How to Safely Get Vitamin D From The Sun

The human body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. Vitamin D also plays an important role in bone growth, bone healing, and immune system function. Learn the ways through which you can safely get Vitamin D from the Sun.

Admin Admin May 27, 2021 1352 0

Vitamin D is one of the most essential nutrients that our body required to perform various different tasks and to keep our different body organs in good condition and healthy. The human body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. Vitamin D also plays an important role in bone growth, bone healing, and immune system function.

The sun is one of the best sources of vitamin D for the human body. Numerous factors affect how much vitamin D a person’s body can make from exposure to the sun, such as time of day, geographical location, skin color, and wearing sunscreen. This vitamin is made from cholesterol in your skin when it’s exposed to the sun. That’s why getting enough sunlight is very important for maintaining optimal vitamin D levels.

The sun is your best source of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is the only nutrient that our body makes with the help of sun rays. You should know that is why Vitamin D is also known as “The Sunshine Vitamin”.

When human skin is exposed to sunlight, it makes vitamin D from cholesterol. The sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays hit cholesterol in the skin cells, providing the energy for vitamin D synthesis to occur.

We all know that Vitamin D is important for our human body to maintain optimal health. The main this is that it helps in absorbing calcium and phosphorus. These are the two important minerals that are significant for maintaining strong and healthy bones.

The low vitamin D levels can cause various health issues like: -

Osteoporosis
Cancer
Depression
Muscle weakness
Death

Following are the people who may find themselves at the risk of vitamin D deficiency: -

older people
people with darker skin
people who are obese
people with kidney or liver disease

Here is the time duration for different skin color people should be exposed to sun rays: -

15 minutes for a person with light skin
a couple of hours for a person with dark skin

What is a healthy level of Vitamin D?

If you’re having blood drawn for your annual check-up, ask your doctor to test your vitamin D level. On your lab report, here’s what your number means.

Below 30: Deficient. Talk to your doctor about supplements.
30 to 50: Generally inadequate for bone and overall health.
50 and above: Adequate (but more is not necessarily better).
125 and above: Too high (may have adverse effects).

How to safely get vitamin D from the sun?

Here are some tips you should use to ensure that you’re getting enough and safe vitamin D from the sun:
‍1. Pick the right time to bask in the sun - the sun between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., which is usually when you’ll achieve optimal vitamin D levels.

2. Be conscious of your skin type - lighter-skinned folks are more efficient at making vitamin D from the sun than darker-skinned individuals.

3. Expose more skin to speed up vitamin D production - Cholesterol is converted into vitamin D when your skin is exposed to Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays from the sun.

4. Short unprotected sun exposure can do you good - A typical sunscreen comprises a chemical blend that helps absorb, reflect, or diffuse sunlight, preventing harmful ultraviolet rays from reaching your skin cells.