The lack of the sun is harmful to health. How to help the body?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The value and benefits of sunlight, its effect on the human body cannot be compared with anything! It is only through the sunshine that we can properly use our eyes.

Thanks to the rays of the sun, vitamin D is synthesized in our body, which, in turn, affects the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Also, sunlight affects our mood, lack of sunlight, can lead to a breakdown, depression, apathy and a general deterioration in a person's well-being.

The human nervous system is formed and develops only in conditions of a sufficient amount of sunlight. Sunlight is able to stop the development of infectious diseases, being a "natural antiseptic". It is capable of killing some fungi and bacteria located on our skin. Sunlight affects the number of red blood cells in our body and increases hemoglobin.

How does the absence of the Sun affect the state of our body?

It will not be possible to compensate for the lack of the Sun only with food and vitamins; you need the right balance of nutrition, daily regimen and active walks in the fresh air. More on this from a medical point of view:

The value of light hitting the retina is great. It triggers many physiological processes that keep the body active. The main effect of sunlight is to stimulate serotonin and suppress melatonin production. Excessive activity of melatonin in winter has a depressing effect on the body, causing drowsiness and lethargy. The exact same effect can be observed when the luminous flux decreases due to strong and prolonged cloudiness.

In a cloudy summer, it is very difficult for the body to recover from a long winter. Winter depression is a common occurrence, which is caused by reduced daylight hours, lack of sunshine.

Daily regime

To maintain the body in conditions of low light activity, it is necessary to observe the correct daily regimen. The pineal gland (pineal gland) is responsible for circadian rhythms and the production of melatonin, so a well-structured sleep and activity regime will help nerve cells cope with the lack of light. You need to sleep in the dark, and stay awake in the daytime. If, at the same time, you also balance your diet, then the chance to spend the summer fully, despite the weather, will be higher.

Nutrition

In nutrition, you need a competent ratio of proteins and "correct" fats of the Omega-6 and Omega-3 groups. Unsaturated fats, unlike saturated fats, lower blood cholesterol levels, which is why they are called "right" fats. Sources of intake of unsaturated fatty acids Omega-6 are vegetable oils: olive, sunflower and flaxseed. Omega-3 fatty acids are found primarily in fatty fish, pumpkin seeds, soybeans, walnuts, and dark green leafy vegetables. Most people consume too much Omega-6 and not get enough Omega-3. The optimal ratio of fatty acids: Omega-6 - 80% and Omega-3 - 20%. It turns out that you need to eat 1.5-2 kg of fatty sea fish every week. Unsurprisingly, Omega-3 deficiencies are common in today's diets. In the general diet, fats should be about 20%, proteins about 30%, and the remaining 50% - carbohydrates.

It will not work at all to saturate the body with serotonin with the help of products, since it is not contained anywhere in its pure form. You can compensate for the shortage with products containing the precursor of serotonin - tryptophan: cheese, rabbit or chicken meat, cottage cheese, eggs, dark chocolate, fish, nuts, seeds, etc. Sweets can stimulate the production of the hormone of joy, but there is a danger of exceeding the amount sufficient for the production of serotonin … A selection of sweet seasonal fruits will be helpful! Eating fast food and a general overload of the diet with "wrong" fats and fast carbohydrates will negatively affect the state of the body.

Light therapy

Medicine in the fight against seasonal depression offers light therapy. Light therapy is the use of sufficiently bright rays that, unlike direct sunlight, do not contain ultraviolet radiation. Due to its powerful optical properties, polarized light is able to act directly on the intracellular functional parts. Thanks to this, the processes of metabolism and synthesis of substances necessary for normal life are accelerated. As a result, the tone of all tissues increases, immunity increases, regenerative properties become much better, and disease-causing processes are inhibited or eliminated altogether. Light therapy is used not only for seasonal depressions, but also for late falling asleep syndrome, desynchronization of the biological clock associated with a sharp change in time zones.

Vitamin D

A separate role in the development of depressive disorders is assigned to vitamin D, which is involved in the metabolism of proteins in nerve cells. Its deficiency leads to depression of nervous processes and the development of symptoms such as decreased attention, memory, fatigue, drowsiness. Sufficiency of this vitamin stimulates the production of serotonin and dopamine, which are responsible for a good level of activity of nerve cells. It is worth noting that the synthesis of vitamin D does not depend on daylight hours, but on the rays of the ultraviolet spectrum.

Despite the important role of vitamin D, it is strictly forbidden to prescribe it on your own. Excessive use of it has toxic consequences and requires hospitalization. You can only find out about the deficiency and determine the required dose of vitamin D based on the results of a blood test. It is also necessary to be careful about the use of vitamin-mineral complexes, since an overdose of such drugs is no less dangerous than a deficiency.

Exercise stress

It is important not only to eat right and give the body enough time to rest, but also to add walks and physical activity to the daily routine. They will have a positive effect on the state of health, the state of blood vessels, which also suffer in adverse weather. Walking in the fresh air activates the production of important hormones and neurotransmitters. Serotonin production requires exercise, regular exercise, long walks, good rest, and even fondness.

An even greater role is played by sunlight in plant life and the production of oxygen on our planet. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the Sun for all inhabitants of the Earth. It is not in vain that for many millennia our ancestors honored him as God giving life to all living things!