Environment vs. Health: Too Little Sun Cause For Concern

More and more, it's becoming obvious that the state of the environment and our lifestyles play a major role in health. As people have shifted out of an agricultural lifestyle and moved into office jobs and other indoor work, a lot of new illnesses have appeared. News articles have been written on the effects of mold, "sick buildings", toxins in the materials used in construction that make it more toxic to be indoors than outdoors and also on how lack of sun exposure effects health.

This issue is a personal one to me. I'm still in my twenties, but I've had a lot of health problems. At one point I determined I probably wasn't getting enough Vitamin D (i.e. sun exposure), so I made a conscious effort to get at least 15 minutes a day, which is really the bare minimum for pale skin. Once again I'm faced with a health problem which indicates I'm probably not getting enough time in the sun each day. The specifics don't matter. My point here is that for many people, modern life is toxic. If you live far from the equator, during winter the only sunlight hours might be while you're at work. Sitting beside a window is not going to give the same benefit as going directly outside.

One also has to wonder what the impact is on children when they prefer to stay indoors with "screen" entertainment (video games, computers, TV, internet) rather than go outdoors. There is no doubt in my mind that having grown up during the time when these things were becoming more and more popular had various health impacts for me. My parents were right when they'd complain that I hadn't even gone outdoors on any given day. Now it looks like I will be pursuing an outdoor job so that I'll neither have to worry about this problem (and probably save myself a great deal of suffering in the long run) or about exercise.

Some of the diseases and conditions linked to lack of Vitamin D or sunlight, from Wikipedia:

Vitamin D deficiency is known to cause several bone diseases^[18] including:

• Rickets, a childhood disease characterized by impeded growth, and deformity, of the long bones.
• Osteomalacia, a bone-thinning disorder that occurs exclusively in adults and is characterized by proximal muscle weakness and bone fragility.
• Osteoporosis, a condition characterized by reduced bone mineral density and increased bone fragility.

Vitamin D malnutrition may also be linked to an increased susceptibility to several chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, tuberculosis, cancer, periodontal disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, depression, schizophrenia, seasonal affective disorder, and several autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes

To think things like cancer, depression and multiple sclerosis could be to a certain extent treated, slowed or prevented just by spending time outdoors during the day is at once good news and terribly troubling. It's not difficult to imagine that this may in time lead to changes in the workplace, including building construction and possibly not just coffee breaks, but also "sunlight breaks." It's also just another reason to make sure children are spending enough times outdoors and hopefully doing some nature appreciation at the same time.

As I mentioned before, this is a personal issue to me, and I take it seriously enough that I make sure to get out in the sun each day for at least 15 minutes. Some indicators that sunlight might be a factor included the fact that I had more trouble during winter with this condition and also when I was working at night and not going for regular walks during the day because I was getting enough exercise by other means (away from the sun). Even though it dawned on me gradually, it's mind boggling that something like sunlight could have such a big impact on my health. It just shores up my belief that if you live in a cold climate, you need to learn to enjoy it and exercise outdoors in it all year long.

Edit: Of course Vitamin D can also be found in foods, and people who can't get enough sun time should be sure to eat so that they get enough of the vitamin in their diet. Certain people (like me) may be more susceptible to Vitamin D deficiency due to other medical factors and should be especially careful to avoid deficiency.

Sphere: Related Content