It is widely accepted that our climate and season have a profound impact on our physical and psychological health. From many centuries, it has been observed that changing season has something to do with our mental state. 

As a human, nothing is more important to us than sun, air and water to sustain our life on the Earth. Seasonal fluctuations in these natural elements lead to significant impact on our overall well-being. 

Natural elements such as sunrays are known to offer both physical and mental health benefits. The sunrays benefits goes just beyond making our bones strong. Apart from rising our vitamin D levels, early-morning sunrays offer warmth. This soothing effect of sunlight helps to uplift our mood to a great extent. 

Benefits of sunlight to boost our mood

From promoting the growth of plants up to keeping animal warm, sunlight is an essential element of every life. Each life form that has been evolved on planet Earth needs sunlight to survive, and humans are no more exception for this.

Our body contain an “internal clock” also called as circadian rhythm. This 24 hours cycle is in synch with light and darkness. During a daytime in response to light, our brain starts to produce hormone serotonin that makes us to feel awake and calm. At night, when there is dark, our brain releases another hormone called melatonin. This hormone makes us sleepy.

A growing body of scientific research studies suggests a connection between sunlight and mood. Exposure to the sunlight increases release of brain’s hormone “serotonin”. This “happiness hormone” is known to linked with feeling of contentment and well-being that make us calm and alert. 

Serotonin, or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a neurotransmitter. It acts as a chemical messenger to relay signals between nerve cells. The most crucial role of serotonin is it’s ability to improve mood and emotional well-being.

The turnover of serotonin in the brain gets directly affected by an amount of sunlight on any given day. The levels of serotonin are high on brighter days compared to cloudy days. Serotonin is known to have mood lifting benefit that makes us calm and focused. 

Thus, natural light is essential to boost our mood and productivity that ultimately enhance our health and well-being. 

Also Check : Role Of Serotonin In Mental Well-being

Lack of sunlight and mental illnesses

With lack of adequate sun exposure, serotonin levels start to sink. Low level of serotonin is known to produce feelings of sadness, irritation, and even depression in some people. This may be a probable reason of why we feel sad, lethargic and hopeless during cloudy days. It also explains our inability to concentrate, lack of energy, loss of interest and excessive sleepiness during winter time. 

Thus, a lack of adequate daylight during winter season is one of the reasons for experiencing winter blues during autumn and winter season.

Some depressive conditions like seasonal affective disorder (SAD) are common in winter season when days are shorter and nights are longer. Clinically, SAD is a  severe form of depression that is noted during winter season. It follows regular pattern and appears each year with the change of a season. People with SAD tend to be depressed, withdrawn, lack energy, oversleep and put on weight. The condition gets better after several months, especially during spring and summer.

Also Check : Living With Depression

Brighten up our workplaces

Pattern of work in modern setting has been associated with significant mental health maladies. We spend a great deal of time indoor at a workplace. In such cases, occurrence of job-related mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are very common. 

At this time, the popular appeal of sunbathing, travelling during summer days and being outdoor in sunshine are some of the natural mood lifters. This also encourages the idea of brightening our home and workplace with natural light. Soaking up some early-morning sunlight will help to relieve stress and anxiety.

Ideally, taking walk in the morning and enjoying warmth of sunrays is the most practical hack to add peace of mind. 

Caution must be taken

Though sunlight is good to lift our mood, but the extreme can be dangerous too. We are more likely to get a sunburn when sunrays are more direct. This is usually in between 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. Sunrays have an ultraviolet radiation (UV rays) that can penetrate skin and damage cell DNA. 

Getting sunlight in early-morning hours anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes on our arms, hands, and face is sufficient to get health benefits. If you are supposed to be outside for more than 15 minutes period, especially in direct sunlight, it’s good to take basic precautions. Applying sunscreen with sun protection factor (SPF) more than 15 and wearing protective hats and clothes ensure your skin safety.

So next time whenever you want to feel good, never forget to catch moderate amount of sunlight.

Disclaimer 

Mediclin Brain Health’s content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.