Is Sunlight essential for health? Yes. Absolutely! This will be my answer, if someone asks me this question.
Since ancient times, Sun has been worshipped as a god and giver of life and energy to mankind. We find numerous examples of sun worshipping rituals in many ancient civilizations such as Indian, Egyptian and even Greeks.It is not without reason, that humans have worshipped sun for long. Even scientifically, we are aware that Sun is the nearest star to our earth and the heat and light emitted by sun is the main reason which allows life to flourish on earth. We are at such a distance form sun that we are neither too close nor too far unlike some other planets. It is the combination of this heat and light given by sun which gave rise to living organisms on earth.
During cold winters, the appearance of sun brings much needed warmth to our bodies. Our bodies function optimally at a core temperature of 37 degree Celsius. It has been seen that people who are not exposed to sunlight for long develop skin diseases and also suffer from deficiency of Vitamin D. This Vitamin D is very important for normal development of strong bones in our bodies. Its deficiency leads to diseases like brittle bones, osteomalacia and rickets in children. Moreover, the sunlight has a component which protects from different types of skin cancers. No wonder, then people living in areas having exposure to sufficient sunlight have fewer incidences of such diseases.
The various health benefits that sunlight offers are:
1. Synthesis of vitamin D which protects from Rickets, Osteomalacia and other bone diseases.
2. It helps to accumulate Melanin which protects from skin cancers.
3. It helps in better absorption of calcium which is necessary for bones and teeth.
4. Its helps to boost the immune system of our body.
5. The infra red component of sun rays relieve pain and help in relaxing the muscles.
6. It has also been proved that adequate exposure to sunlight helps in kidney related diseases.
7. Sunlight promotes growth of hair.
If we take a look at the plants and animal kingdoms, we would find the same results. The forest areas in places where there is sufficient heat and moisture leads to growth of many different species of flora and fauna. The plants wither if they do not get sufficient sunlight. Similarly, many animals are known to go for long sleep or hibernation to avoid harsh winter months when sunlight is scarce. The same effect is seen on humans as well. This is the reason we use metaphors like “warm and sunny” to express happy feelings and words like “ coldness “ to describe feeling of sadness and despair.
But there are couple of things one should be careful about when taking the sun bath. It is important to take in sun as is needed depending upon your body’s requirement. Moderate exposure is good for health, but over exposure can lead to disastrous effects. In fact, it is ideal to take sun soak early in the mornings when the sun has just risen. Do not ever go out in sun during afternoons when sun is very hot. And stop soaking in the sun – if you feel burning or itching sensations. Thus, taking care of these precautions will help you to reap maximum benefits from the life giving rays of the sun.
