The Sun's Healing Rays

 

The sun and I hadn't been friends since around high school when I began to have difficulty keeping cool in the heat.  As much as I loved the song Sunny and 75, a sunny and 75-degree day was too much for my body to handle.  As I hardly sweat, I would easily become overheated. I've since learned that this is common in individuals with mast cell issues.  If my salty skin is any indication, I also suspect I am a salt loser and quickly become dehydrated too.  

Some things I have found that help with staying cool:

• On moderately hot/sunny days, a spray bottle has served me well as "replacement sweat."
• On very hot days, a shirt designed to be wetted and retain the water has been very effective.
• Having sufficient water and snacks on hand is key. Gatorade and Powerade have worked well to recover from the sun but over time gave me headaches and reactions due to having so much sugar and dyes.  Salt or, if you can tolerate them, electrolyte packs like Liquid IV and LMNT seem to work well.
• Having understanding friends who turn back when you say you need to or find spots in the shade is a blessing.
• Being an introvert who doesn't mind reading or watching movies in A/C doesn't hurt either.

Despite my past relationship with heat and sun, when it was recommended that I try sitting in the sun to raise my Vitamin D levels this past summer, I was eager to try it.  Rarely were noninvasive therapies being recommended and this seemed manageable.  I had also recently read that the sun emits infrared waves similar to those used in infrared saunas.  Infrared saunas are one therapy that is used for chronic Lyme and coinfection patients.

I wanted it to be most efficacious so I looked up what time of day the sun's UV rays are strongest.  The answer I found was between 10AM and 4PM.  I began with just 5-10 minutes.  The name of the game is to go "low and slow" and work up from there.   But, when I tolerated that well, I got a little carried away and jumped to 30 minutes.  We were nearing Fall and I figured I should "make hay" while the sun shines. 

I experienced some strange symptoms after sitting in direct sunlight for 30 minutes.  First, of all things, my lungs HURT.  The feeling was like rocks turning to dust within my lungs.  They felt dusty.  I also felt fatigued and had joint pain (mostly in my hands).  I wasn't sure if the lung pain was a good bad thing or a bad bad thing.  Some cloudy days gave my body a break and I went to try it again.  The next time, I experienced the same symptoms, but they were less dramatic.  After a week or so of somewhere between 15 min and 30 minutes per day, I no longer hand lung or joint pain.  

I did also find that I was able to wake up earlier in the morning and wanted to go to bed earlier at night -- an adjustment to my circadian rhythm-- but that reverted to normal after a couple days. 

After a month and a half of daily (weather-permitting) sessions averaging 30 minutes in direct sunlight, never burning the skin, I was able to increase Vitamin D Hydroxy levels by about 14 units.  Taking my Vitamin D levels from the 30s to the 40s.  

I'm interested to hear if anyone else has had similar experiences.  My explanations as to what might have occurred are the infrared rays of the sun as well as the rise in body temperature caused some bacteria or fungal agent in my body to die off.  I'm happy to decrease the overall load on my immune system.  

Overall, sitting in the sun for an average of 30 minutes per day has been a very good experience. I really enjoy that time and expect that overall it has positively contributed to my mood. I find I am now able to tolerate the heat and sun much better overall as well.  

TLDR (Too Long Didn't Read)

• The sun's UV rays, which are necessary to make Vitamin D, are at their strongest between 10AM and 4PM.  The sun also emits infrared rays (among other rays).
• My initial response to sitting in the sun for 30 minutes was lung and joint pain.  These symptoms waned after additional exposure. 
• I'm now a sun-lover.