While too much sun is harmful for your health, too little can mean you miss out on its potentially irreplaceable benefits.
When it comes to sun exposure, neither extreme is good. Instead, a balanced dose is likely the healthiest when it comes to catching rays.
“The ‘never go outside without S.P.F. 50’ approach treated sun exposure as if it were universally harmful,” said Dr. Lucy McBride, an internal medicine physician in Washington, D.C., per The New York Times.
Instead, “moderate, thoughtful sun exposure,” which will vary from person to person, may offer benefits we’re still discovering.”
The amount of sun exposure that is too much depends on factors such as age, health condition, and skin tone, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). All else equal, people with darker complexions can bask in the sun longer than those with fairer complexions.
However, it also takes darker skin tones longer to absorb sunshine. That means while people with fairer skin might burn faster, they can also top up their Vitamin D much quicker, meaning prolonged exposure is not necessary.
In terms of benefits, sunshine has been shown to help lower blood pressure, regardless of the temperature. One study in the Journal of the American Heart Association even tied moderate sunlight exposure to a lower risk of heart failure. Add this to the list of habits you might want to consider incorporating to help reduce the chance of heart disease.
The sun has also been linked to improved immune function, may offer protective benefits to the central nervous system, and can help improve symptoms in people suffering from eczema.
Of course, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
Too much time spent on the beach without protection can lead to skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in the United States. Almost 20 Americans die from melanoma daily.
“Everyone’s skin can be impacted by the sun and other forms of UV rays – regardless of their skin color,” said Dr. Shanthi Sivendran, senior vice president at the American Cancer Society, per the Independent.