The impact of lack of sunlight on the human body. What are the negative effects of lack of sunlight
All living things on Earth, including humans, are constantly under the influence of our heavenly body - the Sun. And, despite all the benefits of civilization we have achieved, first of all, electricity, we still get up and fall asleep according to the Sun. Our rays also depend on it. general well-being and just a state of mind.
This is most noticeable in those periods when, for the sake of economic gain, we are forced to move the clock forward or backward an hour. or in winter time of the year. Many of us immediately feel the consequences of such changes.
How does sunlight affect human health?
The most valuable thing that gives sunlight to a person is ultraviolet. It makes our immune system work - but, just in the autumn-winter period, many begin to get sick when there is little light. During these same dark seasons of the year, many people gain excess weight, since the lack of ultraviolet radiation negatively affects our metabolism. In winter, people are more sleepy and indifferent, and in summer, on the contrary. Because bright sunlight increases efficiency, and its lack lowers it.
Surely many had to feel bad in the fall just because at this time there is also a lack of sun. And this is not surprising. The fact is that in sunlight, the human body produces the hormone serotonin, and its second name is the hormone of activity. It is produced in daylight hours day and is regulated by the intensity of light. This hormone regulates our sleep and keeps us alert. Therefore, many experts suggest that the causes of most depressions are not personal problems of a person, but a simple lack of sunlight. 
Lack of ultraviolet radiation also affects our skin. For example, in winter, with low light, the skin begins to itch and peel off. This happens due to a violation or cessation of the formation of vitamin D in the body.
In winter, more than ever, holes in the teeth begin to form.
There is even an opinion that the lack of sunlight has a bad effect on human vision.
How to make up for the lack of sunlight for a person?
Tip #1
Walk more. But remember: only walks during daylight hours will benefit. To gain the “solar” norm necessary for a normal existence, it is enough to expose your face and hands to the sun for 10-15 minutes a couple of times a week. By the way, it is useless to sunbathe in a solarium in order to replenish the reserves of ultraviolet radiation. The artificial sun cannot replace the real one.
Tip #2
Let the light into your home. Wash the windows (dirty ones block up to 30% of the light) and remove from the windowsill tall flowers(they take 50% sun rays).
Tip #3
Vitamin D stores can be replenished with food. Chief Assistant- fish fatty varieties. Nai large quantity(about 360 units per 100 g) of vitamin D is found in salmon. It is rich and Omega-3 fatty acids, which also help support heart health and suppress different kind inflammation. But, even absorbing shock doses of vitamin D, you need to walk - in order for it to be absorbed.
Tip #4
The activity hormone - serotonin - can also be obtained from foods. It is found in dark chocolate, pineapples, bananas, apples and plums.
Tip #5
It is useless to fight drowsiness - it is better to surrender to it. The peak of drowsiness is from 13:00 to 17:00. At this time, it is better to take a nap in a chair for 15-20 minutes, and then wake up cheerful and healthy. A short rest perfectly restores working capacity. Plus, every hour you should be distracted from work and rest for 5 minutes.
Tip #6
You can enhance the synthesis of hormones with the help of physical activity - during training, their increased production occurs. Half hour intensive exercise stress increases the concentration of "happiness hormones" by 5-7 times. By the way, in the gym you can solve another winter problem- loss of strength. There is evidence that one of the reasons for this phenomenon is a lack of movement.
Lack of sunlight adversely affects:
* skin regeneration, hair growth
* mood
* immune system
* performance
* hormonal status
Neutralize Negative consequences will help:
* walks
* meals including fish, fruit and dark chocolate
The unconditional factor that ensures the maintenance of life on the planet is sunlight. Despite the fact that the Sun is very far from the Earth (as much as 149 million kilometers!), the surface of our planet receives an amount of solar energy sufficient for life, including infrared and ultraviolet radiation, which human eye unable to see. Only half of one billionth of all solar radiation reaches the earth, however, the Sun is the main source of energy for all natural processes that exist on the globe. The entire biosphere exists only thanks to sunlight.
Research carried out over ten years by scientists from medical center at the University of Washington in Seattle, proved that not only the absence, but simply the lack of sun adversely affects a person. Thanks to the sunshine human body produces serotonin, a hormone responsible for a large number of physical processes. This hormone is also called the happy hormone. Lack of serotonin causes winter depression. When people wake up in the dark in winter, go to work in the dark and return with the street lights already on, their body receives an insufficient amount of energy necessary for active life. The result is discomfort, depression, health problems, and even a slowdown in brain activity.
Science Daily published notes from researchers studying the impact environment per person. They collected weather data from NASA satellites to measure sunlight exposure across the United States. A team of researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham found a direct relationship between low sunlight exposure and an increase in the number of people with depression. And among the depressive, there was a high percentage of those who had cognitive impairments.
Scientists from a research group at the University of Washington have found that when there is a lack of sunlight, problems with joints or lymphatic system. The lack of vitamins A and D, which the sun gives us, leads to insufficient calcium production, which, in turn, makes our bones brittle: it is enough just to stumble and fall - and you can get a lot of fractures. Israeli scientists from medical clinic Tel Aviv analyzed data from 51,000 people over 50 years of age and concluded that walking under the sun is better at protecting against fractures than taking calcium.
Researchers from the Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem have shown that in Greenland and Finland, with the onset of the polar night, women completely stop the process of ovulation. Conversely, in the spring, with the return of a large light period, the activity of the ovaries is significantly activated. This is also proved by the fact that more twins are born in these countries than anywhere else in the world. Moreover, not only in the polar countries, but in any other spring, women dramatically increase the chance of getting pregnant. Israeli scientists came to this conclusion based on a re-examination of more than 600 cases of fertility treatments.
We sleep much more in winter than in summer. And this is also related to sunlight. In the course of research on the functions of the pineal gland in the human body, scientists have found that this small gland produces melatonin, which plays important role in maintaining human biorhythms. At night, the level of melatonin in the blood rises sharply. The pineal gland increases it under the influence of the hypothalamus, which transmits information about how much sunlight falls on the retina. Less light - more melatonin and, accordingly, lower activity, better sleep.
In 2009, a symposium was held in Rotterdam to study the effect of sunlight on humans. Representatives from 22 countries (scientists, doctors, architects, teachers) presented the results of their research in this area. The main conclusion was the unconditional effect of light on the physical, physiological and psychological condition of people. Thus, American scientists have proved that the lack of sunlight in offices and shops directly affects the decline in performance. Schoolchildren living in apartments with windows to the north, as a rule, are more difficult to study. On the contrary, students in schools whose classes are on the sunny side learn the material much more successfully.
By the way, Israeli scientists in studies published in the journal JAMA also argue that nothing can replace calcium obtained through solar exposure.
Hello dear readers! Sunlight - what does it mean for a person. Scientists call it the beginning of life. More than a century ago, the first studies of sunlight were carried out.
From the article you will find out who or what is capable of assimilating solar energy. Due to what our internal organs saturate with it. What are the rays of the sun capable of? What diseases can be treated by sunlight.
Why walks in sunlight are beneficial and for how long. What vitamin can be produced in our body thanks to this gift of God. Skin and sunlight, his and her actions.
sunlight
Sunlight, and light in general, is the beginning of life. Chlorophyll, which is the green pigment in plant leaves, absorbs solar energy. It accumulates in the form of glucose.
Sunlight creates oxygen and carbon dioxide. It is the source that nourishes our body and supplies it with vital energy. The rays of the sun kill microorganisms and prevent the growth of mold and fungus.
The fact that sunlight kills microbes was discovered back in 1877 by scientists Downes and Blunt. They discovered this by accident when they saw that bacteria that were in the shade continued to multiply, while those that were exposed to the rays of sunlight stopped growing.
Sunlight treatment helps to get rid of most infectious diseases. It also helps in the treatment of pneumonia, tonsillitis, fever, etc. Sunlight is able to produce vitamin D in our body through exposure to the skin.
Sunlight energy
What is the power of sunlight. Is it good for our health? Scientists have come to a very important conclusion regarding the energy of sunlight. It is directly related to the improvement of human health.
How the energy of sunlight helps our health:
- stimulating activity immune system boosts immunity
- Helps with a variety of skin conditions
- excellent disinfectant is sunlight
- after pneumonia, tuberculosis and bronchitis, the sun's rays acting on the back or chest help restore
respiratory system
- cleans the blood and fills it with oxygen the sun
- moderate exposure to the sun can help treat arthritis
Walking in the sunshine
Scientists from Oxford say that the benefits of sunlight for our health exceed harmful effect. Walking in sunlight regulates sleep, improves mood, and boosts productivity.
People involved in mental labor, Neuroscientist R. Foster recommends posting your workplace by the window, especially on a bright sunny day. This will double the attention of the person.
Artificial light does not create such positive effect. Our scientists also suggest making the most of daylight hours and taking walks in the sunlight more often.
Sunshine deficiency
How to make up for the lack of sunlight:
Council number 1. Walk more during daylight hours. It is enough to expose your face and hands to sunlight for ten to fifteen minutes twice a week in order to gain a “solar” norm for the necessary normal existence.
Council number 2. Keep window panes clean and remove tall flowers from window sills. So you let in and make up for the lack of sunlight in your home.
Council number 3. There should be an adequate supply of vitamin D in the body. Your body will get this vitamin through food. The main assistant in this fish is fatty varieties. There is a lot of vitamin D in Salmon and Omega-3 which are rich in fatty acids. They support heart health and suppress inflammation. In order for vitamin D to be absorbed, do not allow a deficiency of sunlight. Be sure to walk around to get used to it.
Lack of sunlight
What is the effect of lack of sunlight?
- on the mood
- for hair growth and skin regeneration
- for performance
- on the immune system
- hormonal balance
- to the cardiovascular system
What will help to neutralize the negative consequences:
- good sleep
- Walking in the sunshine
- sports
- food in which there should be fish, fruits and dark chocolate
With a lack of sunlight, not only people suffer, but all living things. There is light starvation. When this happens in the winter itchy and flaky skin. Also, most often it is in winter that a greater number of holes appear in the teeth.
What is dangerous lack of sunlight
Walking in the fresh air in sunlight can be a lifesaver. Scientists have found that lack of sunlight can lead to pancreatic cancer.
People who live in places with frequent heavy cloudiness suffer from a lack of vitamin D in the body. The lack of ultraviolet radiation is very dangerous for people who have pancreatic cancer.
If you increase your vitamin D intake, you will not only effective prevention, but you may also therapeutic actions. What is dangerous lack of sunlight for people suffering from heart disease.
One in ten people risk their lives because lack of sunlight increases the risk of cancer and heart disease.
To ensure that you have an abundance of vitamin D in your body at any time of the year, eat at least two or three times a week oily fish and dairy products. Why Dairy Products? They have a lot of calcium, and calcium, like active movement help the body absorb vitamin D.
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Be healthy and happy.
Video about the benefits and harms of sunlight
Let's take a look at how lack of sun affects our health in this article.
1. Not only too much, but too little sunlight is linked to the development of some forms of cancer.
Vitamin D deficiency leads to the development of prostate and breast cancer and increases the risk of dementia and schizophrenia.
2. Lack of sunlight harms your heart in much the same way as overeating cheeseburgers.
Studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency caused by lack of sunlight doubles the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in men.
3. Your neglect of sunbathing leads to depression.
The less sun you get during the winter months, the higher your risk of developing seasonal depression. Symptoms can be very intense: mood swings, anxiety, sleep problems, and even suicidal ideation.
4. Women are 200% more likely to develop seasonal depression than men.
It is also important to remember that average age when seasonal depression is diagnosed for the first time - 18-30 years. But in people over 60 years of age, seasonal depression is almost never found.
5. Those who like to sit on the Internet at night, scrolling through the news feed on social networks, it's time to take care of their health.
If you like to include your electronic devices before going to bed in the dark, be careful, because the radiation that comes from them knocks down our circadian rhythms (the “internal clock” of the body), leading to sleep problems and even insomnia.
6. The more sleep you get, the more resistant you are to the flu.
Will have to pay high price for preferring the computer to sleep. How much you sleep affects the immune system and the body's ability to recover from diseases.
7. Lack of sunlight affects your child's vision.
Do you want your child to have acute vision, and he could make out the inscriptions in the distance? It turns out that children who spend more time in the sun have a reduced risk of developing myopia. So instead of video games, send your child to play outside.
8. Night vigils and night shift work significantly undermines your health.
A relationship was found between the propensity to work with artificial lighting and the occurrence of breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity.
9. Sunbathing can prevent the development of obesity.
In addition to vitamin D, sunlight provides the body with nitric oxide (NO). It is he who regulates the most important physiological processes including metabolism. Therefore, sufficient insolation will provide you with an ideal metabolism and prevent overeating.
Each person probably noted that depending on the weather, his mood also changes. For example, in rainy weather, thoughts come more melancholic, but it is very difficult to be sad in the bright sun. The influence of the sun on human mood was noticed hundreds of years ago, but in our time it is explained with scientific point vision.
It is worth noting that strong influence sunlight on emotional condition typical only for a temperate (and further to the poles) climate. At the same time, the inhabitants of the countries of the "eternal sun", i.e. the tropics and the equator do not experience such an influence. This is due to the fact that the equatorial zone of our planet and the territories adjacent to it receive approximately the same amount of sunlight throughout the year. But as you get farther to the poles, the amount of light received (due to the tilt of the earth's axis) varies greatly depending on the time of year.
Why does a person need sunlight?
Solar energy performs two main tasks on our planet: it provides heat and stimulates biosynthesis. From school curriculum everyone knows such a process as photosynthesis, during the light phase (i.e. under the action of sunlight) which is absorbed by plants carbon dioxide and release of oxygen.
However, in addition to such a global influence on the entire planet, the sun also affects every individual organism. So the lack of sunlight causes a lot of disorders in a person: the absorption of calcium decreases, the condition of the skin, hair and nails worsens, a general drop in immunity occurs, low mood and even depression are recorded.
The connection between sunlight and vitamin D
Many underestimate the importance of vitamin D, but it is he who contributes to the synthesis of the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase, which in turn is necessary for the production of the "hormone of happiness" dopamine, adrenaline and norepinephrine. With a lack of these hormones, the overall Vital energy organism, and in humans, respectively, the mood drops. Women are especially affected, whose vital activity is much more dependent on hormonal balance.
It is also known that just 15-20 minutes of being under the bright sun is enough for the daily amount of vitamin D to be produced in the body under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. However, from September to March in our latitudes there is a lack of sunlight, and therefore the concept of “autumn blues” and “ seasonal depression" have become commonplace.
lack of sun and depression
This is not to say that depression is specifically caused by a lack of sunlight. depressive state develops against the background of a prolonged psycho-traumatic situation, however, due to the lack of sun, a person’s resistant functions decrease (both immune and nervous system), why a man more difficult to cope with emotional stress.
A depressed person becomes lethargic, apathetic, his mood is constantly lowered, former hobbies are no longer encouraging. Often this condition is accompanied by sleep and appetite disorders, and can further somatize, that is, develop into a full-fledged somatic disease. Therefore, if for a month or more you notice a constantly lowered mood and an apathetic state in yourself or a loved one, you should seek the advice of a neurologist.
Of course, providing enough sunlight will not cure depression, however, heliotherapy will still have some effect. However, in order to get rid of the disease completely, it is necessary to undergo treatment with a neurologist and / or a psychotherapist.
Treatment of depression in the clinic of neurology Aksimed
Treatment of depression is carried out by the following specialists: neurologist, psychotherapist, psychiatrist, psychologist. Of course, it is almost impossible (and sometimes very harmful) to self-diagnose oneself, therefore, with any more or less prolonged changes in mood, sensations, sleep and wakefulness disturbances without visible reasons etc., you need to contact a specialist.
Clinic "Aksimed" specializes in the treatment of a wide variety of neurological diseases and trauma to the nervous system. After a detailed and comprehensive diagnosis, qualified neurologists will be able to deliver accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
Treatment for depression is based on integrated approach which includes - psychotherapy, drug treatment, physiotherapy and physiotherapy exercises. An experienced psychotherapist at the Aksimed clinic will help the patient determine the cause of given state and find ways to deal with the situation.
If the symptoms of depression are very pronounced and interfere with normal life, a neurologist may prescribe medication support (antidepressants, sedatives, vitamin therapy), as well as elements of physiotherapy (massage, acupuncture). And of course, healthy lifestyle life and proper nutrition, walking on fresh air and sunbathing contribute to prevention and more quick release from depression.
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