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One study done in Sweden found that completely avoiding sun exposure lowered life expectancy between .6 and 2.1 years, making it a bigger risk factor for death than smoking.
Sunlight is essential for longevity because it gives us vitamin D, which regulates our blood sugar and circadian rhythm as well as preventing the buildup of amyloids, a protein aggregate that leads to Alzeihmer’s. Vitamin D is so important that the author recommends taking it as a supplement.
No supplement can replicate the full spectrum of light humans need from the sun, however. When the sun’s ultraviolet B radiation hits our skin, it chemically converts vitamin D into its sulfated form, which makes it easier for our bodies to use.
For the best results, the author recommends ten to twenty minutes of UV light exposure daily. Plus, if you get out in the morning before the sun is at its most powerful, you can skip wearing sunscreen.
Artificial light sources like white LED bulbs and our smartphone and computer screens have increased our exposure to blue light to unhealthy levels;
Blue light suppresses your ability to produce melatonin, a hormone that regulates your sleep cycle, leading to poor-quality sleep and an increased risk of developing cancer. It also creates excess free radicals in our eye cells, which damage our eyesight over time. Most pressingly, blue light exposure in the evening triggers a spike in glucose levels, causing high blood sugar and increased insulin resistance that can lead to weight gain and even type 2 diabetes.
From 8:00 p.m. onward, dim the light in your home or office. Ideally, you should limit your screen time after dark, but you can also install apps such as f.lux or Iris that automatically adjust the color of your computer or smartphone screen. You can even take it a step further by wearing TrueDark glasses, yellow-tinted glasses which filter out blue light. In the author’s experience, you’ll need to field a few jokes from coworkers and friends. But you’ll outlive them in the long run.
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