IS out of the question that the sun is good for you. Taken with due precautions, it is a ‘huge source of well-being not only for the body but also for the mind and spirit. In fact, it acts on a hormonal level regulating personal sleep-wake rhythms, as well as putting you in a good mood “So much so that in northern European schools and libraries and near the North Pole, Light Therapy lamps that mimic sunlight have been adopted” he explains Antonio Onofri, Psychiatristfounder of the portal dedicated to psychology and psychiatry ApertaMenteWeb.com.
Sun and sunlight, essential for mood
It is no coincidence that this particular therapy has been adopted in the northern regions of the world, given the high incidence of suicides caused precisely by less exposure to sunlight. This need is not only physical but also instinctive: “Not by chance, we have a tendency to consider workplaces and homes that constantly need artificial lighting as unhealthy.
Another “instinctive” fact is that, when relaxation techniques are used during a psychotherapy session and patients are asked to imagine a safe place connected to a situation of calm and well-being, many are seen lying on a beach under the sun “he explains. the psychiatrist.
Instinct therefore leads us to expose ourselves to the sun and consider it positively for our moodit will also be because it is often connected to holidays and moments of leisure.
Sunlight and mental health
But how can the sun contribute to mental health? «We know that sunlight acts on hormonal systems and neurotransmitters brain them. The sun has a beneficial effect on those mediators, such as serotonin and dopamine, capable of influencing our mood, our ability to feel peaceful and to experience positive feelings. Not only that, but it is also stimulated the production of endorphins, thus increasing the sensation of pleasureExplains Dr. Onofri.
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Furthermore, the role of the sun in the production of vitamin D is fundamental not only for the body but also for the mind: “In recent years, several studies have been carried out to evaluate the correlation between vitamin D deficiency and the onset of depression, insomnia and cognitive decline.. These researches would be showing that this particular vitamin would act as a real hormone through receptors present in numerous organs, including the brain.
Furthermore, by modulating the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, it would regulate the production of the neurotransmitters serotonin, adrenaline, dopamine and noradrenaline, involved in the genesis of depression. It is therefore correct to think that a vitamin D deficiency can contribute to depressive development. A further clue is in the identification of receptors for vitamin D in areas of the brain where depression would originate “explains the Dr. Beatrice Casoni, psychiatrist and health director of the Neurocare clinic Bologna.
Sleep, depressive states and sunlight: the connection between these elements
A large study conducted by a group of researchers from University of Exeter Medical proved that moderate vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of developing dementiaexplains Dr. Casoni: “Depression, sleep disturbances and dementias are all linked and connected to each other: it emerged in fact that one of the first symptoms of a depressive state is impaired sleep and that in general sleep disturbances can aggravate an already present depressive state. Other studies have also confirmed that, by acting on the sleep center present in the hypothalamus, vitamin D would contribute to the regulation of the sleep-wake rhythm »explains the doctor.
The sun, in fact, and vitamin D regulate circadian rhythms, in particular the alternation between sleep and wakefulness, improving any depressive states “So much so that we psychiatrists recommend one increased morning exposure to sunlight and the evening darkening of the bright screens of our electronic devices for those suffering from sleep disorders »explains Dr. Onofri.
The importance of vitamin D for the body
Not just for brain and mood health: the synthesis of vitamin Dwhich occurs thanks to exposure to sunlight, it is a real cure-all for the whole organism.
As experts say, if taken with the necessary precautions, the sun is a real drug for the whole organism: “In fact, it is very good for bone and skin health. And when it is lacking, especially in winter when, among other things, the so-called seasonal depression occurs more, it is possible to resort to the use of supplements after evaluating the levels of vitamin D with a plasma dosage, only if there is an indication to part of their own doctor “concludes Dr. Casoni.
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