“You kids need to go outside and get some fresh air and sunshine!”
-Mom
Of all the things that have popped out of my mouth on autopilot, and I then realize mid-sentence that I sound just like my mother because those are her words, this one is probably the one I’m most comfortable repeating. So, I do.
Get Outside!
We all need some fresh air and sunshine. For one thing, it feels good. For another, there’s science behind it. Studies show that spending a little time outside can reduce levels of stress and anxiety, reduce cortisol levels, and boost endorphin levels. Most people spend most of each 24 hours in a day inside. Think about it—how much time do you actually spend outside? Now, if it’s winter, and you live in a cold climate, I totally understand! But since there’s so much evidence for so many positive benefits, you might want to start being more intentional about getting outside.
Fresh Air
It’s important to get outside of the climate-controlled bubble where we live and work and breathe in the fresh air. Breathe in through your nose, and as you breathe out, feel your muscles relax and loosen up ever so slightly. You’re not just oxygenating your body, but also your brain! Also, when breathing in through your nose, your body releases nitric oxide in the nasal passages, and this tiny molecule has massive health benefits throughout the body. I’m going to have to write a whole blog post about nitric oxide eventually, but for now, just take my word for it!
Sunshine
Sunlight is an important part of my day for lots of really good reasons.
- Reset circadian rhythm
- Boost serotonin production
- Keep vitamin D levels up
Circadian Rhythm
Your circadian rhythm is the natural cycle that your body goes through in a 24-hour period. All sorts of bodily functions run on this cycle, but I think the most important for me has been in the context of getting a good night’s sleep. If you can get some bright sunlight within 2 hours of waking up, it will help “reset the clock” so that you will naturally feel ready to sleep at your appropriate bedtime. There’s some debate over how intense the light needs to be, how long the exposure needs to be, etc. For me, just 15 minutes of being outdoors in the morning seems to do the trick and keeps me on a regular sleep/wake schedule. Anything more than 15 minutes on the days I can manage it is just a bonus to my overall wellbeing!
Serotonin production
There’s another benefit of sunlight, mostly talked about in terms of the effects of the LACK of it. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)—appropriately named, I suppose—is a phenomenon that affects over 3 million people in the US during the winter months, when days are shorter and being outside in the sunlight is less frequent. It’s been studied a lot, and it’s been proven that light therapy (exposure to bright full-spectrum lamps) works to relieve symptoms. If you live in a place where there’s just not enough sunlight in a day, or you are headed to work in the dark and then coming home in the dark and the only light you get is in the office, then you might want to get yourself one of the full-spectrum lamps available. Ideally, you need 10,000 lux for about 15 minutes coming toward your face from a slight angle to get the full benefit.
But why? How does this work? I mean, there’s all these SAD people, and then they expose them to light, and they start feeling better? That’s crazy, right? It turns out that exposure to very bright light, like sunlight or light from a full-spectrum light therapy lamp, actually triggers serotonin production in the brain. I’m no scientist, nor a medical professional, but…IF all those medications that are intended to treat depression are supposedly helping to balance/maintain serotonin levels in the brain, doesn’t it seem like supporting your body’s own production of serotonin would make sense? I mean, there’s some argument over how those meds work exactly, and whether they’re truly as effective as they claim, and even further argument over if in fact a “imbalance” is the true problem with depression, so maybe boosting your own serotonin levels with light therapy isn’t exactly a straight line to freedom of depression symptoms…but what if? I mean, if otherwise “normal” people feel less sadness with light therapy, then why can’t I apply that to my depression symptoms? Even if it’s only a 10% reduction, that’s something, right?
Vitamin D
Your amazing body manufactures its own vitamin D. Yep, that’s right, it’s so vital to your normal body functions (everything from assisting with calcium absorption to facilitating normal immune system function) that your body can manufacture its own supply. Technically, it’s not a vitamin, it’s a hormone, and your skin makes it when exposed to sunlight. Although depression isn’t caused by a lack of vitamin D (and therefore can’t be “fixed” with vitamin D), there’s enough research to show that people with depression often have low levels of vitamin D. And the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are shockingly similar to depression. It stands to reason that if you already have depression, the last thing you need is MORE of those symptoms, so making sure you’re getting the vitamin D your body needs just makes sense.
If you don’t want to do a blood test to check your vitamin d levels and don’t want to take a supplement, try to just get outside around midday a couple of times a week and expose some skin—no sunscreen! Your face, neck, arms, legs are all perfectly capable of producing this vital element at no charge. Be careful, though. Obviously, you don’t want to get a sunburn. It doesn’t take long to start the vitamin D production process, and it’s important to get out of the sun BEFORE your skin would start to burn. A little bit goes a long way. You can even use an app to help you calculate the amount of sun you need and remind you to get out of the sun before you burn! (There are a number of different apps available for this!)
So, that’s it! A general overview on why fresh air and sunshine can be a helpful hack for managing depression. What do you think? Have you noticed a boost in your mood when you make an effort to get outside during the day? Let us know in the comments below!
