How to Sunbathe for Better Health

The sun has gotten a bad reputation. Sunbathing can improve your health by helping to reduce the risk of some types of cancer, helping you sleep at night, reducing asthma-like breathing symptoms, lowering stress levels and speeding up healing. This is because of the vitamin D produced by your body while you are in the sun. The best way to safely sunbathe is by following these steps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Sunbathe between 10 in the morning and noon during the summer. The sun is fully shining and not too hot during this time. This maximizes the benefits to your health.
2. Expose yourself to the sun mid-day during the winter months, between 2 and 4 p.m. in the afternoon. Since the days are shorter, the sun reaches its best potential for better health during those hours.
3. Work on your sun exposure gradually by adding a few more minutes each session so you will not end up getting a sun burn. Start at about five minutes and work your way up in five minute increments until you reach one hour.
4. Wear sunglasses when you need them, like for driving. But when you are sunbathing for improved health it is better close your eyes and let the beneficial lights seep in through your eyelids.
5. Avoid sunbathing between noon and 2:00 during the summer months. The heat will be too high and the sun will be more likely to cause a burn.
6. Use sun block when you will be out in the sun for extended amounts of time, to where there is little risk of you being burnt. Do no use it when you are working to sunbathe for your health and will be in the sun for an hour or less.

Tips & Warnings

• People who cannot get outside regularly need to equip their work areas with full-spectrum light fixtures.
• Try to get outside in the sun for at least 20 minutes, but ideally an hour for maximum health benefits.
• Experts recommend a minimum of 1,000 units of vitamin D a day. Most of us get about 200 from food, and an additional 400 from supplements. You can get 1,000 units of vitamin D by spending 10 minutes in the sun in the middle of the day with your arms and face exposed.
• Sunlight exposure following these guidelines can also help people overcome the winter depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
• Be aware of your skin type. If you are fair-skinned you should increase your exposure more gradually than those with darker skin.
• Do not look directly into the sun, as this could cause harm to your eyes.
• Limit sun exposure so that you do not get a sun burn. The burns are what can cause skin cancer.