Turn your face toward the sun
“The sun shines and warms and lights us and we have no curiosity to know to why this is so; but we ask the reason of all evil, of pain, and hunger, and mosquitoes, and silly people.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Majority of our lives we have heard that the sun is dangerous and causes cancer and wrecks our skin. According to a study done by the WHO (study mentioned here), “the sun damage only makes up 0.1% of the global burden of diseases caused by the sun. In the same WHO report noted that a markedly larger annual disease burden of 3.3 billion DALYs worldwide might result from very low levels of UVR exposure. This burden subsumes major disorders of the musculoskeletal system and possibly an increased risk of various autoimmune diseases and life-threatening cancers.” It’s important to remember before we go on, that too much exposure can cause damage. However, let’s try to take the fear out of the sun and learn to coexist with it in a way that our body can benefit from its rays.
Why is the sun so important and what can we do to support safe sun exposure? Where do we find our balance? How much sun do we get each day? What is actually causing sunburn and skin disease if it’s not just the sun?
I want to first go into the many benefits we receive from sun exposure!
Helps the body produce naturally occurring Vitamin D-super important to our overall health
Lowers your blood pressure
Supports your bone health
Improves your brain function
Decreases depression
Improves sleep (balances circadian rhythm)
Heals different skin disorders
Boosts growth in infants
Increases function of your immune system
Reduces risk for some cancers and other diseases (Evolution of the great solar debate-click here)
The amount of vitamin D produced through the sun varies depends on how much melanin we have within our skin. Here is an example of how much vitamin D can be produced when we’re out in the sun for certain periods of time. For people with lighter skin tones in the middle of the summer and wearing a bathing suit there is a release of 50K IU of vitamin D within our skin, in tanned skin folks it yields 20-30k IU within a 24hour period and for people with dark skin it’s 8-1ok IU, all at a half hour of exposure.(Vit D Production) How much we need, what time of day, and what we’re wearing all plays a role in how much time we need to sit in the sun for vitamin D production. According to a study on PUBMED the best time to be in the sun for optimal exposure is around noon for minimal risk malignant melanoma. If you have specific questions about how much sun you should get and when based on where you live, I recommend downloading the, D Minder app (grab it here). I’ve used it and have really enjoyed plugging in my info to understand what my body needs!
When the weather starts to warm up and the sun starts showing it face around here you can find me soaking in its rays. The sun gives me so much life and feels like this little awakening out of a deep winter slumber. I tend to get carried away at first and I tend to over extend my exposure. Thankfully there are holistic ways to protect your skin
Wear a sun hat or baseball cap
Wear long sleeves/pants-
Find shade
Eat foods that provide UV protection: get healthy fats, (coconut and animal fats) dark leafy greens, increase your omega-3 fatty acids
Apply vitamin E oil
Apply a natural sunscreen if needed
Drink plenty of water with electrolytes (LMNT are my favs)
1- Thrive Market, 2- Beauty Counter, 3- Earthley Wellness, 4- Young Living (#2360114), 5- Blue Lizard
My friend, the sun grows you, supports you, and keeps you flourishing. We just need to know how to work together to reap the rewards. Take these tips and turn your face toward the sun.
