You probably know that the sun is the best source of it vitamins D and that no food or supplement can withstand this large orb of light. You skin is able to produce this important vitamin itself under the influence of sunlight. How do you get as much vitamin D as possible from sunlight in a healthy way? We figured it out for you.
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Outwards
Your body needs direct sunlight to produce vitamin D. If there is glass, plastic or plexiglass in between, it blocks the UBV radiation that your body needs for the production of vitamin D. That means that you really have to go outside for a healthy dose of this vitamin.
When we sleep at night, we go through four different sleep stages.
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This way you stay in a deep sleep longer at night and you wake up more energized
Clean Air
Your body can produce vitamin D more easily in a clean air environment. Soot, nitrogen, ozone and particulate matter absorb the UVB rays of the sun, leaving less for your body. So on sunny days, seek areas for clean air to be able to produce as much vitamin D as possible.
Look up the altitude
In the mountains where the air is clean and thin, chances are you will get much more direct sunlight than if you are at sea level or in a valley.
At a higher altitude, make sure you do not burn or apply a good sun cream to your body to prevent burns. In this article you can read 10 facts about sunscreen that you probably didn’t know.
As much skin surface as possible in the sun
The more skin is in the sun, the more vitamin D you can produce. Clothing can block UVB radiation. As soon as the weather permits, it is best to keep bare legs, arms and more bare body parts.
Depending on your skin tone, 30 minutes in the summer sun in a bathing suit can provide the following amount of vitamin D3:
- Dark skin tone: 8,000-10,000 IU (or 200-250 micrograms)
- Tinted skin: 20,000-30,000 IU (or 500-750 micrograms)
- Light skin: 50,000 IU (or 1,250 micrograms)
In general, your body needs at least 10 micrograms of vitamin D per day to stay healthy. If you are over 70 years old, have a vitamin D deficiency or suffer from osteoporosis, then you need more vitamin D.
Your body stores the vitamin D it does not need immediately. The moment your body needs more vitamin, it converts the stored vitamin D into the active form. Your body can also store it for a while and release it from storage, depending on your body’s needs. So you could say that you can store a supply of vitamin D in the summer for later.
Take advantage of the midday hour
When the sun is at its highest, the sun power is strongest and you can produce vitamin D more easily. However, you also burn more easily, especially if you have fair skin. That’s why it’s important to always use an SPF. Are you going into the sun without protection? Then this can only be done for a few minutes without consequences.
Depending on the amount of pigment in your skin, you can be unprotected in the sun for a certain number of minutes with 40 percent of your body around noon:
- More pigment (dark skin tone): 15-30 minutes
- Less pigment (lighter skin tone): 3-15 minutes
If you are sensitive to the sun or if you are taking medications that increase your photosensitivity, it is better to spend less time unprotected in the sun or use a good sun cream. And if you go out in the sun for longer, it is therefore important to apply a good sunscreen.
A sunscreen with SPF 30 absorbs up to 98 percent of the sun’s UVB rays. As a result, you will still receive a little UVB radiation. In this articlel you can read about the difference between a sun cream with SPF 15 and SPF 30.
Most people do not lubricate their skin so well that the sun cream provides optimal protection. As a result, your skin will probably come into contact with more UVB radiation in practice. If you want to maximize vitamin D production in the skin with sunscreen, you can do this by spending extra time outside.
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