Sunshine year round is beneficial, but we can overlook the health benefits of getting out in the sunshine during the winter months. Here’s a few health facts about allowing yourself a little northern exposure that might surprise you.
This weekend ushers in daylight savings time across the US. It’s the time of year when many people turn their activities indoors due to colder temperatures and shorter days.
Around mid-autumn, when the warm days begin to taper off, a large part of number of us start limiting our out-of-doors activities — often times it happens so gradually, we fail to notice how much less time we are actually spending outside. As early autumn inches into winter, our natural instincts of hibernation dormancy kick’s in. Where heavier foods start to replace healthier salads and grilling on the barbeque, television will takes the place of running, hiking and swimming. With less activity, the pounds may begin to pile on.
Our moods change too. The Mayo Clinic reports that “reduced level of sunlight in fall and winter may cause winter-onset SAD. This decrease in sunlight may disrupt your body’s internal clock and lead to feelings of depression and effect serotonin levels. A drop in serotonin, the brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that affects mood, might play a role.”
It all happens so naturally and gradually it seems that many of us fail to notice until our jeans get tight and our complexion begins to pale-at which point you may simply hide the scale away till Spring comes again. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Winter sunlight is just as, if not more important, to be out in, and once you establish a winter outdoor exercise routine, you can make it through the colder seasons with a spring in your step, without gaining a pound. But there are a few more health benefits to keeping fit under the winter sun than just weight loss, here are just a few of them.
Vitamin D. The sunshine provides us with 90% of our vitamin D, which helps protect against disease and slows the ageing process. Just 10–15 minutes a day in the sun, even in winter is enough, which is also less than the time it takes to burn. As in the summer months, even when the sun is obscured by cloud which happens more in winter, we are absorbing the sunlight, and UV rays.
The American Cancer Society recommends covering up in the winter, which is actually easier to do when you expose yourself to the sun for a prolonged period of time. UV rays can be just as harmful to wearing +30 and up sun creams is advised to avoid sunburn and skin cancer.
Healthier weight. According to Healthline, “researchers at Edinburgh and Southampton Universities recently found that exposure to UV rays helped release nitric oxide, a protein which slows the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes.”
Making the most of the daytime hours during autumn and winter by staying active goes a long way to carrying on good health through the darker seasons. Just 30 minutes of exercise a day reduces our risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and keep your heart and blood flow happy.* Additional benefits include:
- Weight loss
- Reduce stress
- Mood boost
- Increased energy
- Improved memory
- Increased productivity
- Rise in creativity
Lower blood pressure. High blood pressure is a major problem in the US. According to the CDC, nearly half of adults in the United States (108 million, or 45%) have hypertension defined as a systolic blood pressure.
Increased exposure to UV rays, especially during the winter months could help. According to a study by the University of Edinburgh, results showed that blood pressure levels dropped significantly for one hour after being exposed to rays for two 20-minute sessions.
Better mood. The antidepressant effects of vitamin D through sun exposure have been widely studied. Low levels of vitamin D may impair cognitive function because the vitamin D receptors in areas of the brain that are responsible for mood and behavior.
Vitamin D has a profound effect on our mood and deficiencies can lead to depression, weight gain, increased anxiety and affect bone growth.
The development of depression is likely to increase if the receptors are not being met with adequate amounts of circulating D in the blood stream.
Improved sleep. Have you ever noticed just going outside in the sunshine in the morning can wake you up? “According to a Health US News report, going out for 15 minutes every day, preferably in the morning, helps shut off the body’s melatonin production, the hormone that makes you drowsy at night.”
The opposite effect is likely true as exposure to vitamin D will help your body clock recognize that it’s time to produce it again when it gets dark outside.
This kind of regular northern exposure to the waning sunlight in the winter months keeps our ancient circadian clocks ticking normally too, which affects nearly every system in our bodies. When our inner clock is running slow, immediate effects can present as extreme fatigue, anxiety and in some cases severe depression and illness.
Immune boost. Vitamin D from sunshine also is a powerful foot-soldier in the fight against disease. Studies show Vitamin D is one of the most important immune system-strengthening nutrients, reducing the risk of colds and flu.
As reported in Pharmacy Times, “There are Vitamin D receptors and activating enzymes on the surfaces of all White Blood Cells. The role that vitamin D plays in keeping the immune system healthy is very complex because the immune system has to be perfectly balanced. If there is too much stimulation, autoimmune diseases can set in. If there is not enough immune system activity, frequent infections can occur.
Low levels of vitamin D have been linked with both extremes, and low levels of vitamin D have been associated with worsening autoimmune diseases. Low levels of vitamin D are not the underlying cause of the autoimmune disease, but low levels of vitamin D can make autoimmune disease states worse.”
Also, laboratory studies show that vitamin D can reduce cancer cell growth, help control infections and reduce inflammation.
In addition to its primary benefits, research suggests that vitamin D may also play a role in:
- reducing your risk of multiple sclerosis, according to a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
- decreasing your chance of developing heart disease, according to 2008 findings published in CirculationTrusted Source
- helping to reduce your likelihood of developing the flu, ac
Credits: 9 Benefits of 30 mins of Exercise Per Day. Apr 11, 2016 , Genesisfitness.com.au; https://www.skincancer.org/press/2018-winter-sun-safety/; https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/benefits-vitamin-d; https://www.insider.com/vitamin-d-depression;https://www.pharmacytimes.com/news/vitamin-d-helps-the-immune-system-during-cold-and-flu-season
