Do you feel more relaxed after spending a few hours outside? Does the warm sun shining on your face instantly change your mood the minute you step out of the house? Maybe you feel lighter, more energetic, or even euphoric when the sun is shining brightly.

There’s a reason for that.

Studies have shown that getting adequate levels of vitamin D can boost your hormones related to happiness while improving your overall health. Nature is an incredible mood booster, and the sun has a lot to do with that.

Spending time in the sun is one of the best (and easiest) ways to raise your vibration and appreciate the additional mental and health benefits that come with it.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at those benefits, and how you can spend more time enjoying the sun safely.

The Mental Health Benefits of Sun

Whether you’re feeling sad, lonely, depressed, or just burnt out, spending more time in the sun can make a big difference. Your body needs vitamin D to function properly. That includes some physical functions that we’ll talk about later. However, it also includes your mental well-being.

Without adequate levels of vitamin D, you’re at a greater risk of conditions like:

• Depression
• Schizophrenia
• Eating disorders
• Seasonal affective disorder

Almost anyone can benefit from the mental health benefits of the sun. However, you might appreciate those benefits even more if your job or lifestyle tends to keep you indoors most of the day.

For example, if you’re a remote worker, you might spend most of your time sitting in your home office trying to stay productive. There are a lot of benefits to working from home, but it’s essential to take breaks and make the most of them. Remote workers are often at a greater risk of developing depression, feeling isolated, and even struggling with sleep disorders. Spending more time outside under the sun can help to elevate your mood, give you more energy, and regulate your sleep hormones.

We’re living in a fast-paced, digital world. People are working more than ever, and not spending as much time outside. If that sounds familiar, no matter what career path you’re on, consider how the sun could improve your mental health. It might not serve as a substitute for therapy or necessary medications, but it can absolutely complement the mental health care you’re already receiving, or give you a boost when it’s needed most.

The Physical Health Benefits of Sun

Physical and mental wellness go hand-in-hand. While sunlight can be therapeutic in many ways, it can also serve as a natural healer. The boost in vitamin D can help to boost your immune system and ward off illness. It also helps you maintain a healthy weight, build strong bones, and can even help you live a longer life.

We touched briefly on how sunlight can help to regulate your sleep hormones. While that’s important for your mental well-being, it’s also essential for your physical health. Without proper sleep, you could develop a greater risk for conditions like:

• Diabetes
• Stroke
• Heart failure
• High blood pressure

You’ll also be more vulnerable to infections, and have to deal with a weakened immune system.

The UV light from the sun can also help with certain skin conditions, including psoriasis. Dermatologist Kyle Cheng suggests this is because UV light can rebalance the immune system for your skin, helping it to “fight back” against these unsightly and sometimes painful conditions. It’s important to talk to your dermatologist before spending more time in the sun, but if you’ve been avoiding it for fear of exacerbating a skin condition, it might be time to think twice!

Most people don’t get enough sunlight and are vitamin D deficient. While you can certainly get vitamin D from supplements and even from food, the sun is the easiest way to let it absorb into your body. For all of the benefits of getting enough sun, we’re not even touching the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the risks you’ll face if you don’t get enough vitamin D.

How to Stay Safe on a Sunny Day

As you can see, there are countless benefits to spending more time outdoors on sunny days. However, the sun can be dangerous when you’re exposed to UV rays without protection. There’s a fine line between getting enough sun and too much.

Thankfully, it’s easy to protect yourself from the sun so you can enjoy more of it without putting yourself at risk. The easiest way to keep yourself safe is by wearing sunscreen. Even on days when it seems overcast, your skin can burn and your body is exposed to UV rays that can cause lasting damage.

It’s important to use the right sunscreen before you start applying it. Choose one with an SPF of at least 15, and make sure to reapply it every few hours if you’re going to be outside throughout the day.

While protecting your skin is essential, you should also focus on keeping your body safe and healthy from the inside out. If you’re out in the sun, especially on a hot day, it can only take 30 minutes to get dehydrated. Some of the most common symptoms of dehydration include:

• Increased thirst
• Fatigue
• Confusion
• Headaches
• Blurred vision
• Muscle cramps

Make sure to drink as much water as possible when you’re outside, and eat foods like watermelon, peaches, and lettuce to keep your body fully hydrated and healthy.

Raising your vibration is about experiencing a greater sense of peace, clarity, love, and a stronger self-awareness of your emotions. Simply being in nature can help you to accomplish that. Deliberately spending time in the sun, however, has even greater benefits. You’ll boost your serotonin levels naturally and instantly improve your mood. You’ll feel more at peace, have more energy, and feel more in tune with yourself and the world around you.

In addition to raising your vibration, you’ll experience the wonderful mental and physical health benefits of spending time in the sun. Enjoy what nature has to offer, keep yourself safe, and find a greater sense of clarity this summer and beyond by taking advantage of the sun.

About the author:

Frankie Wallace is a freelance writer from the Pacific Northwest. She writes about a variety of topics, and spends most of her free time in her garden. 

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