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When a diet lacking in proper nutrients collides with a job that rarely lets you see the sun, vitamin D deficiency can rear its ugly head. Too much time in the sun of course can cause sunburns and raise the risk of skin cancer, but too little and the risk of heart disease skyrockets. Spending some relaxing time out in the sun and eating vitamin-D rich foods such as eggs can work wonders. Read this article…
The threat of skin cancer looms on the one hand, but the threat of bone fractures, sleep disorders, and depression awaits on the other. What is a shift worker to do? Too much sun causes danger, but many shift workers- shuttling back and forth to work all day, toiling under the gleam of florescent lights, sleeping all afternoon- don’t get enough sunshine in their lives. Vitamin D helps the body use calcium to grow strong bones, as well as preventing rickets and aiding the immune system. While a few foods such as milk and eggs contain Vitamin D, the body mainly produces the vitamin in response to sun exposure, and so the vitamin languishes in dark, night work and shift work environments. It is important for shift workers to understand the workings of Vitamin D and how to get the right amount safely, since these days it’s the rare work schedule that supports a relaxing daily sunbathe. Read this article…
Benjamin Franklin first suggested the idea of Daylight Savings Time in 1784, long before electricity, when keeping the clock’s hours more in line with the sun was the only way to avoid more time working in the dark for farmers in the winter. The idea caught on after World War I, yet many people still wonder about Daylight Savings Time’s meaning and importance. While it’s annoying to lose that one hour of sleep in the spring as you move the clock forward, Daylight Savings Time helps us improve our health and mental state by allowing us more time in the sun, and saves us money on energy bills by making sure more of our active hours are lit by daylight. Read this article…
