Too Little Sunshine as Harmful as Too Much

We all know that too much sun is a bad thing. Sunburns hurt, are very bad for the skin and can even lead to skin cancer, but getting too little sun is just as dangerous. Sunshine is a real life "miracle drug." The natural source of vitamin D is something our bodies need, but very few people actually get enough of it. One of the biggest problems is sunscreen.

Naturally most people use sunscreen to avoid being sunburned, but sunscreen also blocks the rays needed for the body to create vitamin D. That means all the sun being absorbed isn't providing the body with any benefit; in fact it can actually be harmful. Vitamin D helps prevent all types of cancers, but if sunscreen is blocking the vitamin D intake, then body is just absorbing sun rays (often a cause of skin cancer) with no vitamin D to counteract the effects. Sitting in a sunny window has the same consequences. The harmful rays that can burn your skin come through the glass, but the good vitamin D infused rays can't get through the glass. 


Skin tone also plays a role in how much sunlight a person's body requires. Unless you have the complexion of Snow White, just getting a few minutes of sunshine a day is usually not enough to fill the body's needs. The darker your skin tone is, the more sunlight you'll need to absorb the vitamin D (fortunately the darker your skin tone, the less likely you are to get sunburned as well.)

Lack of adequate vitamin D has been linked to cancers, diabetes, depression, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, poor bone health (the body needs vitamin D to help absorb calcium), and even decreased resistance the flu. However, it's best to get your necessary dose of sunlight in multiple short bouts of sun exposure rather than one long session of sunlight. This will help the body absorb its necessary amount of sunlight without leading to sunburn as sunburn can not only cause skin cancer, but also causes the body to lose vitamin D as well.