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Good reasons why sunlight is important for your health
Scientists are starting to appreciate how exposure to sunlight affects various body systems.
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Studies of shift workers have shown that distorting the natural light and dark cycles by sleeping during the day and being awake at night, under artificial light, can disrupt the body's metabolism. (Shutterstock/File)
T
he year-round sunny weather in Jakarta may be a reason to seek shelter from its potent rays in every day life, either to steer clear of the sweltering heat or to avoid tanning.
Daylight however should not be avoided altogether by staying indoors under artificial lighting, as studies have found that the amount of natural light throughout the day affects the body's light and dark cycles that can impact our health.
As reported by time.com, scientists are starting to appreciate how exposure to sunlight affects various body systems.
Here are several reasons why sunlight is good for you:
Read also: Study: Most antidepressants don't work for young patients
Sunlight can affect mood
Extensive studies generally focusing on the brain's chemical that's most directly linked to mood, called serotonin, have revealed the importance in the role of sunlight.
Higher levels of serotonin correlate with better mood and feelings of satisfaction and calmness, while lower levels link to depression and anxiety, studies have shown. According to a research from Australia, which measured the levels of brain chemicals flowing directly out of the brain, people had higher serotonin levels on bright sunny days than on cloudy ones.
The extent in the dependence of daylight on the mood can be explained by a condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a term coined by Dr. Normal Rosenthal at Georgetown University to describe the so-called "winter blues", which commonly refers to the lethargy and feelings of sadness and hopelessness that come during the winter time. The low mood during the winters, involved in a SAD condition, are generally caused by the weather, that forces people to spend more time indoors and limit the opportunity for exposure to natural light.
While not everyone is as strongly affected by a lack of sunlight in seasonal changes, Rosenthal found that for those who are, it could help improve their mood through light box therapy -- which involves exposure to a specialized light for 20-30 minutes in the morning to help face the day. It's still unclear, however, whether the light therapy is effective to re-energize and elevate mood in people with non-seasonal depression.
While SAD describes the condition that could be experienced by people in countries with seasonal changes from summer to winter, some people have speculated that the modern lifestyle could be encouraging a form of "year-round SAD". This is because people are mostly keeping indoors throughout the day, which means being under artificial light, instead of natural daylight, for extensive hours.
Read also: Smelling food links to weight gain, study suggest
Daily light-dark cycle can affect the body's metabolism
Studies of shift workers have shown that distorting the natural light and dark cycles by sleeping during the day and being awake at night, under artificial light, can disrupt the body's metabolism.
The cycle subsequently affects various areas of how the body works, including breaking down energy from food, the strength of the immune systems, as well as the various brain chemicals and other substances that contribute to mood, weight, energy and more.
One of the most relevant finds from the studies showed that people who consistently work night shifts tend to be heavier than people who don't.
Light cycle may regulate the production of blood stem cells
Although the amount of studies are still limited in relation between light and blood stem cells, some have suggested that the light cycle may regulate the production of blood stem cells from the bone marrow.
It suggests that the light cycle could affect the timing of stem cells donation, as the right time could improve the chances of harvesting enough cells from donors.
Additionally, another research has found that light, specifically ultraviolet light, could prevent the risk of rejection in bone marrow cells transplant.
Scientists treating mice who received skin transplants reportedly found that the group of cells most responsible for triggering rejection reactions were eliminated by zapping the transplanted cells with UV light. (liz/kes)
