{"id":43625,"date":"2026-08-19T13:56:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T11:56:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.future-lighting.nl\/how-sunlight-affects-our-health\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T13:56:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T11:56:29","slug":"how-sunlight-affects-our-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.future-lighting.nl\/en\/how-sunlight-affects-our-health\/","title":{"rendered":"How sunlight affects our health"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Sunlight affects our lives in several ways. It stimulates the production of vitamin D and influences our circadian rhythm and wellbeing. At the same time, excessive exposure to UV radiation can damage the skin and increase the long-term risk of skin cancer.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>To mark five years of Future Lighting, we look back at a topic that attracted significant attention during a previous edition: sunlight and health.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>The medical science behind sunlight and health<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sunlight affects the human body in several ways. One of its best-known effects is the production of vitamin D. UV-B radiation triggers a process in the skin that produces vitamin D, which is then further activated in the liver and kidneys. This vitamin plays an important role in maintaining vitality.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the skin contains chromophores that absorb light and transmit biological signals. As a result, sunlight influences not only the skin itself, but also broader processes in the body, such as our biological clock and a range of cellular processes. This broad influence is precisely what makes sunlight a relevant subject within medical science.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Risks of sun exposure<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>There is no doubt that excessive exposure to UV radiation is harmful. It increases the risk of skin cancer, especially for people with fair skin and those who burn easily. Sunburn at a young age is also considered a significant risk factor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div>UV-B radiation causes direct DNA damage and plays a major role in sunburn. UV-A radiation penetrates deeper into the skin and contributes to premature skin ageing, including through the breakdown of collagen and elastin. In the long term, chronic exposure can lead to wrinkles, pigmentation spots and thickened, dry skin. The eyes can also be damaged, for example through cataracts or other eye conditions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div>Prevention therefore remains of great importance. Avoiding sunburn, wearing protective clothing, using sunscreen and limiting exposure during the hours when the sun is at its strongest remain important measures.<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>The benefits of sunlight for our wellbeing<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>Alongside the risks, there are also clear benefits. Sunlight plays an important role in regulating our sleep\u2013wake cycle. Exposure to light in the morning in particular helps to align the biological clock, influencing sleep quality, alertness and energy levels throughout the day.<\/p>\n<p>Sunlight also affects our mental wellbeing. It contributes to processes associated with mood and resilience, and many people experience more energy and a better mood when they regularly see daylight and sunlight. The role of sunlight in supporting the immune system is also receiving increasing attention within medical science.<\/p>\n<p>Particularly in North-West Europe, where people spend relatively much of their time indoors and the sun\u2019s strength is limited for a large part of the year, there is growing attention to whether a lack of sunlight may also pose health risks. This shifts the discussion from protection alone to a broader conversation about balance.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Five years of Future Lighting<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>This topic was previously discussed during Future Lighting 2024, in Joris Rijzewijk\u2019s session on sunlight and health.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div>For professionals in lighting, architecture and the built environment, this topic is highly relevant. It shows that the relationship between light and health goes beyond visual comfort or energy savings alone. The way in which people have access to natural light and are encouraged to spend time outdoors has a direct impact on health and wellbeing.<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div>Sources: UMCG, Dermalogica, NVDV<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sunlight affects our lives in several ways. It stimulates the production of vitamin D and influences our circadian rhythm and wellbeing. At the same time, excessive exposure to UV radiation can damage the skin and increase the long-term risk of skin cancer. To mark five years of Future Lighting, we look back at a topic [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1608,"featured_media":42388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"How sunlight affects our health","_seopress_titles_desc":"To mark five years of Future Lighting, we look back at a topic that attracted significant attention during a previous edition: sunlight and health.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[],"edition":[438],"class_list":["post-43625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","edition-future-lighting-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.future-lighting.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.future-lighting.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.future-lighting.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.future-lighting.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1608"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.future-lighting.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43625"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.future-lighting.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43626,"href":"https:\/\/www.future-lighting.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43625\/revisions\/43626"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.future-lighting.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.future-lighting.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.future-lighting.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.future-lighting.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43625"},{"taxonomy":"edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.future-lighting.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/edition?post=43625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}