Let it Shine!

Hi there! My name is Pearl and I’m a premed student at Portland State University. My major is Psychology while my minors include Interdisciplinary Neuroscience and Business Administration. A fun-ish fact about me is that I have a merle chihuahua that I love very, very much. He is my SUNSHINE.

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One of the first outreach experiences I joined was at Sunnyside Environmental School in Portland Public Schools, which welcomes kids in kindergarten through 8th grade. As I walked around the school, trying to find an entrance, I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful sun and nature all around. Students were all playing outside, and there were so many plants inside the building. I wondered if popular podcaster Andrew Huberman’s constant talk about the benefits of sunlight really has the impact that he claims.

Notice the greenery on the windows!

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Andrew Huberman is a professor at Stanford University. He is well known for his podcast, the Huberman Lab, where he talks about science and research backed tools.

LEARN MORE: Huberman Lab Podcast

Sunlight exposure can help regulate serotonin and melatonin

Serotonin

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Seasonal Affective Disorder

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Melatonin

Back in the day, humans were less advanced in terms of technology and had to depend on the sun for their daily activities. We couldn’t do much once the sun was down besides sleep, and we also spent lots of time outside in sunlight every day. However, once electricity was discovered and lighting technology advanced, we could do pretty much anything anytime. This may sound like a great thing, and in many ways it is, but it is also potentially harmful if we aren’t careful.

Melatonin is a hormone involved in promoting sleep and has a huge impact on our sleep/wake cycle, or circadian rhythm. Melatonin is actually synthesized from serotonin and sunlight (particularly blue light) exposure prevents its release from the pineal gland on the back (or dorsal surface) of our brainstem.

If there is not enough sunlight exposure in daytime, too much melatonin can be synthesized and impact our circadian rhythm. Blue light in the evening (from phones, or other screens) can also inhibit melatonin release, making it more difficult for us to go to sleep. Putting all the screens away early can help!

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LEARN MORE: Blue light improves cognitive performance

LEARN MORE: Exposure to Blue Light Increases Subsequent Functional Activation of the Prefrontal Cortex During Performance of a Working Memory Task

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Can too much blue light even…kill us?!

I found one study reporting that daily blue light exposure shortens lifespan and causes brain neurodegeneration in flies! The light interferes with sleep and circadian disorders. Sleep is when the brain cleans and repairs itself, so without good sleep, the brain and body can become unwell and function poorly. There is a reason why sleep deprivation is one of the worse torture methods.

LEARN MORE: Daily blue-light exposure shortens lifespan and causes brain neurodegeneration in Drosophila

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Light in Astoria

We brought up evolution and started getting philosophical but the kid was actually asking about the real human brain specimens that we’d brought for them to see and touch in the back of the room. Phew! Did not know how I was going to answer that question at first.

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What about working nights?

Although there are other factors that contribute, lack of sunlight is for sure one of the major ones. Sunlight helps regulate sleep and our circadian rhythms so night shifters are more sleep-deprived, and thus more vulnerable to neurological disorders including strokes, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Eating at night also alters metabolism, and decreases our ability to process blood sugar.

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Want to avoid worsening myopia? Get some SUN!

Myopia is a condition in which people can see things close to them clearly but objects farther away appear blurry. This happens because of the shape of our eyes; more specifically, with myopia, the eyes are elongated forwards. Nowadays, everyone is on their phones and electronic devices, especially younger generations.

Outdoor light exposure can help prevent further elongation, with the most effective time at least two hours (preferably more) per day. Scientists think that sunlight prevents or slows eye elongation because sunlight provokes retinal dopamine release, which inhibits changes in the shape of the eye.

“…studies have found that sunlight induces dopamine release from the retina, prevents eyeball enlargement, and inhibits axial elongation. If light deprivation and low ambient illuminance inhibited the dopamine receptor in chicks, axial elongation will not be inhibited, and myopic changes will increase…”

— Ciao-Lin Ho, Wei-Fong Wu, and Yiing Mei Liou

Myopia diagnoses are increasing. Be mindful and help children keep their eyesight clear so that they don’t need to depend on glasses. Take them to the park. Or go for a hike. Or enjoy a picnic.

LEARN MORE: Dose–Response Relationship of Outdoor Exposure and Myopia Indicators

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Go outside!

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