The absence of the sun affects the mood. The effect of lack of sunlight on the human body

Judging by the latest research, it becomes clear that a lack of sun allows people to suffer from depression much more often. Moreover, the disadvantage sunlight not only directly affects the human psyche, but also on the general physical condition.

Autumn and winter are short days

Yes, it is in winter and autumn that people most often do not receive enough sunlight. The days are getting shorter, the sun is no longer shining as brightly as in summer, so during this period you want to sleep more, your performance decreases and your mood is no longer so bright.

Vitamin D

If a person does not have enough sunlight, then the process of producing vitamin D slows down in his body. After all, it is he who allows calcium and phosphorus to be absorbed faster. As a result, immunity decreases Bad mood and irritability. Based on this, a person must look for an additional source of sun for himself in order to compensate for the losses.

Sunny days- guarantee of health

For wellness it is enough to appear under the sun at least once a week. Even the most busy people can afford it. You don't have to go far! You can simply go to an open window and put your hands and face to the sun. Don't miss sunny days!

Vitamin D foods

You can replenish the balance of vitamin D in the body with the help of certain foods. This element is found in fatty fish (salmon meat, sole and etc.). The fish contains a large number of unsaturated fatty acids, which reduce inflammation in the body and allow the heart to work in the correct rhythm.

Serotonin is the hormone of joy

Surely many people know that while sunbathing, in human body serotonin is produced. This is the substance that is responsible for good mood. It can be obtained from certain foods: dark chocolate, apples, bananas, pineapples, plums, etc. But you don’t need to lean heavily on chocolate, it’s better to give preference to fruits, since they also contain vitamins.

All living things on Earth, including humans, are constantly under the influence of our heavenly body - the Sun. And, despite all the benefits of civilization we have achieved, first of all, electricity, we still get up and fall asleep according to the Sun. Our general well-being and simply the state of the soul depend on its rays. This is most noticeable in those periods when, for the sake of economic gain, we are forced to move the clock forward or backward an hour. or in winter time of the year. Many of us immediately feel the consequences of such changes.

How does sunlight affect human health?

The most valuable thing that gives sunlight to a person is ultraviolet. It makes our immune system work - but, just in the autumn-winter period, many begin to get sick when there is little light. In the same dark seasons years, many people are gaining excess weight, since the lack of ultraviolet radiation negatively affects our metabolism. In winter, people are more sleepy and indifferent, and in summer, on the contrary. Because bright sunlight increases efficiency, and its lack lowers it.

Surely many had to feel bad in the fall just because at this time there is also a lack of sun. And this is not surprising. The fact is that in sunlight, the human body produces the hormone serotonin, and its second name is the hormone of activity. It is produced in daylight hours day and is regulated by the intensity of light. This hormone regulates our sleep and keeps us alert. Therefore, many experts suggest that the causes of most depressions are not personality problems human, but a simple lack of sunlight.

Lack of ultraviolet radiation also affects our skin. For example, in winter, with low light, the skin begins to itch and peel off. This happens due to a violation or cessation of the formation of vitamin D in the body.

In winter, more than ever, holes in the teeth begin to form.
There is even an opinion that the lack of sunlight has a bad effect on human vision.

How to make up for the lack of sunlight for a person?

1. In order to feel better in winter and autumn, first of all, you need to take walks on fresh air during daylight hours. To make up for the lack of sunlight, it is enough to walk for 10-15 minutes about twice a week, exposing your face and hands to the sun if possible. It is worth saying that tanning in a solarium can in no way help a person make up for this deficiency, because in a solarium, instead of a real sun, it is artificial.

2. in a good way to combat the lack of sunlight will be cleanliness in your home. For example, dirty windows delay the penetration of sunlight into the room by 30%. Therefore, keep your windows clean. Tall flowers on the windowsill take on about 50% of the sun. So, you need to place them in some other way.

3. Eat in the winter so that your body gets enough vitamin D. Eat plenty of fatty fish, such as salmon. Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, it helps the heart and is able to suppress various inflammations. But at the same time, do not forget to walk, because this vitamin is absorbed only under the influence of sunlight.

4. Activity hormone - serotonin, replenish with food. Eat more dark chocolate (but not at night), pineapples, apples, bananas and plums.

5. If in winter you often want to sleep during the day, then it is better to succumb to this temptation. If possible, get some sleep (15-20 minutes). This can be done even on the desktop. Such a short sleep can perfectly restore strength. Also try to be distracted from any work for five minutes per hour.

6. In winter, very often we are accompanied by a breakdown. You need to deal with it with physical activity, since experts say that this problem often occurs due to lack of movement. During physical work or exercise increases the production of hormones. So, for example, exercising physically for about half an hour a day, you can increase the concentration of happiness hormones by 5-7 times.

So, the cleanliness of the home, walks in the fresh air in daytime, physical activity, timely sleep, and balanced diet will help you fight the lack of sunlight in winter and survive the winter without health problems.

It just so happened historically that some people have to live where there is so little sun that it affects their health. Especially if nothing is done about it.

The most cloudy cities in Russia

In some cities of the Fatherland, the international sun delivers less light due to cloudy weather.

Number of cloudy days per year in some Russian cities:

1. Yakutsk - 223 days
2. Murmansk - 209 days
3. Yuzhno-Kurilsk - 194 days
4. Nizhny Novgorod - 182 days
5. St. Petersburg - 180 days
6. Moscow - 172 days
7. Ufa, Perm, Novosibirsk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - about 168 days
8. Kazan and Khatanga - 157 days
9. Kaliningrad and Saratov - about 140 days
10. Rostov-on-Don - 126 days.

Data: Russian State Hydrometeorological University / ngzt.ru

And here, by the way, on the contrary, are the sunniest cities in Russia, whose inhabitants, perhaps, may not read the article further from this place: Troitsk, Omsk, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Irkutsk, Krasnodar.

However, the closer to December 22 (the shortest day), the less sun becomes in the entire Northern Hemisphere, with sometimes serious health consequences.

Cause seasonal changes mood, well-being - a change in hormone production, directly related to the degree of illumination.

Sun deficiency affects: the cardiovascular system, the endocrine system, the reproductive sphere, the immune system, the nervous system, mood and biorhythms, the renewal of skin, hair and nails. In addition, with a deficiency of the sun, the production of vitamin D, one of the most important in the body, is disrupted.

Vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin D is largely synthesized by our body under the influence of direct sunlight (ultraviolet). Accordingly, the closer December 22 (or if you suddenly moved from Krasnodar to St. Petersburg), the less vitamin D is in your body.

A lack of this important vitamin can have serious consequences.

Increased risk of cancer . In 1980, Cedric Garland and Frank Garland published their findings in the International Journal of Epidemiology.A sufficient amount of vitamin D in the body significantly reduces the risk of colon cancer.. The assumption that sunlight can protect against cancer was first formulated in 1937 by Sigismund Peller and Charles Stephenson. Then, in 1941, they found that cancer mortality depends on the latitude of residence: the closer to the equator (the more sun), the less people dies of colon cancer.

Later, information appeared about the importance of vitamin D in the fight against other types of cancer. The numbers published in the review "Vitamin D for Cancer Prevention: A Global Perspective" by Garlands et al. are impressive. People who spent enough time in the sun or took calcium and vitamin D by mouth (1,100 IU of vitamin D and 1,450 mg/day of calcium) had a 50% or more reduced risk of prostate, breast, or colon cancer.

About a dozen mechanisms of vitamin D work on immunity have been proposed: the “sunshine vitamin” regulates growth, cell differentiation and apoptosis, inhibits vascular growth, has an anti-inflammatory effect, and some others.

Vitamin D deficiency and seasonal weight gain

Vitamin D deficiency is also suspected by scientists to be one of the reasons for weight gain (more precisely: one of the reasons for too many calories).

Vitamin D is necessary for the production of leptin, a special hormone that is responsible for the feeling of satiety during meals. If it becomes smaller, it is more difficult to satisfy hunger, ordinary portions seem small, a person begins to consume more calories and inevitably gain weight.

Scientists from Sweden conducted an experiment: they examined more than 100 fat people, 70% of which had a lack of vitamin D in the body. All participants in the study were prescribed it in the form of supplements, and after 2 months most of them began to lose weight - despite the fact that no one limited them in food.

How much vitamin D do you need and how to get it

In principle, a person who eats a varied diet, regularly and for a long time in the open air, should not be deficient in vitamin D. But that's the problem, that modern look life involves enclosed spaces and monotonous quick meals.

To get 400 IU of the vitamin, you need to eat 150 g of salmon or 900 g of cod daily.

However, we rarely eat oily fish every day and therefore we cannot do without the sun. And the further north you live, the more important it is for you to eat fatty fish, eggs, liver and catch the available Sun rays.

sunbathing it takes quite a long time. Here is one recommendation: 30 minutes in the sun every day. If you are sunbathing at a latitude corresponding to Spain or California, then 12 minutes of sunbathing per day with 50% of your body exposed will give you 3000 IU per day.

Can a solarium help?

Yes, but not any. Many lamps give a different UV spectrum, not the same as that of the sun - ultraviolet with a wavelength of A (320-400 nm) makes a softer effect on the skin, gives a tan, but poorly matches solar radiation. But the wavelength B (280-320 nm) is more in line with what is necessary for the production of vitamin D.

The proportion of emission of spectrum B waves by lamps is indicated in the characteristics of solarium lamps.
For example, the designation: UVB 1% means that of the total radiation of the lamp in the UV range, 1% is UVB. This value in different types lamps varies from 0.1% to 6%. Lamps with more than 4% UV-B radiation are used only in the USA and are not available for Europe.

Therefore, solariums are different for solariums and the amount of vitamin D obtained from a session depends on the characteristics of the lamps and does not directly correspond to the degree of tanning obtained.

In addition to tanning beds and oily fish, you can replenish some forms of vitamin D in the body with food additives, for example, in the editorial office of Zozhnik, such a jar is regularly used in the autumn-winter period:

Serotonin deficiency due to lack of sun

However, the lack of vitamin D is not the only disadvantage caused by the decrease in light in life.

The lack of light is associated with a depressed state of the psyche, with a tendency to depression. When light hits the retina, it sends to the brain nerve impulse: it's time to produce serotonin. This "hormone of happiness" has a calming effect, relieves nervous tension, relaxes and gives a feeling of pleasure.

You can stimulate the production of serotonin by eating turkey, bananas or chocolate.. These products contain the amino acid tryptophan, from which the hormone of happiness is produced. But in any case, the lack of light contributes to a serious decrease in serotonin levels.

In Moscow, the duration of the sunshine on an average December day is no more than 2 hours. In the room in the autumn-winter period, the light is 300 times less than outside on a bright sunny day.

Actually, the most effective method fight for serotonin - more light. AT northern countries(and in the days of the USSR for the inhabitants of the north) it is strongly recommended to use special lamps to make up for the lack of light in autumn and winter.

Light therapy is considered a natural method of getting rid of depression, with which you can significantly improve the condition. Moreover, for the inhabitants of the north back in the days of the USSR, health prevention with the help of light therapy was mandatory. And there are even special lamps for this:

The illumination of light therapy lamps is between 2,500 and 10,000 lux, which is equivalent to sunlight on a summer day. For a therapeutic effect, 2 weeks are enough, and the result of the session is felt after a few days of treatment.

The lamps can be used even during work, setting them at the right distance from the computer screen (during a treatment session, the lamps are usually placed at a distance of 30-40 cm from the patient). For the success of the treatment, it is recommended to conduct sessions in the morning in order to “recharge” with energy for the whole day.

However, you can do without a special lamp - just walk more on the street, even on a cloudy day, and less close from the light behind sunglasses.

Trouble falling asleep due to lack of sun

Another unexpected problem that many people face. Normally, in the evening, the body begins to produce the hormone melatonin, when its concentration increases, we feel a desire to go to bed. If it is not enough, we remain active and cannot fall asleep.

The mechanism of melatonin reduction in winter: its production requires not only darkness (before going to bed), but also light. The fact is that for the production of this hormone, the same serotonin is needed, for which light is needed.

All recipes for lack of sun

So, here is a list of "recipes" from the lack of sun in our body. And the more north and darker the situation outside your window, the more important it is for you not to ignore these tips.

1. Eat More Foods Rich in Vitamin D and Serotonin(and above all oily fish: salmon). As a last resort: use vitamin D supplements. Also click on foods that promote the production of serotonin: bananas, chocolate, turkey, apples, plums, pineapple.

2. Walk more and more often, exposing the sun to as much bare skin as possible.. But even in cloudy weather, walking is useful: the illumination is much higher than indoors and has a positive effect on you.

3. Go to the solarium, or better yet, fly to the sea for a couple of weeks in December-January. If not possible, just click on the items above.

4. Buy a light therapy lamp(but a ticket to the sea is still better).

5. Workout. Strength training also increases the level of serotonin that we need during the dark season.

Each person probably noted that depending on the weather, his mood also changes. For example, in rainy weather, thoughts come more melancholy, but it is very difficult to be sad in the bright sun. The influence of the sun on human mood was noticed hundreds of years ago, but in our time it is explained with scientific point vision.

It is worth noting that strong influence sunlight on emotional condition typical only for a temperate (and further to the poles) climate. At the same time, the inhabitants of the countries of the "eternal sun", i.e. the tropics and the equator do not experience such an influence. This is due to the fact that the equatorial zone of our planet and the territories adjacent to it receive approximately the same amount of sunlight throughout the year. But as you move towards the poles, the amount of light received (due to the tilt earth's axis) varies greatly depending on the time of year.

Why does a person need sunlight?

Solar energy performs two main tasks on our planet: it provides heat and stimulates biosynthesis. From school curriculum everyone knows such a process as photosynthesis, during the light phase (i.e. under the action of sunlight) which is absorbed by plants carbon dioxide and release of oxygen.

However, in addition to this global influence on the whole planet, the sun affects every single organism. So the lack of sunlight causes a lot of disorders in a person: the absorption of calcium decreases, the condition of the skin, hair and nails worsens, a general drop in immunity occurs, low mood and even depression are recorded.

The connection between sunlight and vitamin D

Many underestimate the importance of vitamin D, but it is he who contributes to the synthesis of the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase, which in turn is necessary for the production of the "hormone of happiness" dopamine, adrenaline and norepinephrine. With a lack of these hormones, the overall Vital energy organism, and in humans, respectively, the mood drops. Women are especially affected, whose vital activity is much more dependent on hormonal balance.

It is also known that just 15-20 minutes of being under the bright sun is enough for the daily amount of vitamin D to be produced in the body under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. However, from September to March in our latitudes there is a lack of sunlight, and therefore the concept of “ autumn blues and "seasonal depression" became commonplace.

lack of sun and depression

This is not to say that depression is specifically caused by a lack of sunlight. A depressive state develops against the background of a prolonged psycho-traumatic situation, however, due to a lack of sun, a person’s resistant functions decrease (both immune and nervous system), why a man more difficult to cope with emotional stress.

A depressed person becomes lethargic, apathetic, his mood is constantly lowered, former hobbies are no longer encouraging. Often this condition is accompanied by sleep and appetite disorders, and can further somatize, that is, develop into a full-fledged somatic disease. Therefore, if for a month or more you notice a constantly lowered mood and an apathetic state in yourself or a loved one, you should seek the advice of a neurologist.

Of course, providing enough sunlight will not cure depression, however, heliotherapy will still have some effect. However, in order to get rid of the disease completely, it is necessary to undergo treatment with a neurologist and / or a psychotherapist.

Treatment of depression in the clinic of neurology Aksimed

Treatment of depression is carried out by the following specialists: neurologist, psychotherapist, psychiatrist, psychologist. Of course, it is almost impossible (and sometimes very harmful) to self-diagnose yourself, therefore, with any more or less prolonged changes in mood, sensations, sleep and wakefulness disturbances for no apparent reason, etc., you need to contact a specialist.

Clinic "Aksimed" specializes in the treatment of a wide variety of neurological diseases and injuries of the nervous system. After a detailed and comprehensive diagnosis, qualified neurologists will be able to deliver accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

Treatment for depression is based on integrated approach, which includes - psychotherapy, drug treatment, physiotherapy and physiotherapy exercises. An experienced psychotherapist at the Aksimed clinic will help the patient determine the cause of given state and find ways to deal with the situation.

If the symptoms of depression are very pronounced and interfere with normal life, a neurologist may prescribe medication support (antidepressants, sedatives, vitamin therapy), as well as elements of physiotherapy (massage, acupuncture). And of course, healthy lifestyle life and proper nutrition, walks in the fresh air and sunbathing contribute to the prevention and faster disposal of depression.

Let's try to figure it out. Under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, the body produces serotonin and endorphins - the main "hormones of happiness". These substances have a positive effect on the processes of blood clotting, allergic reactions. If the hormones are at the level, you are guaranteed full of passion personal life, cheerfulness and good mood.

Helped us:

Tatyana Lurie
Cosmetologist of the Beauty and Health Center "White Garden"

To compensate for the lack of serotonin, many begin to seize grief sweet: carbohydrate-rich food activates the release of insulin, which stimulates an increase in the level of tryptophan in the blood. What's new here characters, you ask? Tryptophan is the amino acid from which serotonin is synthesized.. But it’s hard to call such a solution ideal: weight gain is usually upsetting. modern citizens, and the circle closes.

But that is not all. As we know from the biology course, when the sun goes down the human body begins to experience a lack of vitamin D(calciferol). The latter helps to strengthen the immune system, the skeletal system and tissues, helps to remove from the body heavy metals, makes it possible to assimilate other vitamins and minerals.

Under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, metabolism is activated, work improves circulatory system. The sun's rays affect the centers of the brain that control the reproductive and endocrine systems. The biologically inert nitrite NO3 is also released in the body and converted into nitrate and nitric oxide, which reduce blood pressure and reduce the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes.

The sun has an antibacterial effect, the number of acne, rashes decreases, wounds and cuts heal faster. Sunbathing is one of the best means for the treatment of rickets, osteomalacia, psoriasis, useful even with coronary disease hearts.

In general, after all that has been said, it becomes clear why we flutter so carelessly and feel good on fine days. It's a pity that in the cool season, when the sun's rays are moderately intense and ready to bring only one benefit, there are beautiful clouds and freezing rain outside the window.

What to do?

1. First, see a therapist. The doctor will assess your health and help you choose vitamin D supplement.
2. Try to highlight several hours a week for fitness(best outside). Long walks accompanied by invigorating blood music are also suitable. Physical exercise combined with fresh air- that's what you need for the release of endorphins and serotonin. It's ideal to complement sports activities with activity in the bedroom, but for this you have to wake up one more person from hibernation.
3. Sign up for a session at the beauty salon better course– about the duration, consult with a beautician) led therapy. Imagine: you are lying with a special mask on your face, and it glows either red or blue. These magical LEDs affect microcirculation and metabolic processes in the skin. This normalizes the work of the sebaceous glands, improves turgor, and wrinkles are leveled.