The sun is an archetype familiar to all cultures. And nowhere is this symbol associated with negativity, it is always good, life, goodness. In a less global context, good health and well-being. Indeed, lying under the hot rays is good for both the body and the soul.
I love the sun! – this could be said by many. “More than anything, I like to wallow on the beach,” admits 32-year-old Anna. “I know that I risk getting a few new wrinkles, but I can’t deprive myself of the pleasure of soaking up the hot rays.”
Of course, there are exceptions: not everyone loves the sun. “Its bright light can irritate with some diseases, such as depression, alcoholism, organic brain damage,” says psychotherapist Natalia Bublik.
“But it is definitely useful. The sun’s rays affect the retina of the eye and activate the pituitary gland, which is responsible for the production of the hormones we need, including the “hormones of happiness” endorphins.
I recommend to all my patients who complain of depression, fatigue, unwillingness to communicate, to spend at least ten days a year at sea.
The sun awakens the receptors on the skin and fills us with energy, and also activates bodily receptivity. This also has a positive effect on interpersonal relationships: we get an additional chance to open up towards the other, while the cold encourages us to close.
For this reason, in the warm season, it is easier for us to make new contacts and make friends.
Become more cheerful
Sunlight affects us in a dual way: it calms, but at the same time increases efficiency. “We humans are solar beings, that is, sun-oriented,” says medical psychologist Andrei Chetverikov. We are evolutionarily adapted to daytime existence.
Night is the time of predators, cold, danger, fear. And the appearance of the sun is a signal to clear the alarm. The feeling of security that sunlight brings is familiar to almost everyone since childhood, when the morning dispelled the fears of the night.
But some feel it especially strongly: “I have bipolar disorder and take pills regularly. However, in the summer, I often approach remission and reduce the dose, ”says 36-year-old Muscovite Evgenia.
And the lack of light takes away the brightness of feelings, makes us more pessimistic and seems to lull us, even if it is not time for sleep. “When the polar night sets in for half a year, many complain of lethargy, unwillingness to do something,” says Svetlana, a resident of Naryan-Mar.
“And I feel it myself too: just to get out of bed, I need to make an effort of will.” It is not surprising that the ancestors of the modern northerners, the ancient Nenets, celebrated the arrival of spring as the main holiday.
They calculated when the first ray of the sun would appear over the horizon after a long period of darkness, climbed a high hill and rejoiced wildly when the distant outskirts of the tundra finally lit up with dawn.
warm the soul
But residents of modern cities spend less and less time outdoors and more and more under artificial lighting.
“The decrease in insolation affects us negatively,” Andrey Chetverikov answers. “There are many factors here: for example, a decrease in the production of vitamin D, which plays a large role in immune processes and, in addition, affects the absorption of magnesium by the body.
And magnesium deficiency leads to chronic fatigue, increased anxiety and insomnia. The sun and the daily rhythm associated with it also affect the synthesis of melatonin: this hormone, in turn, is involved in the synthesis of serotonin, on which our activity, including sexual activity, depends.
In addition, sunlight, in principle, starts the cycles of human activity, sets the rhythm. The leading sensory system is vision, we need light to navigate in space, to learn, to create, to act.
Lack of light depresses the nervous system, puts it into “sleep mode”. In northern countries and regions, there is even a concept of “winter depression”.
So St. Petersburg is not accidentally called the saddest city in Russia: the sky there is clear for a maximum of 62 days a year. But even in Moscow there are about 60 sunny days on average. Not enough! The children’s poet Genrikh Sapgir even wrote this:
The boring rain is pouring down.
Chizh fell asleep on the perch.
I’ll draw the sun and glue it to the window.
Let it shine on the window for you and me!
We miss the sun when it’s gone. But, being yearned, during the holidays we sometimes abuse it.
Take care of your skin
Women know: when sunbathing, it is important not to overdo it. A burn is not only ugly and painful, but also leads to a drop in skin tone, and consequently, wrinkles. In addition, there is a version that the sun’s rays can damage DNA and even increase the chances of getting cancer.
“I love the sun, but the doctor says that I have a high risk of developing breast cancer. However, I could not completely refuse sunbathing, although I now take them with caution. Quite a bit, otherwise longing will bite me,” says 34-year-old Lyudmila from Samara.
Scientists urge caution when enjoying the sun’s rays. According to some reports, exposure to ultraviolet radiation increases the risk of developing melanoma. But not everyone agrees with this.
Professor Michael Holick of the Graduate School of Medicine in Boston believes that tanning, on the contrary, not only does not increase the risk of melanoma and other skin growths, but is also beneficial due to the production of vitamin D in the body.
Therefore, Michael Holik advises exposing your arms and legs to the sun for 15-20 minutes at least two or three times a week so that there are no barriers between the skin and the rays.
It is best to do this at noon, when ultraviolet rays pass through the ozone layer and the concentration of vitamin D, which accumulates in subcutaneous fat, is maximum. As a result, even in winter you will not suffer from a lack of this vitamin.
avoid danger
How do you get the full benefit of sunlight while avoiding the risks? The answer is simple: to sunbathe gradually, not to spend the entire weekend under the sun, but to accustom the skin to the sun, not forgetting to use a special cream at first, choosing a protection factor that corresponds to the type of skin and its condition at that moment.
The direct rays of the sun are most aggressive from 11 am to 15 pm. During this period, northerners with delicate skin should not stay on the beach for more than 15-20 minutes. And it is safer to get a beautiful tan in the morning and evening hours.
Another non-obvious threat is reflective surfaces: they increase the effect of sunlight on the skin. This also applies to water bodies: water reflects light, so while swimming we sunbathe more.
In general, in the first days of your vacation, you should not stay on the beach for a long time. Then the skin will not lose its tone, and the cells of the epidermis, having been renewed, will become more elastic and healthy.
The beach as a treatment
Heliotherapy is based on the beneficial properties of sunlight.
The method has been known since antiquity, it combines the influence of pure sea air and the sun and brings visible results. It was actively used in Soviet medicine, when dispensaries were massively built on the sea coasts, and has not lost its relevance even now.
Heliotherapy eliminates congestion in the body, calms the nervous system, treats skin diseases (such as acne, eczema and psoriasis), accelerates wound healing and strengthens muscles, improves the functioning of the respiratory system.
Those who go just on vacation to the sea, and not to a specially equipped sanatorium, can practice heliotherapy on their own. The first part of it is sunbathing on the seashore. It is advisable to do this during the least hot hours of the day to protect the skin.
The second part is breathing. “It must be deep so that the air fills the entire lungs,” explains medical psychologist Andrei Chetverikov. Put your phones aside and look at the water. It blocks long-wavelength radiation, absorbing mostly red colors and leaving blue ones.
This color is an additional effect of color therapy, which also affects the nervous system, relaxing it. At the same time, the muscles also relax, and there is a chance to remove muscle clamps that accompany neuroses. I recommend a beach holiday for the treatment of the nervous system.