Vitamin D from Sunlight Shown to Boost Mood and Brainpower
June 4th, 2009
A GoodTherapy.org News Update
Pretty much everyone loves a comfortable stint in the sun, and the pleasure of being in sunlight is especially poignant after a long winter or rainy season. But the benefits of sunlight aren’t so fleeting; exposure to the sun allows the body to produce vitamin D, an important substance that’s essential for healthy functioning of the brain and the body. The benefits of vitamin D have been known for quite a while, but its dramatic impact on mental health has been extensively studied and exposed in a recent research project carried out by scientists at the University of Manchester. And as this substance plays such an important role in mind and mood, the study’s findings may help change the way therapy sessions are conducted. Published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, the study focused on the ability of vitamin D and its associated life choices –such as healthy exposure to sunlight– to boost everything from mood to memory.
The study has gained reliability through its use of a relatively large test group. Over three thousand men from various areas in Europe participated in the study, answering basic questions about their lifestyle, diet, and medical background. The participants were given a series of tests that focused on the many components of mental agility, and important component of which is mood. Results showed that those with higher levels of vitamin D were consistently more agile and emotionally stable than their lower-leveled counterparts. Interestingly enough, those participants over sixty years of age showed a marked improvement when exhibiting healthy levels of vitamin D, suggesting that proper intake becomes especially important later in life.
As the creation of a physical space that is welcoming and beneficial to sessions is a key component of operating a successful therapy practice, the implications of this study may be of note for many mental health professionals. While prolonged and direct exposure to the sun without proper precautions can be dangerous, letting in a little sunlight may help improve client mood and serve to benefit healthy functioning in the long-term.
© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Colorado Springs Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
16 comments so far
The other thing about getting enough sunlight is it helps your natural immune system against cancer. Substituting the vitamin D you get from sunlight with vitamin D from other sources does not give the same benefits to your body’s natural ability to fight things like skin cancer.
Yes ironically if you allow yourself to be sunburned repeatedly you do increase your risk of skin cancer, but equally by not getting enough sunlight you do the very same thing.
It’s not a difficult balance. You can easily get enough sunlight simply by going outside while the sun is relatively low for 10 minutes or so every day (before 11am and after 3pm in most places).
Living in the northwest can leave a lot to be desired when it comes to getting enough of the sun’s rays. When I first moved here I think I really did suffer from seasonal affective disorder but not just in the winter time- pretty much year round! I try to make it a point to get outside for a few hours every day regardless of the weather but there are definitely times that the weather makes that a challenge. I do take supplements as well but never feel as good when I can just get days and days of straight sunshine.
So maybe now all of the skin care gurus will have to come to see that some sun is actually good for you.
I love being outside and when I am in slump, I’ll go out for a couple hours and I absolutely feel great, relaxed and have more energy than i did before.
I have heard that wearing sunscreen can actually not only block the harmful rays of the sun but that they can also block out the benefits of vitamin d that you get from sunlight. Does anyone know if this is true? When you get conflicting messages like this it is hard to know which you are supposed to do. I know that the researchers are not proposing that you stay unprotected in the sun for hours at a time but it is common knowledge that too much time in the sun without spf can be dangerous too. Sometimes it really is difficult to know just the right ways to get that perfect balance.
getting direct sunlight for vitamin D to me seems more beneficial then the vitamin itself. I’d rather be outsided getting the D vitamin then taking some pill.
If Vitamin D is such a critical element than how come we are just now all getting to hear that? I swear it sometimes seems that that what doctors think we need changes from day to day so that it is difficult to always be able to keep up with it all. I am all for new and emerging information to give us all better and healthier lives but sometimes it really is hard to distinguish the bad from the good.
I have heard that Vitamin D was good for us many times over the past year. I am just now starting to hear it again, especially with direct sunlight. I have to admit… I feel so much better when I get out of my apartment where there is hardly any light and outside in the brilliant sun. Gives me that boost.
Just hope there continues to be an emphasis on the proven fact that supplements are never as good as the real thing.
All natural, baby, is always better than processed and canned replacements!
Have there been any studies that reflect what happens when people have too much vitamin d in the system or is something like this even possible? I know that it can be with other vitamins but I was not sure about the d variety.
I agree with you totally Monica! nothing better than the actual thing.
Good Ol’ sunshine. Knew there had to be something good about being out in it besides being worried about the rays.
Exposure to sunlight is important even to our skin. I didn’t really know it affects our mood and memory. This is good reference about the positive benefits of sunlight. Will save this for future.
Just one more reason why we have to get our kids out from in front of the tv and computer screen and get them some fresh air and sun!
The Canadian Cancer Society now recommends that everyone take vitamin D to prevent cancer. The site has good summaries of the data and offers a new preparation of vitamin D in a micro-pill formulation. The pills have been formulated with cellulose which absorbs water very quickly. This ensures that the pill breaks up very quickly to provide for maximum absorption. The micro pill is tiny and tasteless. Many vitamin D pills on the market have very poor dissolution properties resulting in poor absorption.