Sunshine Is My Detox
I love the warmth of the sun on my face on a cold, cloudless winter day and the early hints of spring when we see the green shoots turn into daffodils. These moments are a mental health lifeline after a long winter and the sunshine becomes a coping mechanism. In March the sun shifts just enough that as it is setting it shines into my window and brightens my office. By August it shifts yet again and I know that the season is changing as Summer turns into Fall. There are so many benefits of sunshine that we want to inspire you, regardless of the season, to Find your Detox outside, in the sunshine!
Let’s dive into the benefits of sunshine and why Sunshine Is Your Detox!
Vitamin D. We need vitamin D to protect our bodies, strengthen our bones and protect against cancer. Most if not all cancer patients have notoriously low vitamin D levels at the time of diagnosis. While you can take supplements, and many of us do, the best way to increase your levels is to spend time in the sun. But all time in the sun is not the same. You need to be in the sun, without sunscreen with a substantial part of your body exposed to generate vitamin D. Here, in the northeast United States, there are limited months when you can get benefits from the sun so I took a look at the Sunshine Calendar put together by GrassrootsHealth Sunshine Calendar - GrassrootsHealth. While June, July and August are the best months, you can still get some benefits in April and May, September and October. So take your Detox outside.
Reset your circadian rhythm. Exposure to natural light can help regulate the body's circadian rhythm, which controls the sleep-wake cycle, potentially leading to better sleep quality. We have all felt like a bear hibernating in the winter only to “wake up” in the spring when the sun rises higher in the sky. The exposure to bright sun helps to turn off the release of melatonin, telling your body it is time to wake up and be active. As the sun sets in the evening your body reacts to the lack of sunshine by releasing melatonin which encourages sleep. This is all part of your circadian rhythm. Sometimes we mess ourselves up – a late night celebrating, traveling to a different time zone, or an illness. Suddenly you are sleeping too much, at the wrong time or not at all. The best fix it to use the sunshine!
Mood and Mental Health: Sunlight stimulates the release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and can improve feelings of well-being and reduce symptoms of depression. One of the primary hormones behind Find Your Detox is serotonin. It makes you feel good and don’t we all want to feel good? When we talk about finding peace and calm, reducing your stress and helping you tackle life in the background we are finding activities that will help your body release serotonin. If just standing outside in the sun can help release those feel-good chemicals, how much better might it be for you if you enjoy your Detox there too?
Sweat: I am just a fan of sweating. While I cannot find any proof that your body cleanses your body through sweating (the liver is the responsible party) regular exercise and sweating may remove heavy metals, BPA and some bacteria. There are studies that support the theory that sweating, in addition to regulating your temperature, may also be removing some bad stuff from your body. So get out there a few times a week and work up a good sweat.
For all of the reasons above, take your Detox outside! If you run, bike or walk, play pickleball, tennis or basketball– try to get into the sunshine between 10 and 2 for the best vitamin D producing hours, or anytime to break a sweat. Feeling a little lazy today, then take a book, your needlepoint or a cup of coffee with a friend, find a bench outside on your lunch break and roll up your sleeves. Let your arms and legs be exposed and enjoy. Your body will work on your vitamin D and serotonin production while you work on finding your calm. So many options, feel free to spend the sunny months trying them all out!