I recently spent the weekend on the west coast of Vancouver Island in a surfing town called Tofino. It was a mini vacation filled with nature walks, beach cartwheels, and whale-watching adventures.

Time moved incredibly slowly.

I blink thinking of everything we accomplished and experienced in the 40 hours we were there. My time was divided in the opposite ratio to how it normally is. Mega outside time and itty, bitty, teeny, weeny bits of inside time.

And I tell you. I slept like a baby (who sleeps well). I am pretty convinced the two things are related.

Truth be told, we’re animals. Right? We’re supposed to be outside. A lot. I started to look into this a bit more and it’s totally a thing. (Which I already knew).

At the turn of the century (the previous one,) my predecessor naturopathic doctors used to treat their patients with very simple things: clean water, clean food, clean air and sunshine. In fact there used to be hospitals where the main treatment was sunshine, which was used to cure tuberculosis, cancer, and other serious diseases.

And while “heliotherapy” or sun therapy has been going on since ancient Greece, this practice has fallen out of favour because everyone is terrified of getting skin cancer. So they slather on sunscreen that is full of toxins. If you’re not convinced of this I implore you to go check out the Skin Deep Database compiled by the Environmental Working Group.

Besides all the toxic chemicals you’re applying to your skin, you’re also blocking the sun’s healing energy from reaching you.

Before you get your knickers in a knot, apparently only 0.1% of the total global burden of disease is related to ultraviolet radiation exposure, according to the World Health Organization.

A lot of the benefits of the sunshine are derived from vitamin D production in the skin.

9 Reasons To Pause Before You Slather on Sunscreen:

Sunshine:

1. Helps you sleep. I knew it! Because we are diurnal critters we are supposed to be awake in the daylight, and asleep in the dark. Our bodies are sensitive to light. The more light we are exposed to earlier on in the day, and the darker we can keep our sleeping chambers at night, the more melatonin our bodies will produce. Why? it seems that skin will produce serotonin when in the sunshine. Then, in the darkness, serotonin converts to melatonin. Hence you sleep like a baby.

2. Improves your mood. Remember that serotonin I just mentioned? It’s a feel good chemical. Gotta love that. Also Vitamin D does a good job improving mood. A really good job.

3. Can sooth your skin. Various rashes, skin diseases such as eczema or psoriasis, and even wounds can heal with sun exposure.

4. Reduces autoimmune disease. Ample sunshine is connected to decreased rates of multiple sclerosis and juvenile diabetes.

5. Can prevent cancer. But wait… doesn’t sunshine cause cancer. Au contraire. The Vitamin D and melatonin I mentioned above? One of our best antioxidants and cancer fighters.

6. Decreases blood pressure. Even just one exposure can do this.

7. Improves the immune system to fight off bugs. When sunshine doesn’t fill the vitamin D receptors in the skin, pathogenic organisms can enter the body. It’s like a natural disinfectant. Also, immune cells are mobilized upon sun exposure.

8. Supports the health of bone and teeth. Vitamin D helps calcium and other minerals get deposited into bone.

9. It can reduce pain. More natural goodies come from sunshine. Natural morphine-like molecules called endorphins.

Seriously. Sunshine is good stuff.

(Tweet it.)

Here is the best way to enjoy the sunshine:

Spend 3-30 minutes (depending on skin colour: more for darker skin) with 40% of your skin exposed just before the sun is at its highest.

Eating or juicing red, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables provides natural sun protection from the inside out.

Start building your base tan in the spring by exposing your skin for short periods of time when the weather is nice.

Include healthy oils such as olive, jojoba, coconut as part of your skin protection routine.

Find a good, natural sunscreen. Check in with the peeps at your local health food store. Apply it after you’ve allowed your skin to be exposed to the sun for a few minutes.

In the comments below I’d love to hear what your favorite natural sunscreen is. Then go outside.

Here’s to your sunny, delightful, thriving life,
Dr. Tonia

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PPS: Wanna know another way to improve sleep? Check out this article:
The Number One Secret to Sleeping 8 Hours a Night Like a Champ