Blame it on the sunshine! This hot spell has left us sweltering but did you realise the sun makes us frisky, ditzy and we can even get ADDICTED to it?
- Britain is enjoying the current hot spell but the sunshine has some side effects
- These include boosting everyone's sex drives and increasing male testosterone
- However, you need to take care as you may end up addicted to the sunshine
Do you feel a little as if you have taken leave of your senses this week? You’re not alone. The unprecedented spell of hot weather hasn’t just left us sweltering — it has prompted a host of other effects too.
THE MOOD FOR LOVE
When the sun is shining, your body starts to make more of a chemical called melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH). It’s responsible for the production of melanin, which gives you a tan and has also been linked to higher sex drive in women, says Aly Dilks, a sexual health expert at The Women’s Health Clinic.
And levels of testosterone — the male sex hormone — rise in men with more vitamin D, which is produced in the body after exposure to sunlight. One study found an hour of sunshine can boost a man’s testosterone level by 69 per cent.
The sun makes most people happy but it can also, surprisingly, make them more frisky (file photo)
SENSITIVE SMILE
Prolonged exposure to the sun can hurt your teeth, as well as your skin. ‘If you’ve had your teeth whitened sunshine can make them more sensitive,’ explains Dr Mervyn Druian of The London Centre for Cosmetic Dentistry. ‘This is because whitening treatments are activated by UV light, so if you’re exposing your teeth to sun after whitening, this can trigger the reaction again.
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SAVING FACES
Low doses of sun may help heal acne — at least temporarily. UV rays can have antiseptic effects by breaking bacteria’s molecular bonds, which can relieve symptoms such as redness. But there’s can be a nasty side effect of spending too long in the sun — a condition called actinic keratosis, scaly patches of skin that never fade.
ON THE BRIGHT SIDE...
It can also help us live longer as avoiding the sun can be as harmful to our health as smoking (file photo)
The sun can help us live longer — a recent study found that avoiding the sun can be as detrimental to health as smoking. The research on 30,000 women over 20 years found life expectancy for those who avoided sun was as much as 2.1 years shorter than for those who spent a lot of time outside. Women with higher sun exposure were at a lower risk of diabetes, multiple sclerosis and heart disease.
CUT BLOOD PRESSURE
If you’re prone to high blood pressure a sunny day might be just the ticket. Exposure to sunlight causes a chemical called nitric oxide, naturally present in skin, to be absorbed into the bloodstream. This causes blood vessels to widen by relaxing the surrounding muscle and thus lowering the pressure says a 2014 study by Martin Feelisch, professor of experimental medicine at the University of Warwick.
EASIER TO DIET
Heat lowers our appetites, according to a U.S. military report published by the Institute of Medicine. ‘Raised serotonin levels associated with sunshine seem to affect the hypothalamus gland, which helps to control our metabolism,’ says nutritionist Rick Hay. ‘This leads to decreased feelings of hunger.’
TUMS ON TOP FORM
It also leaves us happier, healthier and more relaxed as our digestion is better, our blood pressure is lower and we ache less (file photo)
There could be a correlation between sun exposure and good digestion. Paul Nison, author of The Daylight Diet, claims when sunlight hits the optic nerve, this generates electrical impulses that are transmitted to our nervous system, which tell the body to produce enzymes involved in digestion. Any excuse for a long lunch al fresco.
EASING ACHES AWAY
Research suggests that the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis is lower in sunnier climates. Scientists at Harvard School of Public Health found that women living in the sunniest areas were 21 per cent less likely to have developed the disease than those who got the least sun.
The link was only found in older women, maybe as younger women use more sun cream. Reduced risk of disease is linked to the body producing more vitamin D.
TURNING HAIR CURLY
Another interesting effect is that the sun can cause our hair to go curly and wavy thanks to increased humidity (file photo)
A hot day could turn straight hair wavy thanks to increased humidity. ‘When there’s more moisture in the air, some of those water molecules bond with the proteins in your hair. This leads to a temporary change in the hair’s structure, causing it to curl or frizz,’ says Craig Taylor of Hari’s Hair Salon in London.
MAKE UP YOUR MIND
Feeling indecisive? Scientists think hot weather makes us ditzy as the body uses more glucose, or energy, reserves to cool down so there is less of it to support our brain’s function. A study asked two groups of people in different temperature rooms to identify grammatical mistakes in an article. Those in a room at 67 degrees identified twice as many mistakes as those at 77 degrees — five degrees hotter than the temperature a human feels most comfortable at.
ADDICTION WARNING
Exposure to sun has been shown to increase production of mood-boosting hormone serotonin, so you’ll feel better. But researchers found prolonged exposure can actually lead to a form of sun addiction. Luckily, in Britain a rainy day is never too far away!
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