Sunlight - can it affect blood pressure
Sunlight is the source of all the energy in the world. Sunlight is used by plants to produce chlorophyll. Plants are eaten by animals and us and used as energy.
But can sunlight also help reduce your blood pressure?
Most people tend to avoid the sun. Our reasons vary, from the belief that it can cause cancer to the fact that we will get tanned.
When we go out in the sun, we put on loads of sunscreen to protect our skin, lest we age prematurely.
Our jobs do not require us to toil in the sun anymore, as most of us are desk bound and indoors.
But sunlight plays a vital role in regulating the pressure exerted by your blood as it flows through your arteries and veins.
When your skin is exposed to sunlight, it produces nitric oxide. The nitric oxide then enters your blood stream.
It is well documented that nitric oxide plays a role in opening or dilating your blood vessels. When this occurs, your blood flows more freely, lowering your blood pressure.
Blood pressure, simply put, is a function of a liquid (blood) flowing through a pipe (arteries) and the force exerted given the volume and thickness of the blood and the diameter of the arteries or veins.
So, for example, if the arteries dilate, more space is available for the blood to flow, even if everything else remains constant.
Nitric oxide is extremely useful as it helps dilate your arteries.
If you wish to expose yourself to sunlight, the best times are in the morning and evening. Yes, your morning or evening walk will do.
If you can, wear clothes that do not reflect too much of the sunlight and instead allows your body to absorb the rays.
Remember, overexposure is not a good idea, as there is such a thing as too much sunlight. Personally, I walk or cycle in the morning.
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