It’s summer, and what better time to enjoy the sun? But before you indulge, here are a few things you should know to maximize the sun’s benefits and minimize its harm.
Sun: good or bad?
The sun is crucial for all life on earth, and in fact can be considered a nutrient, but too much can be a bad thing. Too little can be a bad thing as well, something many people don’t realize. Sunlight acts on the pineal gland in the brain, which produces melatonin, which in turn helps you to sleep well and to fight off cancer. Yes, too much sunlight has been linked to skin cancer, but too little has been linked to a higher overall incidence of cancer. Tanning too much can lead to aging and premature wrinkling of the skin. But too little sun can keep beneficial vitamin D (sometimes called the sunshine vitamin) from being produced and used by the body. Balance is the key here.
Ideally you will get enough sunlight but not too much. The closer you get to midday, the stronger and more potentially harmful the sun’s rays can be. The ideal would be to spend some time in the sun in the early morning, with no sunglasses (more on that later) and as little clothing as possible to maximize skin exposure. Such early morning exposure has the added benefit of setting your body clock so you are more likely to sleep well that night.
Some people are so paranoid about the harmful effects of sunlight that they avoid all sunlight if at all possible. They slather themselves and their children with high SPF (sun protection factor) sunscreen and wear sunglasses whenever they’re outside. This is not a good idea; read on.
Sunscreen
Your skin is a barrier, but it lets things that are put on it into your body. That’s the basis of medication patches and hormone creams. Sunscreen is no different; the chemicals in it enter your body, especially when reapplied every few hours as recommended by the manufacturer; the hot sun speeds up the process of absorption through your skin.
In addition, some sunscreen ingredients will block the UVB rays which promote tanning and burning but are needed for utilization of vitamin D, but don’t block the UVA rays that are linked to melanoma cancer. In fact, by allowing you to stay out in the sun a lot longer without immediate burning, sunscreens might be increasing your chances of skin cancer.
Some common sunscreen chemicals are worse for you than others; read labels and avoid these if possible. PABA, until recently a major sunscreen ingredient, has been in the news as being harmful or at least highly allergenic; many sunscreens are now labeled PABA-free. There are a number of other ingredients in many sunscreens that have been shown to be cancer-causing, or that disrupt the functioning of the endocrine system and hormones. This listing of ingredients is too extensive to publish here; search “sunscreen ingredients to avoid” online.
So what should you do?
- Limit your exposure to the sun, especially between 10AM and 3PM.
- Look in natural food stores or online for the safest sunscreen you can find.
- Use other methods of limiting your sun exposure: stay in the shade, wear more clothing and/or a sunhat, and use a beach umbrella.
Sunglasses
Sunglasses are used because many people’s eyes are sensitive to sunlight, and because of the belief that they will protect the eyes. Yes, they can help protect against some kinds of eye damage such as cataracts, but there’s more to be considered than just the eyes. Sunglasses limit the amount of light that reaches the pineal gland in the brain, and sunlight’s stimulation of the pineal helps the body to run properly. In addition, many sunglasses distort the normal color spectrum, making the light entering the eyes more green, brown, or yellow than what is intended to be used by the body.
Albert Schweitzer observed arthritis and cancer among an African population who were free of such diseases just thirty years previously. Although their diet and lifestyle hadn’t changed in that time, Western-style sunglasses became a status symbol and were worn frequently. These sunglasses-wearing natives developed Western diseases within one generation.
And what about sunlight sensitivity, the reason many people wear sunglasses? That sensitivity is often caused by the wearing of sunglasses in the first place. The muscles of the eye’s iris open and close the pupil to regulate the amount of light getting in, and the iris muscles of a habitual sunglasses wearer get a bit lazy and don’t do their job well, leading to light sensitivity. People who wean themselves off of sunglasses often report that their sunlight sensitivity has decreased.
The best way to approach the issue of sunglasses is to avoid exposure to sunlight during the middle of the day whenever possible. This approach will lessen both cataract-causing sun damage and the distortions of sunglasses. If you do choose to wear sunglasses, choose a neutral gray color.
Enjoy your summer…and do so safely.
