Just 10 to 30 minutes of sunlight provides vitamin D, boosts your mood and may even help you sleep better

The Beatles once sang, “Here comes the sun / The smiles returning to their faces / It seems like years since it’s been here.” The famous foursome captured what we all know to be true: A sunny day just makes you feel good (especially after a long, cold winter!)

And it’s not all in your head. Sunlight plays a role in your overall health and well-being, says family medicine doctor Charles Garven, MD. So, it’s important to figure out how to benefit from those rays while also protecting yourself from the damage that too much sun can do.

“In general, you typically need much less direct sunlight than you might think,” Dr. Garven notes. “But even 10 to 30 minutes of sun exposure on bare skin can start to impact levels in a positive way.”

Dr. Garven outlines the specific benefits sunshine can bring, plus how much of it you need each day and how to soak it up safely.

Vitamin D is an important nutrient that is required by the body for several important functions. Vitamin D helps in bone development and maintenance. It is also crucial for the nervous system, musculoskeletal system and immune system. There are different ways to get vitamin D, however, the best way to get this important vitamin is through sun exposure on your skin. Other ways to get vitamin D are through food and nutritional supplements. 

However, people are often confused about how much sun exposure they need to get enough of Vitamin D. Read on to know how long you should sit in the sun. 

Your skin has 7-dehydrocholesterol which helps absorb ultraviolet (UV) B radiation and converts it into previtamin D3. This then isomerises into vitamin D3. To get the required amount of Vitamin D, you should have sun exposure from somewhere around 5 to 30 minutes a day, most days of the week, says NIH. 

Vitamin D is known for improving bone health, boosting immune function, and improving mood. A new study suggests brain health can be added to that list—as vitamin D supplements may reduce the risk of dementia by 40%.1

Research indicates that one essential vitamin could make all the difference in cognitive decline and brain longevity: vitamin D. 

According to an observational study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, older adults who increased their vitamin D intake were 40% less likely to develop dementia. The study also learned quite a bit about how individual factors (e.g., demographics, genetics, behavior) play into the equation.

While most known for its role in bone and immune health, vitamin D touches pretty much every system in your body. And studies consistently show that poor vitamin D status is linked to type 2 diabetes1, heart disease2, and inflammation. (It's estimated that 41% of U.S. adults3 are vitamin D insufficient). 

New randomised control trial illustrates the effects of vitamin D supplementation on Major Depressive Disorder, and finds possible neural explanation.

Now that shorter days are here (at least in the UK), many of us will be taking additional vitamin D until sunny days return. Vitamin D, which our bodies create upon exposure to sunlight, is important for both our bones and maintaining a healthy immune system.

Recently, though, research has extended our understanding of this vitamin's potential benefits. Work has linked a deficiency in this vitamin with an increased risk of developing Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and some studies have suggested that supplements may help reduce symptoms.

There has been a lack of gold-standard randomised controlled trials to investigate the effects of supplements on patients over time, however. But in a new paper in Psychological Medicine, Wenming Zhao Anhui Medical University, China, and colleagues report just such a study.