Can Sunshine Help with Anxiety?

Have you ever noticed that you may feel a little down during the winter months and better when summer rolls along? This isn’t just a coincidence. It’s a very widespread phenomenon in northern regions where winter is more prominent. And the main difference during winter months is shorter days and less direct sunlight. People also stay inside more due to the uncomfortable cold.

What has been found is that lack of sunshine contributes to depression and anxiety in many people. Depression and anxiety are typically comorbid, meaning that they occur together because they are caused by nearly the same chemical deficiencies. So now we know that actively seeking sunshine can help with depression and anxiety. There is even such a thing as light therapy for that very reason. Let’s explore more about what makes sunshine so beneficial for those with anxiety.

How the Sun Affects Your Body

As far as your mental health goes, the sun is important because it helps with two major things: Serotonin and Vitamin D. Serotonin is a hormone that produces feelings of calm and well-being. It’s a happiness hormone. Perhaps the most common method of depression and anxiety treatments is through SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) which increase the amount of serotonin in your system. 

Sunlight can actually help produce more serotonin in the body and it happens through the eye. When the retina is exposed to sunlight, it triggers serotonin production in the brainstem. So your levels can be higher when exposed to more sunlight. 

When your skin is exposed to the sun it also naturally produces Vitamin D in your body. For this reason many supplement with vitamin D during winter months. Vitamin D primarily helps with calcium absorption and bone strength though there are many more effects. Low vitamin D has also been correlated with anxiety. When there are shorter days and people are outside less during winter months, it can cause many to fall into seasonal depressive states.

Of course the sun affects more things in our bodies but these are just a few.

What is Seasonal Affect Disorder (S.A.D)

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression related to changes in seasons. It was first coined in 1984 by Norman Rosenthal, M.D. and colleagues at the National Institute of Mental Health. He described and defined the disorder as a type of depression that occurs regularly each year, in the Autumn or Winter, and remits in the Spring or Summer. It is distinct from major depressive episodes that occur at other times of the year, in that its onset and course are linked to the seasons. 

So it is common for people to have this type of seasonal depression which is brought on by less sun exposure and shorter days. Seeing this correlation was one of the ways we realized how important the sun could be for our mental health.

How Sunshine Helps With Anxiety

It has been said that sunshine is the best medicine. The sun has been shown to improve mood and reduce anxiety. Sunshine has been shown to help with anxiety mainly by affecting serotonin levels in the body. As mentioned, serotonin is a neurotransmitter that has a large impact on mood and emotions. The presence of serotonin in the body has been shown to reduce anxiety. Sunshine has also been shown to help with anxiety by increasing dopamine levels. Dopamine is another feel-good hormone that has a large impact on mood. 

One study done in Lithuania analyzed how sunlight affected feelings of well-being during different times of the year. They found that it had the greatest impact during the Spring months, probably due to the many months of winter leading up to it. It helped decrease feelings of anxiety, irritability, and lack of energy.

Another study analyzed hundreds of participants from the United States and India particularly in relation to workplace well-being and natural elements like sunshine. They found that direct sunlight was a dominant predictor of anxiety and indirect sunlight was a dominant predictor of depressed mood, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. In other words people were just happier and less stressed in work environments that had more natural sunlight.

Sunshine may also be able to help with anxiety by affecting melatonin levels. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate sleep and wake cycles. Sleep and wake cycles are very important in the way people feel. Being exposed to more sunlight throughout the day helps your brain recognize better when night comes and it’s time for sleep. That’s when you start to produce melatonin. Having a proper sleep cycle can help with anxiety and stress. When you are sleep deprived, your stress tolerance weakens.

And lastly, sunshine can also help with anxiety by affecting cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol is a hormone that is released when people are under stress and has many negative effects with prolonged exposure. Sunshine has actually shown to help reduce cortisol thus reducing the physical impacts of anxiety and stress on the body.

Conclusion

The sun has so many benefits as we can see here. We have evolved to need the sun and only recently has mankind started to spend so much time indoors. It’s no wonder that anxiety and depression rates are on the rise. Just like the rest of life on Earth, we need the sun. It gives life and as we’ve seen can even give peace in anxious times. So go outside more and get your daily dose of sun. You won’t regret it. Just don’t forget to use sunscreen.