme source of heat, light and energy for all the earthlings.
In his presence there is light and joy, he adds colour to life.
In his absence, everything seems dull and dark.
Seeing him, our eyes close and the head bows down, humbled by his godly existence.
He is accessible to everyone yet conquerable to none.
The Sun.

Exposure to sunlight has several benefits for our overall health. It uplifts our mood, it’s good for the heart, it promotes brain function, it boosts the digestive system, it helps maintain bone and muscle health, it’s good for the eyes, and it helps build immunity. Here we give you 18 ways in which the sunlight can benefit your health and well-being.

18 Wonderful Benefits of Sunlight

Sunlight provides us with vitamin D, which promotes bone and muscle health, helps in regulating blood pressure and blood sugar levels, boosts the immune system and helps maintain brain health.
Letting more sunlight into your house is helpful in killing the bacteria that reside in the dust indoors. Surfaces exposed to sunlight have lesser bacteria. Thus, sunlight is an effective disinfectant.
The infrared rays from the sun are a source of antioxidants, and can help relieve pain in the body. They are mostly found in the early morning sunrays or late evening sunrays. Get exposure to the sun during one of these times of the day. It will help you get relief from complaints like neck or back pain or pain in the elbows or legs.
Sunlight helps in the activation of vitamin D receptors in the muscle cells, which in turn promotes muscle strength.
Among the other benefits of sunlight is that sun exposure can help in getting relief from osteoporosis.
Blue wavelengths of light present in the sunrays are good for eye health. They boost the generation of dopamine, which shields us against myopia and other eye problems. Since sun exposure helps in the regulation of sleep patterns, it prevents eye strain.
Benefits of sunlight for the hair include promotion of hair growth and reduction in hair loss, as vitamin D from the sun helps in the generation of new hair follicles.
Sunlight helps in relieving the symptoms of eczema and can be useful in treating skin conditions like acne and psoriasis.
Sun exposure serves as a good treatment for jaundice, a skin condition that affects newborns. In this condition, there is excess bilirubin in the blood which turns the baby’s skin yellow. Exposing the baby to filtered sunlight reduces bilirubin levels and helps relieve jaundice in them.
Those with conditions like Alzheimer’s, dementia and Parkinson’s can get some relief from exposure to early morning sunlight. These individuals tend to feel more agitated in the absence of sunlight, due to low levels of melatonin in their body. Sun exposure can lower these symptoms in the patients.
Sunlight helps fight seasonal affective disorder, whereby individuals experience a low feeling (or depression) during autumn and winter due to a chemical change in the brain caused by less sunlight and shorter days during this time of the year. A 30-minute exposure to the early morning sun can be helpful to fight the winter blues.
Sun exposure promotes the release of serotonin, which is a happy hormone. This hormone not only creates a positive feeling in us, but also regulates our hunger and helps in better digestion.
According to a research, sun exposure can serve as a protective shield against multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes and many types of cancer.
The vitamin D in sunlight is good for immunity. The early morning sunrays play an important role in boosting our immune system.
Seeing the early morning sun increases activity and alertness. The morning sunrays help tune our internal clock to the nature’s rhythm which in turn helps us harmonize with nature.
Exposure to sunlight boosts the release of serotonin, which plays a vital role in creating feelings of happiness and satisfaction. It helps in fighting off depression.
Spending 20-30 minutes in the early morning sunlight helps in reducing body fat and thus helps in weight loss.
What are the benefits of sunlight during pregnancy? Sun exposure during pregnancy can benefit the woman as well as her baby. It can help in good bone development of the baby and reduce risk of preterm birth. Absorption of vitamin D leads to better immunity, mood regulation and lesser body ache in the woman. However, pregnant women should not spend a long time in the sun to avoid the risks of ultraviolet radiation and excess heat from the sun.

Thus, you can see that an adequate exposure to sunlight benefits the hair, skin, and eyes. Sunlight is good for the proper functioning of organ systems including the brain, heart, digestive system and immune system.

Sun exposure plays a major role in uplifting the mood and keeping negative feelings at bay, and serves as the ultimate mood lifter for kids and adults alike. It is advisable to soak in the sun for 10 to 30 minutes daily, and overexposure can strain the eyes and harm the hair and skin.

Embracing the early morning sun is ideal in order to reap the maximum health benefits of sunlight. So, rise before the sun comes out and greet its golden rays into your ‘space’. They will detoxify your mind and body and rejuvenate your soul.