As we said, the sun improves our mood, why? At last the good weather is here and with it that wonderful feeling of comfort, well-being and happiness that the sun’s rays provide. It is important to remember that whenever we expose ourselves to the sun, however little, we must protect ourselves and not only during the hottest months but throughout the year. However, sunbathing moderately can bring us such beneficial things as:
- Improve our defenses
- Vitamin D, good for bones
- Regulation of melatonin and therefore sleep (will help us sleep better)
- Decreased blood pressure
- Some benefits for the skin, such as acne (yes, always with protection)
- And the last and most important, the improvement of our mood
Sun = happiness
As we said, the sun improves our mood, why? Well, because our behavior and mood depend to a large extent on the hours of light that our body receives, which is why, for example, at the beginning of spring we can feel restless, upset and more tired. The cause of this well-being with the increase in the hours of light is called serotonin, or what is also popularly known as the happiness hormone.
Serotonin, our great ally
There is a direct relation between this hormone and the feeling of happiness and wellbeing since it acts in the brain as a neurotransmitter, being responsible for pleasure, motivation and our mood in general.
Although this hormone is found in our brain, it has a greater concentration in the intestines exerting a regulatory function in the digestive process. Hence they say that the intestine is like our second brain.
It is very important to have this hormone well regulated, since otherwise it could cause a general feeling of discomfort and even small emotional imbalances.
How to increase seratonin levels
In order to maintain this hormone, we can carry out the following guidelines:
- Eat foods rich in tryptophan, such as bananas, cereals, soy or dark chocolate.
- Eat omega 3, which can be found in blue fish and nuts, for example.
- Exercise regularly.
- Carry out relaxation techniques.
- And of course, sunbathe.
