Sunlight is one of the most important parts of living a healthy lifestyle. While many people suffer from depression, it is well know that some forms of depression can be linked to a lack of sunlight. For example: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) most commonly occurs during the winter months and that is associated with the cold, dark winter days. During the winter months, the days are shorter which means less sunlight as well as less going outside and that is part of the reason so many people suffer from SAD syndrome every year.
Getting lots of sunshine benefits your mood. When you are in the sun, your body reacts by releasing serotonin in your brain. This chemical reaction is what helps give us energy and boost our mood. Not spending enough time in the sun can cause your body to produce more melatonin than we would like; this makes us feel sleepy all the time. Having the proper levels of serotonin and melatonin are very important to living a happy and healthy life.
Vitamin D is another important part of getting enough sunlight for health benefits. When someone is Vitamin D deficient, they can feel down all the time and tend to get sick more often than they’d like. Having proper Vitamin D levels is something that the sun is very helpful with.
Overall, not getting enough sunlight can have some major effects on your body and mood. Getting outside and enjoying sunlight benefits your health, prevents winter depression, and will have a huge impact on your life.