On pages This book will make you live longer (or at least better) (Bydos) Biologist and expert in neuroscience and human behavior, Tamara Pazos, advocates morning walking with exposure to natural light as one of the best health recommendations we can give to humans. “I’m talking about ‘Light Walks, Health Walks.'” Pazos explains that physical activity done outdoors where we receive natural light through our eyes and skin has many benefits for our health that affect the cellular level, the organ level, and even the general well-being and mood level. To the bus.
magazine Natural mental health Recently published a study, led by researchers at Monash University (Australia), is the largest study to date on light exposure and its impact on mental health: it included data from around 87,000 people from the UK Biobank. The research concluded that people who are exposed to large amounts of light during the day have a 20% reduced risk of depression. A similar reduction in risk has also been observed in other mental disorders such as psychosis, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Conversely, study participants who were exposed to large amounts of light at night saw a 30% increased risk of developing certain mental disorders.
“Today, humans defy our biology and spend about 90% of the day indoors under electric lighting that is very dim during the day, and very bright at night compared to natural light and dark cycles.” Sean Kane, lead author of the study and associate professor at Monash University’s School of Psychological Sciences, In this research. He added: “This confuses our bodies and makes us feel bad.” Once people understand that their light exposure patterns have a powerful impact on their mental health, they can take some simple steps to improve their health: The simple practice of avoiding light at night and seeking brighter light during the day can be both an effective and an ineffective method. – Pharmacological methods to reduce serious mental health problems.
Tamara Pazos highlights an additional benefit of walking early in the day: it helps adjust our circadian rhythms. “When the brain receives information about dawn coming through the eyes, this signal acts as a time stamp that tells our organs that this is the first moment of day and coordinates hormonal production for the rest of the day, including night. If we are exposed to the first light of day throughout the week, our internal clock “It works at the specified time, thus helping us to be active during the day and secrete the appropriate substances for rest at night.”
Supports this reversal Jose Angel Robinho, a nurse, neuropsychologist and member of the Neuropsychology and Cognition Research Group at the Balearic Health Research Institute, believes that neither the general population nor medical professionals are aware of the importance of light and its effectiveness in modulating and synchronizing biological rhythms. “Light is a luminous synchronizer and is considered the most important of all synchronizers, even above non-light synchronizers, such as a regular meal schedule, the type of food eaten, physical exercise, social relationships, and the routine itself.” Argues.
As the expert explains, exposure to natural light early in the day leads to an effective inhibition of melatonin secretion and, at the same time, a greater availability of serotonin during the day, a neurotransmitter “responsible for stabilizing and regulating mood and mood.” Emotions, among other functions such as immune response, appetite, sexual desire, and control of body temperature. However, Robinho highlights above all the relationship between lack of exposure to natural light and mood: “There is a bidirectional relationship between sleep problems and changes in circadian rhythms with cases of depression and anxiety.” Therefore, we must integrate resources such as natural or artificial light into the therapeutic approach for depression that helps enhance pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments.
For José Ángel Robinho, the general recommendation is to be exposed to natural light for at least 30 minutes (if possible, extend it to 60 minutes) in the early hours of the morning (between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.). ), which is the time when you get the best benefits from these walks.
This recommendation is valid for all age groups. In fact, since then Spanish Federation of Sleep Medicine Societies (FESMES) Recently highlighted the importance of boys and girls going to school: “The more physical activity in the morning, with exposure to natural light, the greater the amount of alertness neurotransmitters, and also the greater the amount of melatonin.” Neurotransmitters at night. In addition, school performance increases and episodes of behavioral problems in the classroom decrease.
Vulnerable group
However, the recommendation is particularly important in the case of older people, who, according to Cristina Nicolau Lobera, member of the UN Task Force, Chronobiology of the Spanish Sleep Society (SES)Finding themselves disabled makes them a vulnerable group: on the one hand, they expose themselves less to natural light by going out less; On the other hand, they experience physiological eye changes typical of aging, which makes them require a higher dose of natural light than younger people to get its benefits: “Sensitivity to light decreases physiologically with age (lens opacity). due to non-accommodating pupil, etc.) so light exposure should be greater than in young people to ensure that the above-mentioned ocular physiological changes do not interfere with light transmission to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (NSQ), the master clock that regulates melatonin synthesis and circadian rhythms.
The expert points out that this lack of exposure to sunlight translates into a greater number of sleep disorders in this group (insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness and interrupted sleep at night) that have an impact on good rest and, ultimately, on well-being while awake. In addition, he adds, it can also have an impact on the onset of mental health problems (anxiety, depression, etc.) and age-related cognitive decline, as light is the main synchronizer of circadian rhythms, especially the sleep-wake period. It has a significant impact on alertness and various cognitive processes, including attention, executive functions, and memory.
to Nicolau Lobera It is “essential” to advise the elderly to go out and expose themselves to natural light as much as possible. “It is recommended to take a walk at least once a day, ensuring good exposure to light and, if possible, encouraging outdoor activities, which promote socialization and exercise, two other important synchronizations of circadian rhythms,” points out the Neurophysiology member. From the Sleep and Biological Rhythms Research Group at the University of the Balearic Islands, who adds that at home it is advisable to keep windows with blinds, curtains or shutters open during the day and to complement them with good electric lighting of high intensity. “If possible, it is advisable to implement dynamic lighting systems in homes and residences (white light during the day and warm light as the night hours approach) to ensure not only good exposure during the day, but also the necessary contrast between light and darkness,” concludes the expert.
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