Anxious? Vitamin D and Sun Exposure Could Help

I can recall my first undergraduate course in biopsychology. Specifically, I remember when I first learned that an increased release of the hormone melatonin occurs during darkness and during the colder shorter-daylight days of winter. These are days when the positive emotional impact of bright warm sunlight exposure is reduced. Think about the differences in how you feel in the middle of winter when getting out of bed and going outside, versus when it’s mid-spring when you do the same. There is a scientific reason for spring fever and its opposite, the winter blues.

It was fascinating to learn how sunlight-influenced hormonal release could bring on sadness and sleepiness. Current research has focused on how anxiety is also connected to a scientific impact of the quantity of sun exposure.

Culture influences sun exposure and diet

Climate influences culture. In a recent study conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the hottest day of the year has been reported as 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and the coldest as low as 66 degrees Fahrenheit, culture, climate, diet, and anxiety were investigated (Fatme, Grant, Thomas, Al-Blooshi, & Karras, 2022). In such a hot climate as the UAE, sun exposure is a part of the everyday culture; but for women of Islamic faith in the country, much of their skin may be covered throughout the year. This can contribute to reduced sun exposure. For everyone, the extreme hot weather in general in the region can lead to increased sun avoidance. The culture of a UAE diet is also lacking in food fortified with vitamin D. Such socio-cultural and regional circumstances necessitate that the citizens intake vitamin D supplements.

Sun influences neural functioning and anxiety

Sun exposure alone is not enough for needed levels of vitamin D, which is vital for optimal functioning. In the research study, sun avoidance behaviors were found to be strongly associated with an elevated risk of generalized anxiety disorder among adult females in the United Arab Emirates (Fatme et al., 2022).

Although the current study was conducted with college women in UAE, we can all take heed that sun exposure and adequate vitamin D can protect us from anxiety. As we have just entered summer in the U.S., we can endeavor to sit in the sun or take a walk in the sunshine. Fortunately, it’s also easy to consume yogurt or a tuna sandwich while walking in the sunshine. While engaging in such activity, we don’t often think about our brains, but we should. The sunshine is good for our nervous system.

Think of vitamin D as a support worker for your nervous system. The neural messages that must travel from the central nervous system to the peripheral nervous system can optimally arrive at their destination when vitamin D levels are adequate to support their journey. So if you or someone you know is feeling anxious, and your diet lacks vitamin D, get yourself or the friend out into the sun to boost vitamin D. Serious clinical chronic anxiety, however, should be monitored and treated by a mental health professional rather than relying on diet and sun exposure.

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