How to make up for the lack of sun for the human body. All recipes for lack of sun

Here comes last month winters. In many ways, it is the hardest. On the one hand, it's still cold. On the other hand, this is still a very dark month, and people are noticeably tired of this darkness, which is seriously injurious to health. Residents of the northern countries have long known about this, but now they have begun to talk about the problem of light deficiency in relatively southern Britain.

Polls have shown that about half of Britons believe they have little natural light in their workplace. They are burdened by the fact that they come and / or leave work at night. All this is no joke - this is the loss of millions of hours of work time per year due to an ailment called "seasonal affective disorder" (SAD).

Living in the dusk

The fact that the northern climate with its lighting conditions leaves a special imprint on human health has long been known. Back in the 6th century, descriptions of Scandinavia spoke of the gloominess of the locals. Many have heard a line from Petrarch, who lived in the 14th century: "Where the days are cloudy and short, a tribe will be born that does not hurt to die." For the inhabitants of Italy, both the south of Britain and Denmark are already a cold and dark North.

By and large, the point here is not the temperature, although this is also important, namely the “north” of residence. The further north, the shorter the days in winter, the longer the dark time of the day. By the way, London is located at the latitude of Kursk. So if in London they were already concerned about the influence of a short daylight hours to health, then the Muscovites and everyone who lives to the north, God himself ordered.

Also pay attention to the word "cloudy" in Petrarch. Low, dense, stratus clouds are a typical sign of both Russian and Scandinavian winters. This winter in Siberia is sunny, although frosty. But we don't. And these clouds reduce our daylight hours by another hour and a half. This "under the blanket" weather is simply depressing. Gray life, in a gray city, under a gray sky...

Such a color scheme acts depressingly at the subconscious level. And it's not about architecture - we miss the blueness of the sky and the light of the sun

And exactly 30 years ago, in January 1984, the phenomenon, called "Seasonal Affective Disorder" (SAD), was described by Norman Rosenthal from the National Institute mental health. He noted that the syndrome is characterized by recurring depressions that occur annually. People with SAD are sleepy, tend to overeat in general and carbohydrate foods in particular, and gain weight easily. At the same time, their condition changes with a change in the latitude of the place of residence and climate. In the worst case it might be marked decrease levels of vitamin D, which leads to a weakening of the immune system, bone fragility, and a decrease in testosterone levels in the body of men, and therefore to impotence. And all these troubles due to lack of light...

The light that is not

In addition to visible light, which reaches us in winter for only 4-6 hours, its ultraviolet component is of great importance for the human body. In certain doses, ultraviolet is useful for our body: it stimulates immune system, helps to develop valuable vitamin D. Only here is the problem - for example, in Moscow, ultraviolet does not reach the surface of the earth from about the last ten days of November until the end of January. And only now, on clear days, the detectors began to capture it, but still it is still 0 points on a special scale of UV radiation intensity.

In St. Petersburg the situation is even sadder - there " biological night” lasts from mid-October to early March. In principle, everyone can follow the situation on various meteorological sites that provide information on the intensity of the UV flux. But it's not just ultraviolet, unfortunately.

We just don't have enough light. Bright summer light. Normally for the human body (and these are southern countries), melatonin is produced in the dark, which is also called the sleep hormone, and in the daytime - serotonin, the hormone of joy and activity. This system is millions of years old, and it has the iron logic of life. Nature, however, could not take into account that we would literally run (by the standards of evolution) from southern countries to the northern limits.

As a result, both in winter and at the peak of summer in our northern latitudes, a person experiences severe stress - however, various properties. And if in the summer we only need to close the curtains tightly at night to ensure healthy sleep, then in winter everything is much worse - the mechanism of daily rhythms is completely deranged in our country. And the reason for this is the wrong lighting.

Wrong light

Ideally, we should sleep in a dark room and then spend the day in natural light. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the majority of the population lived this way, even in developed countries. However, rapid urbanization and the development of electric lighting have caused our normal circadian rhythms to break down.

We illuminate our apartments and cities by no means with natural light. Radiation in the yellow part of the spectrum does not really help the production of serotonin - this is the light of the evening, a signal that you need to get ready for bed. Lighting with incandescent or sodium lamps high pressure(street yellow-orange light) knocks them down in the morning: we start to “warm up”, and the signal is about the evening.

During the day, we can find ourselves many times in different rooms where we will use various sources light - with a maximum in both the yellow and blue parts of the spectrum. The body gets a bunch different teams and eventually starts to fade.

The issue of lighting is very important - there are still no ideal lamps. Habitual fluorescent lamps can be of a different spectrum - storekeepers often save money and buy those that are cheaper. "Daylight" lamps - long tubes - are specially marked: for example, MANUFACTURER L18W/840. 840 is good. But 640 is already a violation of the norms, the radiation spectrum is too bad. I recommend more about labeling lamps - since this topic is very extensive. I will only note that it is best to use powerful incandescent lamps (which are no longer produced), halogen lamps or lamps for lighting. good producers. Cheap consumer goods will eventually come out sideways to you. Look at your lamps - perhaps it makes sense to buy high-quality lamps yourself, because this is your health.

Light treatment

If the right light is not enough, then it must be added. This is the basis of light therapy. Finland and Sweden, which are considered among the darkest countries in the world, have long practiced enhanced lighting. To do this, install special lamps, the light of which is maximally optimized for natural. These lamps are placed at the workplace, at home, where you relax or eat, and even in a cafe - while you are meeting with friends, you are healing along the way.

In Swedish Umeå, special panels of lamps were installed even at bus stops - in order to take care of city dwellers.

However, nothing can replace natural light. Therefore, it is very important to be in the sun for at least half an hour every day, or at least an hour for a walk in cloudy weather in an open area. At the same time, the main thing here is not to walk, but to look. If you have a terrace, a balcony, large windows - move your table so that when you look up from the screen, you see the flow of daylight.

We ourselves are able to help each other. Clothing in black, gray and white only exacerbates the situation. Just in winter you should dress brightly. Particularly preferred colors are yellow, bright green, blue. Even a rich red will also be good.

The white color of the room is the basis. Now here you need to arrange and decompose bright, colorful objects.

And finally, the design of the premises. Ideal - sea white color, which will be diluted with bright, saturated color spots. In Finland, a trend is now developing to combine bright "Mediterranean" colors in a classic white interior. A white interior is also more light for our eyes, it is an expansion of space, it is a stimulation of the whole organism.

Thus, there are quite physiological ways to deal with the SAD syndrome, which should not be underestimated. The lack of light depresses almost all functions of the body, including the destruction of the psyche. We must fight this, since there are recipes, and then the world around us and we in the world will feel much better.

Short daylight hours, vitamin C deficiency and lack of sunlight cannot but affect the state of health and the state of the body during the period winter cold. Scientists believe that, first of all, such conditions affect the change hormonal background.

This is due to insufficient production of such important hormone-like substances. V human body like dopamine (wake hormone) and melatonin (sleep hormone).

The problem is that with a shortage of sun for long period time, an incorrect ratio of these hormones can be observed: usually in winter, melatonin is produced in large quantities, while dopamine in the body is critically lacking.

This fact largely explains the reason sleepy state most people during the winter months. Activity is significantly reduced, sleep problems appear, and with a lack of sun, health and general state. People begin to get tired faster, observe apathy and depressed mood, which are often accompanied by poor performance.

In addition, as the researchers suggest, the lack of sun has an adverse effect not only on the hormonal background, but also on many other body systems. First of all, short daylight hours affect:

internal biorhythms;
natural processes of skin renewal;
immunity;
vitamin D production processes that cannot function normally with a lack of sunlight;
endocrine system;
cardiovascular system;
reproductive function.

Who suffers from sun deficiency the most?

Poor health in winter period, associated with changes in hormonal levels and lack of sunlight, is most often observed in following groups patients:

elderly people;
children and teenagers;
patients suffering from chronic insomnia;
women of different ages.

Statistics show that the female population is more affected by the lack of sun than men. Increased production of melatonin and scarce state wakefulness hormone in the body also affects the sexual female hormones, so women very often face such unpleasant symptoms during the winter season as:

frequent dizziness;
headaches and migraines;
fatigue for no reason;
constant state of drowsiness;
increased appetite;
depressed psychological state;
tendency to apathetic state;
reduced performance;
excess weight gain.

How to deal with lack of sun?

Scientists advise not to despair and to seriously deal with overcoming this problem, in no case succumbing to an apathetic state. To do this, they propose to be guided by a number simple rules, which can help restore the body, even if the lack of sun has been observed for quite a long time:

Competent organization of the regime. It is necessary to go to bed and wake up at the same time every time so that the body can get used to it and no longer experience a feeling of lack of sleep. Sleep is advised by experts 1-2 hours before 12 noon.
Proper morning wake up. To make the morning rise much easier, you can use eleutherococcus, lemongrass or aralia, taking them sutra on an empty stomach. Also in the winter season, with a shortage of sun, instead of coffee, it is recommended to take drugs that can regulate the balance of melatonin and dopamine in the body. For example, drug "Melaxen" helps not only to gradually improve general well-being but also psychological state.
Searching for sunlight. Try to spend as much time as possible on fresh air under the sun as soon as it peeks out. Some experts are convinced that the lack of sun is easily overcome by traveling to warm countries during the winter period. You can also sign up for phototherapy procedures, which will also help temporarily replace natural sunlight. For this, special white light lamps are used.
Improved mood and increased activity. Herbal preparations , which include St. John's wort, have a beneficial effect on nervous system and have an antidepressant effect.

Do not forget about taking additional vitamins with a lack of sunlight. In autumn and winter, many patients often experience beriberi. Restore your diet by focusing on orange-colored fruits and red and orange-colored vegetables.

The value and benefits of sunlight, its effect on the human body cannot be compared with anything! It is only through sunlight that we can properly use our eyes.

Thanks to the rays of the sun, vitamin D is synthesized in our body, which, in turn, affects the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Sunlight also affects our mood, lack of sunlight can lead to a breakdown, depression, apathy and a general deterioration in human well-being.

The human nervous system is formed and develops only under conditions enough sunlight. Sunlight can stop development infectious diseases, being " natural antiseptic". It is able to kill some fungi and bacteria located on our skin. Sunlight affects the number of red blood cells in our body, increases hemoglobin.

How does the absence of the Sun affect the state of our body?

Compensate for the absence of the Sun only with food and vitamins will not work, you need the right balance of nutrition, daily routine and active walks in the fresh air. More about this from a medical point of view:

The value of light hitting the retina is great. It launches many physiological processes allowing the body to stay active. The main action of sunlight is the stimulation of serotonin and the suppression of melatonin production. Excessive activity of melatonin in winter has a depressing effect on the body, causing drowsiness and lethargy. Exactly the same effect can be observed with a decrease in the light flux due to strong and prolonged cloudiness.

In cloudy summer conditions, it is very difficult for the body to recover from a long winter. winter depression- a common phenomenon, the cause of which is a reduction in daylight hours, a lack of sunlight.

Daily regime

To support the body in conditions of low light activity, it is necessary to observe correct mode day. The pineal gland (pineal gland) is responsible for circadian rhythms and the production of melatonin, so a well-structured sleep and activity regimen will help nerve cells cope with the lack of light. You need to sleep in the dark, and stay awake in the light. If at the same time you also balance the diet, then the chance to spend the summer fully, despite the weather, will be higher.

In nutrition, a competent ratio of proteins and the “correct” fats of Omega-6 and Omega-3 groups is necessary. unsaturated fats unlike saturated ones, they lower the level of cholesterol in the blood, which is why they are called “correct”. Sources of omega-6 unsaturated fatty acids in the body are vegetable oils: olive, sunflower and linseed. Omega-3 fatty acids are found mainly in fatty fish, pumpkin seeds, soybeans, walnuts and dark green leafy vegetables. Most people consume too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3. The optimal ratio of fatty acids: Omega-6 - 80% and Omega-3 - 20%. It turns out that you need to eat 1.5-2 kg of fat sea fish every week. Not surprisingly, modern diets are often deficient in omega-3s. IN general diet nutrition should be about 20% fat, about 30% protein, and the remaining 50% carbohydrates.

It will not work at all to saturate the body with serotonin with the help of products, since in pure form it is not contained anywhere. You can compensate for the lack of products containing the precursor of serotonin - tryptophan: cheese, rabbit or chicken meat, cottage cheese, eggs, dark chocolate, fish, nuts, seeds, etc. Sweets can stimulate the production of the hormone of joy, but there is a danger of exceeding the amount sufficient for the production of serotonin . A selection of sweet seasonal fruits will be helpful! The use of fast food and the general overload of the diet with “wrong” fats and fast carbohydrates will negatively affect the state of the body.

Light therapy

Medicine in the fight against seasonal depression offers light therapy. Light therapy is the use of sufficiently bright rays, which, unlike direct sun rays do not contain ultraviolet light. Due to its powerful optical properties, polarized light is able to act directly on intracellular functional parts. This accelerates the processes of metabolism and synthesis of substances necessary for normal life. As a result, the tone of all tissues increases, immunity increases, regenerative properties become much better, and disease-causing processes are inhibited or even eliminated. Light therapy is used not only for seasonal depression, but also for late sleep syndrome, desynchronization biological clock associated with a sudden change in time zones.

Vitamin D

Separate role in development depressive disorders assigned to vitamin D, which is involved in protein metabolism nerve cells. Its deficiency leads to oppression nervous processes and the development of symptoms such as decreased attention, memory, fatigue, drowsiness. The sufficiency of this vitamin stimulates the production of serotonin and dopamine, which are responsible for good level nerve cell activity. It is worth noting that the synthesis of vitamin D does not depend on daylight hours, but on ultraviolet rays.

Despite important role vitamin D is strictly forbidden to prescribe it on its own. Excessive use has toxic effects and requires hospitalization. Finding out about the deficiency and determining the right dose of vitamin D is possible only by the results of a blood test. It is also necessary to be careful about the use of vitamin-mineral complexes, since an overdose of such drugs is no less dangerous than a deficiency.

It is important not only to eat right and give the body enough time to rest, but also to add walks and physical activity to the daily routine. They will have a positive effect on well-being, the state of blood vessels, which also suffer in adverse weather. Active walks in the fresh air activate the production important hormones and neurotransmitters. Required for the production of serotonin physical exercise regular exercise, prolonged hiking, good rest and even fond memories.

Sunlight plays an even greater role in plant life and oxygen production on our planet. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the Sun for all the inhabitants of the Earth. It is not for nothing that for many millennia our ancestors honored him as God, who gives life to all living things!

All living things on Earth, including humans, are constantly under the influence of our heavenly body - the Sun. And, despite all the benefits of civilization we have achieved, first of all, electricity, we still get up and fall asleep according to the Sun. Our general well-being and simply the state of the soul depend on its rays.

This is most noticeable in those periods when, for the sake of economic gain, we are forced to move the clock forward or backward an hour. or in winter time of the year. Many of us immediately feel the consequences of such changes.

How does sunlight affect human health?

The most valuable thing that gives sunlight to a person is ultraviolet. It makes our immune system work - but, just in the autumn-winter period, many begin to get sick when there is little light. During these same dark seasons of the year, many people gain excess weight, since the lack of ultraviolet radiation negatively affects our metabolism. In winter, people are more sleepy and indifferent, and in summer, on the contrary. Because bright sunlight increases efficiency, and its lack lowers it.

Surely many had to feel bad in the fall just because at this time there is also a lack of sun. And this is not surprising. The fact is that in sunlight, the human body produces the hormone serotonin, and its second name is the hormone of activity. It is produced during daylight hours and is regulated by the intensity of the light. This hormone regulates our sleep and keeps us alert. Therefore, many experts suggest that the causes of most depressions are not personality problems human, but a simple lack of sunlight.

Lack of ultraviolet radiation also affects our skin. For example, in winter, with low light, the skin begins to itch and peel off. This happens due to a violation or cessation of the formation of vitamin D in the body.

In winter, more than ever, holes in the teeth begin to form.
There is even an opinion that the lack of sunlight has a bad effect on human vision.

How to make up for the lack of sunlight for a person?

Tip #1

Walk more. But remember: only walks during daylight hours will benefit. To gain the “solar” norm necessary for a normal existence, it is enough to expose your face and hands to the sun for 10-15 minutes a couple of times a week. By the way, it is useless to sunbathe in a solarium in order to replenish the reserves of ultraviolet radiation. The artificial sun cannot replace the real one.

Tip #2

Let the light into your home. Wash the windows (dirty ones block up to 30% of the light) and remove tall flowers from the windowsill (they take 50% of the sun's rays).

Tip #3

Vitamin D stores can be replenished with food. Chief Assistant- Fatty fish. The largest number(about 360 units per 100 g) of vitamin D is found in salmon. It is rich and Omega-3 fatty acids, which also help support heart health and suppress different kind inflammation. But even absorbing loading doses vitamin D, you need to walk - in order for it to be absorbed.

Tip #4

The activity hormone - serotonin - can also be obtained from foods. It is found in dark chocolate, pineapples, bananas, apples and plums.

Tip #5

It is useless to fight drowsiness - it is better to surrender to it. Peak drowsy state- from 13:00 to 17:00. At this time, it is better to take a nap in a chair for 15-20 minutes, and then wake up cheerful and healthy. A short rest perfectly restores working capacity. Plus, every hour you should be distracted from work and rest for 5 minutes.

Tip #6

You can enhance the synthesis of hormones with the help of physical activity - during training, their increased production occurs. Half hour intensive exercise stress increases the concentration of "happiness hormones" by 5-7 times. By the way, in the gym you can solve another winter problem - a breakdown. There is evidence that one of the reasons for this phenomenon is a lack of movement.

Lack of sunlight adversely affects:

* skin regeneration, hair growth

* mood

* immune system

* performance

* cardiovascular system

* hormonal status

Neutralize Negative consequences will help:

* walks

* sports training

* good sleep

* meals including fish, fruit and dark chocolate

6 678

Do you feel more tired in autumn? Do you have (even more) difficulty getting up in the morning? Are you depressed, do you often catch a cold? When the seasons change, many of us complain about poor health. Often this condition is explained by ... a lack of sunlight. We suffer not only from an excess of sunlight, but also from a lack of it. Why?

The sun governs biochemical processes in organism. The sun is not active enough in autumn, and without ultraviolet radiation the reaction leading to the synthesis of vitamin D is impossible. This vitamin affects the immune system and mood. In addition, vitamin D improves the body's susceptibility to magnesium, the lack of which leads to deterioration physical condition, insomnia and increased anxiety. People who complain of fatigue and autumn depression most often actually suffer from a lack of vitamin D.

What to do? Vitamin D levels can be partially replenished with animal products. “Vitamin D refers to vitamins that can be both synthesized in our body and stored from outside. In any case, even if we actively spent the summer in the sun, the reserves may only last until the middle of winter. Therefore, vitamin D must come from food, explains Sergey Sergeev, nutritionist, member Russian Society medical elementology. - Its main source is fatty fish, more precisely, fish fat, Cod liver. Also sources of this vitamin are meat, egg yolk, milk. Natalya Fadeeva, endocrinologist-nutritionist, doctor at the MEDEP Family Dietetics Center, also advises including daily diet sea fish dishes with vegetables, as well as products containing a large number of calcium: sesame, cheese, cottage cheese, dairy products.