The sun’s rays may be a gift or a curse, depending on how much hits your skin. So, knowing how much sunlight people need daily gives you a good idea of the fine line between too little and too much sun exposure.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D has numerous positive effects on health, and it wouldn’t be possible without the help of sunlight. Mineralization and calcium absorption are both aided by vitamin D, which gives bones strength and rigidity. Many people inaccurately believe that vitamin D is attainable via exposure to sunshine. In actuality, the sun’s UV radiation is how the body manufactures the chemical.
Fighting Seasonal Affective Disorder
As exposure to sunshine promotes serotonin release, the hypothalamus generates less serotonin in the winter when less sunlight is accessible. A condition like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) may develop due to this heightened susceptibility to sadness and anxiety.
SAD is a type of depression that often strikes in the autumn and winter. More daylight in the spring and summer seems to alleviate depressive symptoms for those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder. SAD lights are helpful to combat these feelings and overcome the symptoms that could afflict you.
How Sun Affects Our Sleeping Patterns
Sunlight is critical in setting our circadian rhythms. This internal clock determines our sleep, waking, and eating schedules.
When someone’s circadian rhythm goes out of whack, they must re-synchronize with variations in light levels via daily entrainment. This may happen while transitioning to a new time zone or when the seasons change. Ultimately, getting enough natural light throughout the daytime might help your body and mind prepare for sleep when nighttime rolls around.
Drawbacks of Too Much Sun
As wonderful as the sun is for our well-being, too much of it can negatively influence our health. Overexposure to sunlight has adverse health effects. A sunburn of any severity is damage to the skin. Too much sun exposure may lead to skin problems such as hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and sunspots.
These issues go beyond mere aesthetics, considering skin cancer is the most frequent type of cancer in the U.S. This is why, no matter how brief your sun exposure is, you should always take the precaution of using sunscreen.
15-30 Minutes a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
The skin generates negligible vitamin D levels throughout the autumn, winter, and spring in most of the United States, basically any place north of Arizona.
Many individuals may get enough vitamin D from the sun in only 10 to 15 minutes a day. Variations in skin tone, altitude, age, seasonality, and proximity to the equator contribute to a broad range of needs for certain people. For example, your body might want you to be outside 10 times as long in the winter than in the summer because it craves exposure.
However, if any or all of those parameters work against you, taking vitamin D supplements may be your best action. But it’s vital you do not consume too many vitamin D supplements, or else hypervitaminosis D could occur, leading to cardiac and renal issues.
The answer to how much sunlight people need daily doesn’t have a concrete answer, but generally, 15-30 minutes a day does your body good. With the lighting options from Stylighting, you can simulate sunlight’s effect with quality LED lighting, helping you overcome any fall or winter blues.