Sunlight and Mental Health
Did you know that exposure to morning sunlight can be beneficial to your overall health and wellbeing?
Globally, 1 billion people are suffering from mental health issues (The Lancet Global Health, 2020).
Over the last few decades, many people have made it a point to completely avoid or significantly reduce their sun exposure due to potential health concerns. Interestingly, according to the 2006 World Health Organization (WHO) report on the Global Burden of Disease, ultraviolet ray exposure only accounts for 0.1% of the total global burden of disease in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
Ultraviolet Light and Positive Health Outcomes
Exposure to the sun is associated with positive health outcomes. Higher levels of vitamin D are associated with a reduction in mental and physical health symptoms, including protection against cancer development such as melanoma (Raymond-Lezman & Riskin, 2023; Wang et al., 2023). Additionally, vitamin D has been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers, improve cognitive health, reduce bone disease, as well as reduce the risk of multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, and psoriasis (Vitamin D, 2024).
Mead (2008) found that at least 1,000 different genes governing every tissue in the body are now thought to be regulated the active form of Vitamin D. This includes several genes that are involved in calcium metabolism and neuromuscular and immune system functioning.
Is Avoiding the Sun Worth the Risk to our Mental and Health?
Exposure to morning sunlight has been shown to increase the body’s ability to boost vitamin D levels (Mead, 2008) and release of serotonin in the brain (Sansone & Sansone, 2013). Both of which are incredibly important if we want to maintain optimal mental and physical health.
What is Serotonin?
Serotonin is associated with boosting mood and helping a person feel calm and focused. At night, darker lighting triggers the brain to make another hormone called melatonin. This hormone is responsible for helping you sleep. For decades, we have known the importance of deep quality sleep on our mental health.
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that is characterized by a seasonal pattern, with symptoms typically increasing during the winter months. Interestingly, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) has been shown to affect women four times more than men (Rosenthal & Wehr, 1987)
Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder and Depression can include:
Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood
Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
Feelings of irritability, frustration, or restlessness
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities
Decreased energy, fatigue, or feeling slowed down
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
Changes in sleep or appetite or unplanned weight changes
Somatic (Physical) aches or pains, such as headaches, digestive issues
Thoughts of death or suicide or suicide attempts
Sleeping more than usual
Overeating and/or craving for carbohydrates
Social withdrawal (feeling like “hibernating”)
In short, humans need nutritious food, clean water and sunlight. It is important that we prioritize giving our bodies what they need so that we can thrive instead of just survive.
Here at Well Mind Body we know that mental health and physical health are linked. Getting enough sunlight can be so helpful to our mental and physical health. The best part is that getting outside is completely free!
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, anxiety or other mental health symptoms, please reach out. We are happy to help you.
Thank you for being here!
Dr. E
References:
Birulés, J., Bosch, L., Pons, F., & Lewkowicz, D. J. (2020). Highly proficient L2 speakers still need to attend to a talker’s mouth when processing L2 speech. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 35(10), 1314–1325. https://doi.org/10.1080/23273798.2020.1762905
Mead, M. N. (2008). Benefits of Sunlight: A Bright Spot for Human Health. Environmental Health Perspectives, 116(4). https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.116-a160
Raymond-Lezman, J. R., & Riskin, S. I. (2023). Benefits and Risks of Sun Exposure to Maintain Adequate Vitamin D Levels. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.38578
Rosenthal, N. E., & Wehr, T. A. (1987). Seasonal Affective Disorders. Psychiatric Annals, 17(10), 670–674. https://doi.org/10.3928/0048-5713-19871001-10
Sansone, R. A., & Sansone, L. A. (2013). Sunshine, serotonin, and skin: A partial explanation for seasonal patterns in psychopathology? Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, 10(7–8), 20–24.
The Lancet Global Health. (2020). Mental health matters. The Lancet Global Health, 8(11), e1352. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30432-0
Vitamin D. (2024). Mayo Clinic. Vitamin D has been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers, improve cognitive health, reduce bone disease, reduce the risk of multiple sclerosis treat, osteomalacia and osteoporosis, as well as reduce the risk of psoriasis and rickets
Wang, J., Wei, Z., Yao, N., Li, C., & Sun, L. (2023). Association Between Sunlight Exposure and Mental Health: Evidence from a Special Population Without Sunlight in Work. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, Volume 16, 1049–1057. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S420018
