How the Sun Relaxes Us

Ah, the beach. There’s a nothing quite like feeling the sea breeze blowing, and the warmth of the sun on your body. But more important than a tan – which can actually be dangerous – are the health benefits that the sun can offer. In fact, it’s the sun’s health benefits that can help us feel totally relaxed, both during our sun exposure and after.

Here are three ways that sunlight can relax us:

1. Sunlight boosts our moods

When we are happy, we feel more relaxed and at ease with the world. And while happiness is an emotion, it plays out in the body on a chemical level. This is where exposure to sunlight comes in: It signals the brain to produce serotonin, one of the body’s natural chemicals that affects our happiness levels. According to Healthline, the creation of serotonin through sun exposure “is associated with boosting mood and helping a person feel calm and focused.”

On the flip side, if a person doesn’t produce enough serotonin, they are at greater risk for depression, which can be caused by lack of serotonin. Depression caused by lack of sunlight is called SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder – and is thought to be caused specifically by winter’s short days and long nights. Not surprisingly, SAD’s treatment is sun exposure.

Not only does exposure to sunlight increase serotonin production, a 2014 study showed a 30-50% increase in endorphin levels in mice who were exposed to UV light every day for 6 weeks in a row. Endorphins are another piece of the biochemical happiness puzzle, so anything that increases production is a good thing.

2. Sunlight provides us with Vitamin D

A healthy body can free the mind from stress, worry, and aggravation, making it easier to relax and embrace your inner calm. Sunlight can help in this arena, because it is the best natural source of vitamin D, which has been linked to bone health as well as reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and more.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine recommends 10-15 minutes of sunshine three times weekly to keep your body healthy. (Remember, even though vitamin D is healthy, don’t overdo it. Skin cancer is still a very real risk from overexposure to sunlight.)

3. Sunlight improves sleep quality

Getting enough sleep at night recharges our batteries so we can be calmer and more in control of our emotions during the day. How does sunlight help with that, you ask? Experiencing sunshine in the morning can help reset your natural, or circadian rhythm, which is controlled by small nuclei in the middle of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). When exposed to sunlight in the morning, your SCN delays the release of melatonin, the hormone associated with falling asleep, until many hours later when darkness arrives and you really need it. You can then fall asleep more easily, until your circadian rhythm (or alarm clock) wakes you up in the morning.

Try sunlight + massage for ultimate relaxation

While sun exposure is a great way to help you relax, we also need to be careful about it, as too much can increase the risk for skin cancer. So in order to maximize your inner sunshine, and bring out your potential to relax, why not add a massage to your weekly routine? A massage is a risk-free way to relax, and the benefits of a calm body and mind are invaluable.