Soak Up Summer Vitamin D: 6 Health Benefits

Soak Up That Summer Vitamin D: 6 Health Benefits

Take advantage of the summer sun and soak up the natural vitamin D! Did you know that sunshine has been scientifically linked to a host of health benefits?

Our bodies need vitamin D. It’s essential in helping our bodies absorb calcium from the intestines, which is vital for bone health and strength. The visible light of the sun and the vitamin D our bodies make when our skin is exposed to the sun are responsible for the health benefits we receive.

Here are six great reasons to get out into the summer sun:

1. Improves Sleep

Find yourself tossing and turning at night? Vitamin D can help. Your body creates a hormone called melatonin, which is critical to helping you sleep. Once darkness sets in, our bodies begin producing melatonin and we begin to feel sleepy.

Scientific research by organizations like the National Institutes of Health has shown that when you get an hour of natural light in the morning you sleep better. Sunshine regulates our circadian rhythm, telling our bodies when to increase and decrease melatonin levels. When our bodies take in more daylight exposure, the better they produce melatonin when it’s time to go to sleep.

Melatonin also helps to lower stress. Spending time outside naturally helps our bodies to regulate melatonin, which can help lower your stress level.

2. Maintains Strong Bones

Spending time outside is the best and easiest way to get your vitamin D. Our bodies produce vitamin D when they’re exposed to sunlight. About 15 minutes a day of sun exposure is adequate to reap the benefits. Vitamin D helps your body absorb phosphate and calcium, helping to prevent brittle, thin, and misshapen bones. Vitamin D deficiency contributes to osteoporosis.

3. Helps Keep Your Weight Down

There may be a correlation between early morning sunlight and weight loss. Getting outside for 30 minutes a day between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and noon has been linked to weight loss. A 2020 study in mice suggested that sunlight helps decrease the risk of developing metabolic syndrome, including excess body fat, high blood pressure, and elevated blood sugar.

4. Strengthens Your Immune System

Vitamin D is critical for our immune system. It has both anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties. Consistent exposure to the sun helps strengthen our immune systems, reducing the risk of illness, infections, and even cancer.

Specifically, vitamin D enhances the function of the immune cells, including T cells and macrophages, which protect your body against pathogens. Maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D is essential for our overall immune health.

5. Fights Depression

Scientists agree that sun exposure improves your mood. Sunshine boosts your body’s level of serotonin, the chemical that improves mood and helps you to stay calm and focused.

Increased exposure to natural light has been shown to help ease the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (a change in mood that typically occurs in the fall and winter months when there are fewer hours of daylight.) A 2020 review suggests people have a higher risk of depression if they have low vitamin D levels.

6. Extends Life Expectancy

Soaking up the sun and vitamin D could help you live longer. A study of 30,000 Swedish women over 20 years revealed that those who spent more time in the sun lived up to two years longer than those with less sun exposure.

So go ahead and take advantage of the summer sun and expose your body to some healing rays every day. The vitamin D will be beneficial to your mind and body.

Related: 7 Life Hacks for Healthy Summer – Stevita Naturals