English Version | Here comes the sun

The sun is no longer seen as a source of life, idolized as a divinity, to being seen as public enemy number one, blamed for uncountable ailments. But in its shadow, all its benefits are eclipsed.

We have become creatures of darkness. As if vampires, we hide from the sun for fear of disintegrating, or worse, of accelerating the (inevitable) aging process. Every year, before Summer starts, it's the same rigmarole: we are bombarded with not-so-subliminal messages ("avoid sun exposure at all costs"), leaving us with only one option - similarly to the titular character in Bram Stoker's Dracula, to take refuge in the shade. However, until two, or three decades ago, the narrative surrounding sunlight was completely different, valued for its cleansing properties and used to treat a myriad of ailments, from psoriasis to tuberculosis. We look back with the anachronistic superiority of those who know best, a product of the scientific progress of our time, but, just as we did in the past, we are approaching a reckless extreme. In the shadow of information overload, and with the consequent preoccupation, we eclipse the benefits the sun has, sheltering us from its contributions to our well-being. 

We, like most living beings on the planet, evolved under the sun, with trees as our only shelter from its exposure. This constant presence in our evolutionary process has contributed, according to Sarah Chellappa, a neuroscientist at the University of Cologne in Germany, to the sun’s role as the "regulator" for our bodies. As she points out, "our bodies depend on natural light to stay healthy - our eyes and skin need to be exposed to the sun for our brains to function optimally." The Brazilian expert, who also serves as a member of the Board of Advisors of the Center for Environmental Therapeutics [an independent, non-profit professional organization dedicated to education and research on new environmental therapies] elaborates, "Sunlight improves sleep quality, reduces stress, catalyzes the production of vitamin D (essential for the health of our bones), and strengthens the immune system." These advantages are not necessarily surprising, even being expected benefits, but, certainly more unexpected, is the role it may play in weight loss, which, according to Chellappa, is verifiable when "individuals combine morning exposure to sunlight with, for example, physical activity."

While the physical benefits are encouraging, especially in terms of contributing to the much-desired "Summer body," most of the benefits the sun has manifest themselves in our mental health. These benefits are directly related to how the sun affects hormone production in the body. According to Sarah Chellappa, "sunlight improves our mood and emotional well-being because it increases the level of serotonin in our body." If its name is completely foreign to you, serotonin is, in layman's terms, the happiness hormone, charged with regulating our mood, sleep, appetite, and even our emotional well-being. But this is not the only neurotransmitter that sunlight has control over. According to the neuroscientist, the sun's sovereignty over the psyche is explained by the influence it has on our biological clock. Also known as the circadian rhythm, the metaphorical clock Chellappa alludes to is responsible for regulating our hormones so that we are "more alert during the day when exposed to light, and less alert during nighttime hours, when high melatonin levels arise and core body temperature levels are low." Much of our physical and mental well-being depends on how well we obey, or not, our body's natural rhythm. It is imperative we set our watch to the correct time, something that, as the specialist informs us, is possible through daytime sun exposure, which aids in "hormone production, appetite, body temperature, brain waves, and cell regeneration."

We sing praises to the sun, but its harmful effects cannot be overlooked. The warnings that we are given every year as soon as temperatures rise high enough to turn the beach into an oasis for the overheated are scientifically valid. In addition to the catastrophic way it catalyzes skin aging, through the damage ultraviolet radiation causes to its elastic fibers, solar radiation can be truly deadly. The relationship between the sun and skin cancer is more than proven: the sun's rays, imperceptible to the human eye, can provoke cellular damage. These microscopic deteriorations happen when radiation goes beyond the surface barrier of our skin and alters our DNA structure. The cellular mutations are, as is common knowledge, more likely to happen due to the infamous sunburn. In Sarah Chellape's opinion, this is the biggest sin in the way we expose ourselves to the sun and it largely contributes to the current narrative regarding solar radiation. According to the neuroscientist, the view of the scientific community is that, if one is careful, the benefits of the sun are overwhelming compared to its dangers. As the scientist reports in an interview with Vogue Portugal, "there is a growing number of scientists that are concerned that efforts to protect the public from excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation are eclipsing the most recent scientific findings that prove the many health benefits of exposure to sunlight."

Avoiding sunburn is not exactly groundbreaking advice. But as Chellappa points out, ensuring healthy sun exposure goes beyond the predictable recommendations. Coupled with the imaginable strategies, such as "daily use of sunscreen, hat, clothing that protects against ultraviolet radiation," the expert stresses the importance of the time of the day we choose to expose ourselves to the sun, and reinforces that it is essential to "avoid being in the sun from 10 am until 4 pm, due to the higher risk of exposure to ultraviolet radiation." As with everything, timing is everything. Chellappa recommends sun exposure first thing in the morning, preferably without sunglasses since, that way, "it advances the circadian clock, stimulating the production of serotonin, the precursor of the hormone melatonin, essential for regulating our sleep cycle." In addition, he stresses, "if we don't spend enough time outdoors, numerous health problems arise." The implications that lack of sunlight can have on human health are extensive, listing them is as terrifying a process as reading the side effects of a pill: cardiovascular risks, myopia, asthma, and insomnia, among so many others. In recent years, one of these consequences has entered the public consciousness, the dreaded seasonal affective disorder, ironically known as SAD.

According to Sarah Chellappa, "it is a form of depression caused by the change of seasons. It usually begins in late fall or early winter." The disorder mimics the symptoms of a depressive episode, and although they vary from person to person, they include lack of energy, changes in appetite, and reduced libido. The expert explains that the symptoms, even if mild, can become “severe." The problem, which originates due to reduced sunlight during the day, is so widespread that there are already artificial solutions, such as so-called phototherapy. Done only in specialized clinics, it consists of standing still for about forty-five minutes in front of a flashlight that simulates the spectrum of sunlight. While this solution may be useful, Chellappa warns that "there is no artificial light that replicates sunlight 100 percent."

The phenomenon is a problem for six months from now, something we shouldn't worry about during the summer. Still, even at the height of summer, we can be deprived of all the benefits of sunlight. For Chellappa, who researches circadian rhythms, this deprivation results both from the incorrect way we expose ourselves to the sun, as well as an inevitable consequence of modern life. "Despite all the benefits that sunlight has, it has been proven that we spend less than 5% of our time outdoors," recalls the neuroscientist. Beyond life conditions out of our control, the narrative that the sun is a public enemy frightens us into enjoying it in the reduced time we have to do so. This extremist consciousness exiles us from Earth's primary life source and, remoting to the previous analogy turns us into Draculas and Cullens. A new metaphor appears, replacing the mythological with the organic: let us think of ourselves as plants, the sun as an integral part of a healthy life. Let us not neglect the dangers of solar radiation, but temper them with the consciousness of the sun’s influence on our flourishing, in the absence of which withering becomes an inevitability. 

Translated from the original on The Sunny Vibes Issue, from Vogue Portugal, published July 2022.Full stories and credits on the print issue.