A few years ago, I found myself sitting in the shade of a sunny day outside my house, trying to get the sun out of my eyes.
It felt like a lot, and I was pretty sure I was about to burst into tears.
Sun bathing was a thing I’d tried a couple of times before, and it was a pretty cool way to get my daily dose of vitamin D. But I’d never been so excited about sunbathing.
Sunbathing was the most important thing to me.
But it’s time for us to stop.
It’s not for kids, it’s not a fun activity, it might even be dangerous.
As it turns out, sun bathing isn’t the best way to increase your vitamin D levels.
The problem is that there’s not really any evidence to back up the claims that sun bathing can increase your overall vitamin D status.
“I’m not sure that there is any real scientific basis to the idea that sunbathes will help you get more vitamin D,” says Dr Catherine Gazzaniga, a researcher in the Department of Dermatology and Skin Care at the University of Queensland.
“Most research is correlational, and so you have to be very cautious about interpreting the results.”
She says there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that sunbathers are able to boost their vitamin D, but there’s little evidence that these people actually get more sunlight in their skin, which can also be detrimental.
“If we want to really make sure we are getting enough vitamin D from our diet, we need to do more sun exposure to our skin,” she says.
“But this is a really difficult thing to do.”
Vitamin D is essential for the body’s production of collagen, a type of protein that is important for healthy skin.
But skin care is a tricky process, and there’s no standardised method of getting enough sun exposure.
Some people take sunscreens, which are a thick layer of sunscreen that’s designed to block the sun’s rays, or wear long sleeves or hats that shield the skin from the sun.
Others opt for a mask that’s also made of sunscreen, or try to reduce the amount of sun exposure they do by wearing long sleeves, hats and sunscreen.
For most people, there are no guidelines to follow to get enough vitamin d, so it’s up to you to decide what is best for you.
If you are planning to take part in sunbathed activities, make sure you’ve got enough sunscreen.
There’s plenty to get you through the day and there are plenty of places to go when you’re not feeling well.
For more information on sunbathe, see the Sunshine Alliance website.