[You can follow me on Twitter @creatorvilla.] Today I want to share the results of a study conducted several decades ago that has forever changed the way we view the relationship between sunlight, testosterone, and athletic performance. In the study, Doctors Abraham Myerson and Rudolph Neustadt exposed men to UV light and measured the excretion of various sex hormones. The study revealed that exposure to UV light triggered huge increases in testosterone levels which did not return to baseline levels for over a week. This increase was dependent on the location of the body and the amount of skin exposed to the UV light. The researchers found that men’s baseline testosterone increased by 120% (more than double!) when the participants’ chest and back were exposed to UV light. However, the biggest increase in testosterone came when the participants’ testicles were exposed to UV light. The latter resulted in a massive 200% increase (triple) in baseline testosterone levels. This study has enormous implications for guys attempting to optimize testosterone levels and for athletes who want to maximize performance naturally and legally. It is a wonder why the sporting and fitness industries haven’t gone mainstream with this knowledge. Then again, there is little money to be made by advising people to get more sunlight. Companies would rather sell you expensive supplements. Athletes who have this knowledge may also wish to maintain a competitive advantage over their rivals.

The main takeaway of the study is that exposure to UV light anywhere on the body drives a huge increase in testosterone levels. I, however, wanted to test out the particulars of the study. Bluntly put, I wanted to see what would happen when I directly exposed the balls to UV light. I did this through an open window during the heat of day when the UV Index was high. I noticed they immediately began to grow upon first exposure. I knew this is the area where the body produces the vast majority of testosterone, so it made sense that local exposure to sunlight would trigger a disproportionate increase. The physical changes I observed coupled with the increases in energy and motivation to work out convinced me not only that the study was accurate, but that it was a major game-changer for the sports and fitness industries.

Exposing one’s nether parts to sunlight is neither practical nor desirable for obvious reasons. This has led some guys aware of the benefits to use UV red light therapy to achieve the same outcome in the privacy of their own home (link). I don’t doubt this works, but since it’s not something I’ve personally experimented with, I won’t say much about it. What I do know is that red light technology can be quiet pricey. However, I did discover a cheap and natural method that arguably worked even better for me than expensive alternatives.

Disclaimer: Don’t try this at home. You should consult your doctor about Vitamin D and testosterone optimization given that they are very powerful hormones and a lot could go wrong.

Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin for good reason. The human body has a Vitamin D receptor in nearly ever cell of the body and is highly evolved to generate Vitamin D upon exposure to the sun. After I first read the study a few years ago, I wondered whether the increase in testosterone was triggered by the local production of Vitamin D directly on the skin in response to the UV light exposure. That in mind, I experimented with different doses of Vitamin D topical applied directly to the balls. Lo and behold, I noticed the same enlarging effect as when I had gotten direct UV light exposure. In this process of trial and error, I came to the conclusion that less is more. When the skin is exposed to UV light, it naturally generates Vitamin D in a uniform fashion. Small exposed areas of skin naturally produce small amounts of Vitamin D, and applying to much Vitamin D to any one region can interfere with its natural synthesis by the body. I found that less than 1,000 IU was enough for me to achieve the desired effect and that higher doses were wholly ineffective. Whenever I apply Vitamin D anywhere directly to my skin I prefer to crack open the Vitamin D softgels rather than purchase a topical product. My method is cheaper and it enables me to control the dosing better than prepared formulations. I would apply about half of a 1000 IU softgel every few days and could notice a major difference within a few hours.

Today I make sure I get adequate sun exposure as part of a healthy lifestyle, but I have not experimented with UV light or Vitamin D in this fashion in years. Currently, I have no reason to maintain peak testosterone levels. However, if I ever found myself training for an athletic competition or was experiencing symptoms of low testosterone, the power of the sun would be my first recourse. Nowadays people are quick to take supplements, inject steroids, or go on testosterone replacement therapy, giving up on their body’s natural ability to produce what they need. Meanwhile, nature offers a cheaper (if not free) solution that is arguably more effective than artificial alternatives.

See my article on the The Most Natural Way To Optimize Vitamin D Levels for more pro tips on harnessing the power of the sun.

I talk a lot about sleep on this site because sleep is vital for human health and well-being. As a result, making sleep a priority is one of the wisest things anyone can do. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to improve sleep quality short of prescription drugs. My insomnia is what initially led me to research and experiment with different solutions. What you find below is the result of that process several years later. In fact, today I almost always fall asleep within a few minutes of going to bed.

The natural techniques below have worked for me and countless others. I’ve linked to several other articles I have written on sleep quality so you can have them all in one place.

1. Exercise

In 2018, researchers conducted a systematic review and meta analysis of data on exercise and sleep quality that included 9 studies and 557 participants. They concluded, “Our findings suggest that exercise can improve sleep quality without notable adverse effects.” But you probably already knew that. Exercises tires you out. It releases happy chemicals. It makes you feel better about life. And it reduces stress, which leads me to item #2.

2. Reduce Stress

Stress kills. And I’m not just talking about the stress of external responsibilities. I’m talking about the internal stress that people carry around, whether they work stressful jobs or are retired and living in a vacation home. Emotional stress will not let people’s mind rest during the day or at night. For help processing emotions that interfere with sleep quality, check out When Emotions Are High, Wisdom Is Low and Radical Forgiveness Will Change Your Life.

3. Get Light Exposure During the Day

Researchers discovered that those exposed to sunlight before 12 PM or other bright indoor lights slept better at night and tended to feel less stressed and depressed (here). Sunlight exposure is the preferred option due to Vitamin D synthesis, but may not be possible in the winter or if you work a day job. In any case, bright light early in the day helps regulate your body’s circadian rhythm (internal clock) so that you have high energy early in the day and feel tired close to bedtime.

4. Eliminate Blue Light Exposure At Night

Blue light from our cellphones impairs the release of melatonin, a hormone that tells our body when it’s time to go to sleep. When the sun is its hottest, melatonin levels plummet, and they gradually increase as the intensity of sunlight decreases. Our brain simply can’t distinguish between light from our phones and light from the sun that has dictated waking and sleeping patterns since time immemorial. Check out Blue Light From Your Phone May Be Keeping You Awake at Night for the science behind light exposure and sleep quality as well as an easy fix for iOS users (there’s a special setting Apple installed called Night Shift).

5. Install Blackout Shades

Light from our phones is not the only culprit. Street lights, porch lights, and sunlight can all leak into a room and substantially reduce sleep quality. Blackout shades work by adding an extra layer of window coverage that keeps this from happening. They’re cheap and easy to install, and I couldn’t recommend them more. For more, check out How to Darken Your Room and Get a Better Night’s Sleep.

6. Use White Noise To Drown out Sound Pollution

Quoting from my article Free White Noise Tracks to Help You Fall Asleep and Stay Asleep:

Environmental noise happens when people talk, watch TV, play party music, or snore within earshot of somebody trying to catch some shut-eye. Environmental noise has been scientifically demonstrated to decrease sleep intensity, increase stress hormone secretion, reduce cognitive performance, increase tiredness, and may be a long-term risk factor of high blood pressure and heart disease. . . White noise refers to sound that contains frequencies with equal intensities. In layman’s term, white noise produces an even, consistent sound that is effective at drowning out disruptive noises that interfere with the quality of sleep. People who rely on the sound emitted by their fan or essential oil diffuser to fall asleep at night are utilizing white noise.

I have utilized white noise for years. It’s free and works brilliantly. No more hating on your housemates and neighbors for being loud and obnoxious at night.

7. Practice Meditation Before Bed

Meditation is a proven way to relax the mind and reduce stress. In fact, the old prescription of counting sheep is a form of meditation. Guided visualizations are another popular type that involve written or audio material designed to get the minds imaginative faculties working. They’re commonly used to heal emotions, forgive, relax, or simply to enjoy the brain’s natural ability to create reality. Check out Weightless (Guided Visualization to Promote Relaxation). If you’re like me, meditation of some kind before bed will work wonders.

8. Take a Zinc or Magnesium Supplement

Zinc and Magnesium are great natural alternatives to prescription medication. Studies have found that subjects who took Zinc or Magnesium slept deeper, longer, and experienced fewer disruptions. For the research and more on Zinc and Magnesium, see Four Researched Benefits of Supplementing Zinc and Four Researched Benefits of Supplementing Magnesium. A supplement called ZMA containing Zinc, Magnesium, and Vitamin B-6 is commonly taken before bed to improve sleep quality. The most high-value ZMA product I have found is MET-Rx ZMA Supplement 90 Capsules. It’s very affordable and works wonders for a lot of people’s sleep.

Conclusion:

Sleep is both an art and a science. A myriad of factors influence its quality. And its quality, in turn, greatly influences life outcomes. Before your throw in the towel or reach for a prescription, consider one of the 8 natural methods above proven to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.

Light is one of the most important factors in the sleep quality equation. Our body naturally regulates the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin according to the environmental light present. At noonday when the sun is its hottest, the body’s melatonin levels plummet, and they gradually increase as the evening wears on. The innovation of light has worked wonders for human civilization, but one negative byproduct is a reduction in sleep quality. The streets where I live up are lit up throughout the night, and light from my housemates regularly seeps into my bedroom. In another article, I discussed how blue light from your phone may be keeping you awake at night. Getting better sleep improves health, brain function, mood, energy levels, and hormones (like testosterone) vital to overall performance and well-being. In addition to managing screen settings, there is another simple step you can take to create a natural dark environment that will have you drooling in no time.

The sun has not caught me in bed in fifty years.

Thomas Jefferson

Where I live the sun rises a little after 6 during the fall months. Unlike Thomas Jefferson, the sun catches me in bed almost every day. Powerful sunlight seeps through the shades into the room, reduces the release of melatonin and other sleep chemicals, and the end result is shallower, less rejuvenating sleep.

Fortunately, I discovered blackout shades a few years ago, and I’ve had them installed everywhere I’ve lived ever since. Blackout shades function as an extra layer of protection from outside light entering through the windows. They block sunlight, streetlight, and porch light leading to deeper, more relaxing sleep.

I recommend the following Amazon product because it’s the only one I’ve ever used: Original Blackout Pleated Paper Shade Black, 36” x 72”. You cut out the thick paper to the dimensions of your windows (takes no more than 10 minutes and is easy to do), and then attach them to the window with a sticky substance already present on the paper. After that, you can pull your ordinary shades down over them like you normally would and, voila(!), your room just got a lot darker. The shades come with clips so you can put the shades up as normal during the day to let in light. I haven’t had to replace my shades in 3 years, and there is enough product in the package for at least two rooms.

Below are pictures of my 3-year old, slightly worn blackout shades. When I put down the outer layer of shades at night, my room instantly turns pitch black. It’s a huge improvement on the system I had in place before. I recommend this product to my friends & family because it’s logical, cheap, effective, and it starts working right away.

After Photos:

Sound is another big factor that influences sleep quality. Stay tuned for a fun post about how to solve the problem of environmental noise using free white noise tracks available online.

In the picture on your right, I have selected New York City as an example. The figures in purple are peak UV radiation for each individual day. We are in mid-July hence why this value is so high at 11. The UV index (UVI) in the top right displays current UV radiation. I took this picture during the mid-day when the sun was emitting close to peak UV radiation hence why this figure was also very high at 10. Underneath current angle, the app displays the length of time during which UV radiation is high enough to generate Vitamin D. For New York City on the day pictured, the window was from 8:28 AM until 5:33 PM. The app also tracks the solar noon, or the time of day when UV radiation peaks. For New York City on the day pictured, that time was 1:00 PM sharp. As you will see when you use the app, the UVI is low in the morning when Vitamin D (and hence tanning) first become available and slowly builds until it reaches the solar noon. At this peak point, the strength of the sun begins to trends downward until UVI is so low that Vitamin D is no longer available.

How much sunlight you need to generate enough Vitamin D and tan depends on two factors: the UVI at the moment of exposure and your skin type. Darker tones need much more sun exposure for Vitamin D generation and tanning due to their skin being better adapted for climates with high UV radiation. Annual UV radiation globally corresponds to skin color in populations across the globe (low UV climate = lighter-skinned races, high UV climate = darker-skinned races). Where UV radiation is relatively abundant, human skin evolved by darkening as protection against excessive exposure. Where UV radiation is relatively low, human skin evolved by lightening (or remaining light) to maximize Vitamin D production.

Fortunately, the app simplifies the equation by including a skin type assessment. In the app, I had entered skin type IV, which means I burn minimally and tan easily. The graph on the right relates how much sun exposure I need depending on the strength of the sun. For example, when the UVI is between 8-10, I need 20-25 minutes of sun exposure to get my daily dose of Vitamin D. This time of year, a New Yorker with my skin type who is out in the sun from 11:30AM-12 PM would exceed his daily requirement. Another factor to take into account is clouds. Clouds, like windows, have the ability to block UV Radiation. On a cloudy day very little Vitamin D and tanning will take place regardless of how high the UVI is.

I have included a second graphic below for people with skin type II (refer back to the skin type graphic above). As you can see, the time to recommended dose is much less across the UVI spectrum. During the heat of day in New York City, just 5-10 minutes of sun is enough to satisfy the recommended daily dose! People with lighter tones generate Vitamin D very rapidly and are best advised to avoid excess sun exposure to prevent burning.

The app has a cool feature for optimizing Vitamin D where you input your location, skin type, sun exposure, and amount of skin exposed to the sun. The app will then estimate your Vitamin D levels based on these parameters so you can develop a strategy for staying in the optimal range. I make sure I am Vitamin D-optimal year round through adequate sun exposure and supplementation. As you will discover when you use the app, in states like New York with true winters no Vitamin D generation can take place during the winter months. Many people also work during the daylight hours and do not get enough natural exposure or have fears of sun-induced damage to the skin. As a result, you will likely need to supplement for at least a few months of the year, if not year-round.

Check out my post on my favorite way to optimize Vitamin D levels without direct sun exposure (hint: it involves a topical application).

Don’t let the name fool you–Vitamin D is not your ordinary vitamin. Termed the sunshine vitamin for the human body’s incredible capacity to create it upon direct exposure to ultraviolet rays, Vitamin D is a powerful hormone that has a receptor in nearly every human cell. Vitamin D is involved in highly complex bodily processes from wound healing to calcium regulation to hormonal balance (study). In the scientific literature, low Vitamin D levels have been associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, heart disease, hypertension, bone fractures, depressive symptoms, autoimmune diseases, and a number of chronic conditions (link). Vitamin D status has also been positively correlated with wound healing and circulating testosterone levels in men, impacting athletic performance in a major way. Science is in agreement that optimizing Vitamin D levels is one of the most sensible health choices any human being can make.

The Vitamin D Council recommends 50 ng/ml of Vitamin D. Unfortunately, a large number of people around the world are Vitamin D-deficient due to lifestyle and seasonal changes. Take the American Midwest, for example. During the summer months the body can generate Vitamin D from about 9 AM to 6 PM, with peak production taking place from 11 to 3 PM when ultraviolet radiation is elevated. Since most Americans work during this time, they generate very little, if any, Vitamin D naturally from the sun. During the winter months where I live, no Vitamin D production is possible. Natural and lifestyle factors have contributed to an epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency.

I am of the belief that there is no better substitute than direct sunlight exposure for optimizing Vitamin D. Our species evolved over thousands of years to harness life-giving energy from the sun, and we do not know for certain whether something is lost in the process of supplementation. With that said, due to work schedules, winter weather, and health concerns over skin damage induced by sun exposure, many doctors prescribe supplementation. Oral Vitamin D supplementation is the traditional route, but recent studies demonstrate that topical delivery (applying Vitamin D on the skin) is also effective at raising Vitamin D levels in the blood (study).

The first thing you want to do is get blood work done at your clinic in order to diagnose your current Vitamin D levels (easy to do and typically covered by insurance). For Vitamin D-deficient patients, your doctor will usually prescribe either Vitamin D3 50,000 or Vitamin D3 100,000 IU to be taken orally once per week. Your doctor may also advise you to purchase smaller doses of Vitamin D3 over-the-counter and supplement more regularly.

My preferred method of optimizing Vitamin D levels is with a Vitamin D3 transdermal cream. This method best resembles the way our bodies are naturally designed to generate Vitamin D. I take the same dose I would normally ingest orally and rub it on my skin using a lotion or cream applicator. I personally like to cut open my Vitamin D3 softgels with a toothpick. I’ve found this method to be much more cost-efficient method than purchasing Vitamin D3 topical from a retailer. My favorite Vitamin D3 supplement in softgel form is NatureWise Vitamin D3 5,000 IU. I get the most bang for my buck using the higher 5,000 IU dosage and the company is large enough to sell the product for a low price.

When applying Vitamin D3 from the softgel directly to my skin, I use a cream or lotion carrier so that I can easily spread it around. My favorite product for this purpose is Viva Naturals Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. I like to use enough carrier cream so that I can evenly apply the product imitating how the body naturally produces Vitamin D from sunlight. If you do not want to mix your own Vitamin D3 cream, Vitamin D3 pre-mixed and ready for direct transdermal application is available on Amazon. The only topical Vitamin D I have ever purchased is AnuMed Vitamin D3 Cream 10,000 IU. It works as advertised and requires no preparation, but I personally enjoy mixing the Vitamin D3 and the cost savings of doing it myself.

Two pro tips for topical Vitamin D delivery.

1. Apply Vitamin D Topical in the Morning or Early Afternoon

Vitamin D generation signals to our body that the sun is out. Circulating levels of melatonin, a hormone that helps us sleep, decreases during the daylight hours. I apply the cream early in the day to give my body time to absorb the Vitamin D and so it doesn’t interfere with my sleep quality.

2. Apply Vitamin D Topical After the Shower

Studies evidence that Vitamin D precursors can be washed off due to water/soap exposure (See Helmer AC, Jensen CH: Vitamin D precursors removed from the skin by washing. Studies Inst Divi Thomae 1937, 1:207-216). Since Vitamin D on the skin can take more than a day to fully metabolize, I apply it after a shower to lengthen the window for absorption prior to the next administration.

Conclusion

Ancient religions worshiped the sun, modern countries wear it on their flag, and contemporary science evidences how critical the sun is to human health and well-being. The recent capacity of scientists to extract Vitamin D3 from plants and animals has made it possible to enjoy many of the health benefits of the sun without direct sun exposure. It stands to reason that everyone should get their Vitamin D levels clinically evaluated and assess whether supplementation can be a meaningful step toward better health.