Importance of Sunlight in daily life
Sun – I love Sun and the different shades of Sun throughout the day. Sunrise is one of the greatest miracles to happen every day on this planet. The beautiful colors in the sky, the chirping birds, peace and tranquility all around – what a beautiful time it is! Watching the sunrise is a very big part of my life. I never miss watching Sunrise and Sunset. I was not like this before. It took me some learnings and experience to make watching Sunrise and Sunlight an important aspect of my life.
How did it start? My granny always told us to wake up early with Sun, but I did not listen to her. After my college days, I started waking up late and got into a bad routine because of all the freedom I got. I did not step out of my home till noon and did not get the first hit of sunlight. As time passed by, I noticed myself becoming cranky, irritated, and moody. Then I realized the connection between Sun and us, and I consciously started waking up early. I also started getting sunlight throughout the day.
My learnings about Sunlight: My grandmother always woke up early and asked us to do the same. How much wisdom she had! Our elders are naturally in tune with nature. Ayurveda, Vedas, religion, spiritual systems, and now even science – everything supports our grandmother’s wisdom. Later I learned about circadian rhythm and the connection between the Sun and us. Our body has an internal clock, and this internal clock is closely tied to Sun. Circadian rhythm is the Scientific reason as to why we need a lot of sunlight in a day.
I realized that there is a huge connection between our mood and our exposure to the Sun. Whenever I am more indoors and did not go out much, I noticed that I become moody, restless, and irritable. Even my productivity goes down, and the way I think is also different.
There are many benefits of receiving a sufficient amount of sunlight every day. It helps us stay energetic and younger. The skin becomes healthier. And not to forget the essential vitamin D. Best source of this vitamin is sunlight. Vitamin D is essential for our physical, emotional, mental health.
How do I incorporate exposure to Sun in my day?
Over the years, I learned to consciously get sunlight. Exposing ourselves to sunlight is not optional, as many of us think. It’s a need. So, below are some ways I incorporate sunlight in my daily life.
- I make sure my house is totally ventilated and gets a lot of light. I keep my windows open. My home has got huge French doors. I have designed my home in such a way that there is lots of sunlight at home. It’s sad that most of our offices, schools, homes are not designed to allow sunlight inside. It’s very important for us to get a lot of sunlight in the home.
- I make sure I get my first hit of Sunlight first thing in the morning. I watch the sunrise every day.
- I love watching the Sunset. It relaxes me and helps me wind down. My body gets the message that it’s the end of the day and time to relax. There is a difference between watching Sunrise and Sunset. When I watch sunrise, I experience brilliant white pinkish light around. During Sunset time, I experience the light is deep, warmer tones with a bluish ring around. It’s amazing how everything in nature is unique.
- Between Sunrise and Sunset, what we do during the day is also very important for our health and well-being. I get loads of sunlight in my office and home. In spite of it, every hour or two, I get out into the garden and walk around. I use that time to come back to the present moment or think about my work. I observed that these breaks help me become more alert.
- Between 1 PM and 3 PM, naturally, our body releases melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that relaxes us and makes us feel sleepy. That’s the reason why we feel sleepy during the afternoons. So, during the afternoon, I take 15 minutes of nap. But sometimes, I may have meetings and work because of which I can’t take a nap. When I don’t have the luxury to take a nap, I just get out and get the hit of sunlight for 3 to 4 minutes. With this, my sleepiness goes away, and I am recharged. My productivity goes up; my mood becomes better; I become more alert and energetic.
All life on earth is thriving because of Sun. We are the only ones who are not getting enough sunlight. Trees are happily enjoying the Sun. Animals are getting sufficient sunlight. Birds are out there. (It’s a different case with domestic animals which are tied to home like we humans).All species are getting sunlight except us. We have consciously done this to ourselves and are paying the price in the form of many modern-day lifestyle diseases.
Nature is designed in such a way that every being is dependent on sunlight, and human beings are no exception. Whether we know it or not, believe It or not, accept it or not, Sun and we are closely connected. The sooner we realize and accept it and fall in tune with nature, the better it is.
