Sunglasses have become very popular over the past few decades, more as a fashion statement than anything beneficial for you!
Like many things which initially appear logical, like the sun allegedly causing skin cancer, or eating fat makes you fat, when you really dive into the physiology of the body and how it works, and read scientific studies on the topic, you find that what may be the popular belief in the media or government health advice, is completely wrong!
We are told in the media and so-called health organisations like the Cancer Council, who are advising everyone to protect their eyes from the sun with sunglasses as the sun is so dangerous! The Cancer Council have added "slide on sunglasses" to their "slip slop slap" sun safe programs, and their lack of knowledge on the effects of this new advice is appalling.
I had previously researched sunglasses and their effects on health years ago, before I attended a Cancer Council seminar on cancer prevention in 2017. When they introduced their new advice about everyone wearing sunglasses, I publicly asked them were they aware of the health effects of sunglasses, and I was told that there were none! Ok, so I informed them that:
1) Sunglasses cause sleep problems, as your eyes must be exposed to bright sunlight during the day in order to make melatonin, the sleep hormone! So blocking that bright sunlight with sunglasses when outside will reduce melatonin production and secretion, to cause difficulties with getting to sleep or staying asleep. When you don't sleep well, your immune system suffers, which in turn also increases your risks of all cancers. They hadn't heard of this!
2) Sunglasses cause depression. Your eyes have special receptor cells which sends signals to your brain to make serotonin, one of your happy feel-good hormones! A deficiency in serotonin is typical in those with depression. This is the reason why low sunlight exposure during winter in locations further away from the equator causes "seasonal affective disorder" or the "winter blues" or depression. They didn't know this either!
3) Sunglasses cause you to sunburn quicker and more severely, and INCREASES your risks of skin cancer. Your eyes sense the increasing level of sunlight when you are outside and sends hormones to the melanocytes in your skin to produce more melanin, which is your tanning pigment that protects you against sunburn! Wearing sunglasses stops this protective function of the body, so you sunburn more quickly... And they didn't know this either!
And this is all in published research, which I actually provided to the Cancer Council at that seminar in 2017. Nothing seems to have changed in their appalling advice, so I'm making this information public again.
I'm not suggesting that you should never wear sunglasses again, but increasing your "sunglass-free" time when you are outside can help your sleep and moods very quickly! Initially your eyes can be sensitive to sunlight if you have worn sunglasses all the time, but a gradual reduction of wearing sunglasses will reduce your sensitivity.
I have helped so many clients to improve their sleep or their moods or health with very small changes like this! There are many other factors which can cause sleep issues or depression, and each person's causes can be different. It is so important to find and treat the root causes of health issues for a long-term fix!
Like many things which initially appear logical, like the sun allegedly causing skin cancer, or eating fat makes you fat, when you really dive into the physiology of the body and how it works, and read scientific studies on the topic, you find that what may be the popular belief in the media or government health advice, is completely wrong!
We are told in the media and so-called health organisations like the Cancer Council, who are advising everyone to protect their eyes from the sun with sunglasses as the sun is so dangerous! The Cancer Council have added "slide on sunglasses" to their "slip slop slap" sun safe programs, and their lack of knowledge on the effects of this new advice is appalling.
I had previously researched sunglasses and their effects on health years ago, before I attended a Cancer Council seminar on cancer prevention in 2017. When they introduced their new advice about everyone wearing sunglasses, I publicly asked them were they aware of the health effects of sunglasses, and I was told that there were none! Ok, so I informed them that:
1) Sunglasses cause sleep problems, as your eyes must be exposed to bright sunlight during the day in order to make melatonin, the sleep hormone! So blocking that bright sunlight with sunglasses when outside will reduce melatonin production and secretion, to cause difficulties with getting to sleep or staying asleep. When you don't sleep well, your immune system suffers, which in turn also increases your risks of all cancers. They hadn't heard of this!
2) Sunglasses cause depression. Your eyes have special receptor cells which sends signals to your brain to make serotonin, one of your happy feel-good hormones! A deficiency in serotonin is typical in those with depression. This is the reason why low sunlight exposure during winter in locations further away from the equator causes "seasonal affective disorder" or the "winter blues" or depression. They didn't know this either!
3) Sunglasses cause you to sunburn quicker and more severely, and INCREASES your risks of skin cancer. Your eyes sense the increasing level of sunlight when you are outside and sends hormones to the melanocytes in your skin to produce more melanin, which is your tanning pigment that protects you against sunburn! Wearing sunglasses stops this protective function of the body, so you sunburn more quickly... And they didn't know this either!
And this is all in published research, which I actually provided to the Cancer Council at that seminar in 2017. Nothing seems to have changed in their appalling advice, so I'm making this information public again.
I'm not suggesting that you should never wear sunglasses again, but increasing your "sunglass-free" time when you are outside can help your sleep and moods very quickly! Initially your eyes can be sensitive to sunlight if you have worn sunglasses all the time, but a gradual reduction of wearing sunglasses will reduce your sensitivity.
I have helped so many clients to improve their sleep or their moods or health with very small changes like this! There are many other factors which can cause sleep issues or depression, and each person's causes can be different. It is so important to find and treat the root causes of health issues for a long-term fix!
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