Sunlight is the food for the food that we consume. How? Plants grow and provide us with fruits and vegetables when they get sunlight. And through the food, the sun’s energy is going inside us.
It provides us with energy and keeps us calm, positive, and focused by boosting serotonin in our brain. Other than this, the sun provides us with many other benefits.
This article will help you understand the value of sunlight in your life and how it benefits your hair, skin, and health. Read on to know more!
Benefits of Sunlight
Did you know sunlight is the only uncontaminated source left? If the planet earth has given you a wholesome natural source to keep yourself healthy, then why would you get into trouble by trapping inside four walls?
You must not know how not getting sunshine can affect your body. But after reading the whole article, you will get to know. Now comes the question, how and when can you get the benefits of sunlight?
Either you can get a sunbath or do sun-gazing. The best time to do it is in the morning before 8 am or 1 hour after sunrise and after 5 pm or 1 hour before sunset.
What is a sunbath?
Sunbath is exposure to sun rays for at least 30 minutes. Sit or lie down facing the sun. Wear nothing or white-coloured cotton cloth to let the sunlight affect your body internally. Remember not to take sun heat but only sunlight. As soon as you start sweating, get inside.
What is sun-gazing?
Sun-gazing is looking directly into the sun. It might be dangerous if not done at the right time. As mentioned above, sun-gazing has to be performed either within 1 hour of sunrise or 1 hour before sunset. At other times, the sun is hotter, and that can adversely affect your vision.
For sun gazing, you have to stand straight barefoot on grass and see the sun for 15 minutes with your naked eyes. Your eyes will receive the photons of energy from the sun, pass it to the brain, and circulate it to the whole body.
After both sunbath or sun-gazing, your body will be sun-charged. So, let us study deeply the benefits of sunlight, specifically on hair, skin, and health.
5 Benefits of Sunlight on the Skin
Under sunlight, your skin naturally produces “sunshine vitamin” Vitamin D. It protects skin and increases skin cell growth and metabolism. Also, Vitamin D of sunlight can prevent premature ageing by destroying free radicals and enhancing the skin’s immune system. Let us see some more benefits of sunlight for the skin.
1. Cleaning
Sunlight cleanses you internally and cleans your skin’s bacteria, fungus, germs, and dirt. Also, it cleanses blood vessels and blood.
2. Detoxifying
Sun rays are powerful detoxifiers as Vitamin D is a detoxifying vitamin. It removes all the toxins from your body as the warmness of sun rays reaches into the blood and releases toxins in the form of urine and sweat.
3. Opening up pores
Sunlight maintains your skin health as it opens up the pores. But do not sit in sunlight for longer and get your skin burned. Why? Because extreme sunlight may increase the size of your skin pores and damage collagen.
4. Curing infections
Sunlight can cure skin infections like eczema, psoriasis, jaundice, and acne. Sun rays release a compound to dampen the inflammation and decrease the chances of infection or help to cure it.
5. Improving skin texture
Sunlight may improve your skin texture if intaken in the correct quantity as the sun rays enhance melanin production in the skin. Sunlight reduces spots on the skin and makes the complexion look healthier.
4 Benefits of Sunlight on Hair
As you know, the sun provides us with Vitamin D to keep the hair thick and prevent hair fall. Let us learn more benefits you can get for your hair.
1. Hair growth
Sunlight increases the growth of new hair follicles on your scalp, which increases the growth of new hairs. And it is good to soak your hair in sunlight for 10 to 30 minutes in midday.
2. Reduces hair loss
After reading about hair growth, you must have understood that sunlight prevents hair loss. But overexposure to sunlight may damage your hair.
3. Brighten hair
Instead of using bleaches and colours, why not get a sunbath? But how? Make a spray bottle adding a 2:1 ratio of warm water and lemon juice, respectively. Spray it on your wet hair and sit under sunlight for 1 to 2 hours. And later, rinse and condition your hair well.
Otherwise, mix a tbsp salt to 1/2 cup water in a spray bottle and spray it on your hair. Sit under sunlight for only 10 to 15 minutes and then rinse and condition your hair well.
4. Prevent infections
The UV rays of sunlight prevent your scalp’s acne and fungal infections. But do not sit for too long as sunlight cures your infections by reducing scalp cell growth. Soaking up UV rays in excess is harmful.
11 Benefits of Sunlight for Health
In Indian Vedic texts, it is written: “the sun can heal anything.” And in older times, people considered the sun the only way to cure their illnesses.
And do you know what heliotherapy is? It is the therapeutic use of sunlight to cure people. Earlier patients were exposed to sunlight, but today in heliotherapy, an artificial wavelength of light has taken the place of sunlight. Let us see what all sunlight can do for your better health.
1. Reduce stress
Sunlight can reduce the level of stress and depression in you. How? Sunlight is essential to your body, so if you do not expose yourself to sunlight, it may cause seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
2. Insomnia
People may face sleeping problems if they do not get enough sunlight as it increases serotonin in the body, which helps in sleeping. Also, sunlight can warm you up and balance your body’s temperature.
3. Prevent breathing problems
Asthma is inflammation of the air passages in the lungs, and Vitamin D can help to cure it. And as sunlight has natural Vitamin D, it reduces inflammation.
4. Improve cognitive skills
Not getting enough sunlight can lose your ability to learn and remember. As you won’t get enough vitamin D, deficiency in Vitamin D can cause memory loss.
5. Improve cardiovascular health
Sunlight prevents high blood pressure and therefore lessens the risk of heart attacks or strokes. The sunlight releases a compound in your blood vessels that control the blood pressure.
6. Protect from cancer
Solar UV’s are the biggest threat to cancer tumours. And these patients are deficient in Vitamin D. The triggering of vitamin D in sunlight can help protect you from cancers like breast, prostate, colon, and lung.
7. Heal joints
The Vitamin D of sunlight helps your bones to absorb calcium. If you do not get enough sunshine, your bones may soften at an early age.
Sunlight may also help reduce joint pains and prevent disorders like arthritis, fracture, scoliosis, and many more.
8. Prevent digestive fire
Sunlight can make the digestive fire stronger. It may maintain the strength and volume of acid, digestive enzymes, and bile in your stomach.
9. Affects secretion of insulin
Sunlight is good for diabetic people as it influences the sensitivity of insulin tissues which may prevent them from causing hypoglycemia.
10. Lowers hunger
Sun-gazing provides so much energy to you that it lowers your hunger and disappears cravings.
11. Improve eye health
If you directly look at the sun for at least 15 minutes, sun-gaze every day, it may improve your eye health. How? It’s already mentioned above under the section on sun-gazing.
Conclusion
Sunlight is a natural supplier of Vitamin D, and it has many healing properties. It benefits your skin by preventing infections, opening up the pores, and detoxifying. And sunlight also benefits your hair by preventing hair loss and increasing hair growth.
As sunlight has vitamin D, it can potentially protect you from cancer and heal joint and bone pains and disorders. It keeps you healthy. Just remember not to expose yourself to sunlight for a longer time.
And the best time to sunbathe is 1 hour in the morning after sunrise and 1 hour in the evening before sunset. We hope now you know that you have a natural gift by nature with so many benefits. Do share your experience of reading this article in the comment section below.
