Summertime is here and it is that time of the year again when everyone is looking to get the best holiday in sandy beaches under the lovely sun. Everyone knows a thing or two about the benefits of sun exposure, but many tend to do stuff that in a way or another create negative health consequences.
Here are a few things you need to know about sun exposure and keep abreast as you enjoy your summer in salty water!
1. Make the Most of the Sun as a source of Vitamin D
Research has it that 70 percent of White people and roughly 90 percent of black people have some sort of deficiency in Vitamin D. This is a feat that can be easily reversed with a just a quarter an hour of sun exposure.
Your body needs just 40,000 IU of vitamin D and it has a mechanism of shutting production when it is enough. This is to imply that you should try taking advantage of the short summer period to get as much sun exposure as you can.
2. Desist From Using Sunscreen
Unfortunately, sunscreen products today are being marketed as being paramount in the protection of skin cancer. On the contrary, this is not true and ironically, the sun you look to avoid is colossal in fighting most types of cancers present today.
If you must use sunscreen products then you should do so infrequently given that most of them have toxic ingredients.
3. Sunglasses used for long periods can cause you Sleeping Problems
Sunglasses are very fashionable but did you know that you could hurt your natural circadian rhythm with excessive use of these products? Biologically, there is a hormone known as melatoninproduced by the pineal gland in the brain, whose function is to control the sleep-wake cycles.
Production of this hormone is affected by absorption of the blue spectrum of light by your eye lens.What does this mean? This implies that preventing the lens from absorbing the light-by wearing sunglasses for long periods, could lead to a disruption in your sleep cycle.
You should, however, keep in mind that excessive exposure to UV light can be harmful to your health. Excess UV light coupled with bad nutritional habits and genetics can play a role in predisposing yourself to skin cancer.
It is just a question of striking the right balance in your sunlight exposure to get the best out of the summer. This way, you will keep your health in mind as you enjoy these beautiful yet short sunny time!
References:
- https://medlineplus.gov/
- https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/
- Wu-Wong, J. R. (2012). Why does vitamin D matter?. Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Bentham eBooks.
- Feldman, D., Pike, J. W., & Adams, J. S. (2011). Vitamin D. London: Academic Press.
- Wishart, I. (2012). Vitamin D. Auckland, N.Z: Howling At The Moon Pub.
- Dowd, J., & Stafford, D. (2008). The vitamin D cure. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons.
<3 swimming time !!