From improving mood to sleep: Here’s why natural sunlight is crucial for you

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Dr Bhavsar mentioned how vitamin D is “not actually a vitamin”.

“It’s an immune and energy-boosting hormone which has a profound effect on our health,” she said.

Here’s what to know about the sun’s rays and our health

According to Dr Bhavsar, different light wavelengths (colours) are present at different times of the day and impact us differently. Every wavelength has a different therapeutic benefit.

*UVA exposure, for example, increases nitric oxide which is a vasodilator, which improves blood flow, improves oxygenation, lowering respiratory rate, lowering blood glucose levels.

*The red visible spectrum which is always present during the day touches on mitochondria function which increases energy and overall health.

*From natural light, we also make the neurotransmitters serotonin, melatonin and dopamine which are critical for mental health including reducing anxiety, depression etc.

*Blue light stimulates us and keeps us awake. It also helps with seasonal affective disorder and depression due to its hormone-producing capabilities.

*Being outdoors has shown to improve our sleep quality and fine-tune our daily circadian rhythm too, as we make melatonin (our sleep hormone) from daylight, then excrete melatonin after an absence of blue light for 2+ hours (which is why blue blocking glasses are so important after sunset).

“I’m not advising to recklessly go overboard with direct sunlight and start burning. Tweak your day, be mindful to get more natural light (not just direct sunlight), like training outside instead of in the gym,” she said.

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