Sunshine Part II: It’s Not Just OK to Expose Your Skin to Sunshine, it’s Essential

Did you know that most people do not obtain enough sunlight for optimal health?

In a previous post, I wrote about the benefits of watching the sunrise. In this post, let’s look at just a few of the many benefits of sunshine to our bodies as well as how to sunbathe responsibly.

The Many Benefits of Sunlight

Sunshine is the most natural and bioavailable source of Vitamin D

There is a reason Vitamin D is referred to as “the sunshine vitamin”. Sunlight is the most effective and bioavailable source of Vitamin D.

What about Supplements for Vitamin D?

You might be thinking, “But isn’t taking a Vitamin D supplement the same thing as getting Vitamin D from sunlight?”

No, it isn’t.

When doctors recommend a Vitamin D supplement, they often recommend Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). While D3 can be better than no supplementation for those who are deficient, the pill form isn’t as bioavailable as the Vitamin D that is produced by sunlight, meaning our bodies do not use it as effectively. Supplementation also bypasses Vitamin D metabolism, the conversion of 7-Dehydrocholesterol into cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) as a result of sun exposure.

Food Sources of Vitamin D

Next you might ask, “But, what about foods as a source of natural Vitamin D?” Like the Facebook status of old, It’s complicated.

As an example, fish provides a natural source of Vitamin D, with tuna being the fish with the highest amount of vitamin D. While one can of tuna provides around 4581IU of Vitamin D, you’d have to consume 2 ½ cans to get the same amount of Vitamin D that you’d get from a short session of sunbathing. And sunbathing doesn’t contain potentially harmful levels of mercury. While you can also find Vitamin D in dairy and other food sources, they are often fortified (meaning the Vitamin D is added), which is no different than supplementing.

So, it’s complicated.

Exposing your bare skin to sunshine is truly the most natural and effective way to get Vitamin D.

Sunlight Improves Energy and Combats Fatigue

Like my favorite doctor, Dr. Courtney Hunt, MD so eloquently says, “The light plays your DNA like a magical symphony.” Following a sunshine protocol is just one of Dr. Hunt’s strategies for achieving optimal health. You can learn more here. Sunlight plays a critical role for our cells in improving daily energy and combating fatigue. How efficiently your body’s cells function is due in large part to mitochondria, the energy powerhouse of our cells. Mitochondria rely on oxygen, nutrition, and sunlight to increase energy output. If any of these components are neglected, our energy levels plummet. Sunlight can boost your vitality, support your immune system, and help you feel younger.

Sunlight Can Decrease Cholesterol Levels & Help Our Bodies Synthesize Vitamin D Better

A recent study broke participants into two groups, one group that supplemented Vitamin D and the other group that was exposed to sunshine on their bare skin. Interestingly, the group that used sunshine for Vitamin D showed significant decrease in cholesterol levels while the group that supplemented showed an increase of cholesterol. Cholesterol functions as a precursor molecule in the synthesis of Vitamin D by way of sunshine exposure on your skin. Cholesterol is an essential building block for many systems in the body but that’s a topic for another post.

Sunlight Decreases the Risk of Some Cancers

Now let’s consider how exposure to sunlight can help our bodies ward off cancer. It goes back to the Vitamin D connection. Plentiful sunlight exposure helps the body produce Vitamin D, which in turn helps reduce the risk of certain cancers, including breast, prostate, colon, and lung cancers by way of regulating cancerous cell growth and inhibiting development of new blood vessels in cancerous tissue, reducing cell proliferation and metastases.

Sunlight Helps Support Good Mental Health

It can reduce the incidence of depression and anxiety in individuals by regulating the production of serotonin. In addition, exposure to sunlight can go a long way in reducing or preventing the occurrence of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a common mood disorder that occurs in the winter months in individuals who live in climates with seasonally reduced daylight hours.

How to Sunbathe Responsibly for Optimal Health

Sunbathing has gotten a bad reputation for its role in increasing skin cancer risk. But there are ways to bathe in the sun responsibly, let’s take a look.

Know How Long You Can Safely Be Out in the Sun

How long your sunbathing session should be depends on:

Where you are in the world (how powerful the sun is where you are)
Your skin type (fair, burns easily, tans easily, etc), known as the Fitzpatrick Scale
Your health status (if you have inflammation in the body then you are more likely to burn. Consider lifestyle steps to reduce inflammation before sunbathing, and start slowly and with the D Minder Pro app- more on that below!)

To make things SUPER easy, I highly recommend the Dminder app. Get it on Google Play or the Apple App Store. I’ll post a full tutorial on this app in a future post, but bottom line is the app will take out all the guesswork by tracking your time in the sun and your Vitamin D levels.

Don’t Use Sunscreen

I know, I know. Complete opposite of what we’ve all been taught, right? Hear me out. Responsible sunbathing to get all the benefits of the sun means allowing your bare skin to be in the sun for only the appropriate amount of time (recommended to you from the Dminder app, usually between 10 and 60 minutes) and then either get OUT of the sun or apply a safe, mineral based sunscreen (and reapply based on recommendations). This sunscreen and this one have been approved by the Environmental Working Group to be free of nasty chemicals.

(Choosing the right sunscreen is important. Not only do some sunscreens block your Vitamin D absorption, but they have been found to cause cancer, disrupt hormone regulation, cause fertility issues and irritate the skin!).

Don’t Lounge About in the Sun

Once you have reached the appropriate time to get sunshine’s benefits, get out of the sun. Alternatively, if you are going to stay in the sun opt for healthier mineral based sunscreens like those I referenced above that are safe for the body AND for ocean life.

Keep Sensitive Areas Covered

While exposing as much bare skin as possible increases the absorption, I make it a habit of always covering my face and décolleté from sun exposure. This is the most sensitive area and sun exposure can result in visible signs of aging. And what I mean by “covering” is not slathering on chemical laden sunscreens but using a large, brimmed sun hat that shades the skin and completely blocks the sun.

Don’t Shower Right After Sunbathing

Hold off on showering for several hours post sunbathing so that the exposed skin oils can fully absorb into the body. This allows for 7-dehydrocholesterol, the precursor for activated Vitamin D, to be synthesized into Vitamin D.

Use Common Sense and Remember the Goal

Remember that it's always best to air on the side of caution as the goal is to get enough UVA/UVB exposure to get the Vitamin D but not so much that it burns the skin.

*Not all medical doctors recommend sunbathing. Speak with your health practitioners before you try it to discuss the benefits and risks. As with all health practices, you must decide what is best for your body. Fortunately, the benefits of sunbathing manifest themselves quite readily when we begin to get regular sun exposure, following responsible guidelines, as a part of our daily routine.