Glass typically blocks most of the sun’s UVB radiation which is necessary for vitamin D production, so yes, direct sunlight is best. If you’re referring to winter weather, there’s generally not much UVB radiation in sunlight during cold winters so opening a window wouldn’t do much good anyway. If you live in an area that has cold winters, getting as much sun as you can without burning will help you produce enough vitamin D to get through the winter, or you can consider using vitamin D supplementation during the colder months.

Living in a climate that’s warm all year is a great advantage because the most natural source of vitamin D is always available. In regard to protection, I would think that it shouldn’t be too hard to find pants and long sleeve shirts that are thin enough to not make you too hot. Finding a fashionable hat that will protect your face and neck might be more of a challenge. If you can’t find one, you could always use natural sunscreen instead.

Your comments are refreshing.

Thanks for pointing out Dr. Mercola’s sunscreen. I haven’t tried it and should take a closer look at the ingredients.

I’m glad you’re enjoying the site!

Thanks for your feedback! It’s quite common for the sun to cause fatigue and headaches. I’ve experienced this myself and hope to learn more about why this is. From my personal experience, I’ve become more resistant to these effects from the sun as I’ve improved my health. I’d like to think that this would apply to most other people as well.

Sun exposure undoubtedly ages the skin, but low fat diets, excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids, processed foods, and dehydration are likely to be far more damaging. Because sun exposure is essential to good health, the best bet is to compromise between getting enough of it to support your health and not getting excessive amounts simply to darken your tan.

Yes, proper hydration and consumption of high quality fats, particularly coconut oil, will make your skin more resistant to aging and sun damage.

Thanks for pointing out that the sun’s radiation is increased because of the depleted ozone layer. While you’re absolutely correct, I think the high incidence of skin cancer is more a result of unhealthy lifestyle habits than an increase in the intensity of the sun’s radiation. If the high rate of skin cancer was mostly attributed to the depletion of the ozone layer, then the incidence of skin cancer should stand out in comparison to other forms of cancer that are more obviously related to lifestyle, but this simply isn’t the case.

As I suggested in the article, the increased radiation simply means that you’ll likely burn more quickly, but doesn’t mean that you need to use sunblock immediately. With or without the extra radiation, it’s still important to get some sun exposure without sunscreen.