Sunshine plays a crucial role in regulating some of our body’s biological processes. It is as important as your regular exercises, good sleep and a healthy diet. Do you get your daily dose of sunshine or at least ensure to get enough of it?
Unlike olden times where people used to venture out to work, the modern life keeps most of us indoors with less exposure to sun. Especially after the Covid era and work from home taking over in most firms, stepping out of homes is not even a necessity. Outdoor walks or activities have to be deliberately incorporated into our daily schedule to get that much-needed sunshine.
Sun exposure is vital for our bodies to produce Vitamin D. Vitamin D is both a nutrient we eat and a hormone our bodies make. It is a fat-soluble Vitamin that known to help the body absorb and retain Calcium and Phosphorus, both are critical for building bone. Many of the body’s organs and tissues have receptors for Vitamin D, which suggest important roles beyond bone health, and scientists are actively investigating other possible functions.
Vitamin D is essential for maintaining healthy teeth as well. It also plays many other important roles in the body, including regulating inflammation and immune function.
Nutritionist Dr. Nikita Suresh advises, “Vitamin D is an important micronutrient for regulating sleep and mood, not just for bones, body pains, fat loss and immunity”. She further adds, “Don’t forget to get your daily dose of sunlight to help your body naturally produce Vitamin D and set your body clock for a healthy sleep wake cycle”.
As we are aware, the human body mainly produces vitamin D as a response to sun exposure. A person can also boost their vitamin D intake through certain foods or supplements. Some food items naturally contain vitamin D, though some foods are fortified with the Vitamin.
For most people, the best way to get enough Vitamin D is taking a supplement because it is hard to eat enough through food. Vitamin D supplements are available in two forms: Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3. Both are also naturally occurring forms that are produced in the presence of the sun’s ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays, hence it is nicknamed, “the sunshine Vitamin,” but D2 is produced in plants and fungi and D3 in animals, including humans.
Vitamin D production in the skin is the primary natural source of vitamin D, but many people have insufficient levels because they live in places where sunlight is limited in winter or because they have limited sun exposure due to being indoors most of the time.
Vitamin D deficiency may occur from a lack of diet, poor absorption, or having a metabolic need for higher amounts. If one is not eating enough Vitamin D and does not receive enough ultraviolet sun exposure over an extended period, a deficiency may arise. People who cannot tolerate or do not eat milk, eggs, and fish, such as those with a lactose intolerance or who follow a vegan diet, are at higher risk for a deficiency. Other people at high risk of Vitamin D deficiency include people with inflammatory bowel disease or other conditions that disrupt the normal digestion of fat.
Depending on a person’s dietary preferences, consuming enough Vitamin D may be difficult. In this case, Vitamin D supplements, which are available to purchase online, may be a beneficial choice. However, if this is not possible, try to consume oily fish, some mushrooms, and free-range egg yolks.
The major source of our body’s Vitamin D comes from our own production in the skin, as per medical experts. This requires the ultraviolet rays from sunlight to form Vitamin D3; both the liver and the kidneys will then need to create the active form of Vitamin D. As our fat cells can store Vitamin D for months, you do not need to worry if there are days when you do not get enough sun exposure. You will still be safe from the detrimental bone effects of low Vitamin D if you get enough sun other days. The easiest way of getting enough Vitamin D is to regularly spend time outside, making sure that the arms, face, and legs have exposure.
As Walt Whitman rightly said, “Keep your face always toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you.”