Why Does The Sun Make You Tired?

We have all felt these effects before. You are having a nice relaxed day out in the sun, yet when you get home you feel absolutely exhausted. Something about a day out in the sun can really take it out of you. Even if you were not doing much to make you feel so tired. Which leads us to ask the question, why does the sun make you tired? We are going to dive into all of the potential answers to this question. Stick around to learn about how the sun can make you feel tired.

Top Reasons How The Sun Makes You Tired:

Dehydration

Sweating in the sun and heat can lead to dehydration. You have to drink more water than usual during a day out in the sun. It is also good to drink replenishing drinks that help you to maintain your mineral levels and electrolytes as well.

Not only is staying hydrated important for your overall health and wellbeing, it can also keep you from feeling tired. Dehydration can often make you feel lethargic and even disoriented. If you are spending a full day out in the sun and the heat, be sure to drink plenty of water.

Click the link to learn everything you need to know about Sleep & Hydration.

Body Working Hard To Stay Cool

One reason you may be tired by the end of the day out in the sun, is that your body is working harder than usual to stay cool. Long summer days can really take it out of you.

In order to stay cool, your body produces sweat and dilate your blood vessels causing you to flush in order to try and cool your blood as much as possible. The process of staying cool takes a lot of extra energy which can make you feel extra tired by the end of a long day.

Sunlight Affects Your Circadian Rhythm

Your circadian rhythm is your bodies internal clock, it is affected by a number of different factors including exposure to sunlight. If you are used to having a few hours of direct sunlight each day, your internal clock can get thrown off by a long day in the sun.

If you are familiar with the effects of blue light, and how it can keep your awake at night this is the same concept. Your eyes detect the sunlight and it can keep you awake longer than you would normally. Which can lead to feeling tired after spending a full day in the sun.

Learn more about how your circadian rhythm works in our post: Chronotypes: Your Circadian Typology

Sunburns Ruin Your Sleep

Sunscreen is going to be your best friend if you are spending a full day out in the summer sun. This is because the sun can do some serious damage even in a short amount of time. In order to keep yourself from getting a sunburn shade and sunscreen are going to be helpful.

A bad sunburn can really take it out of you. Not only can toasting in the sun make you feel tired, a bad sunburn can ruin your sleep. Which will make you feel tired for much longer than a single afternoon.

Extra Activities Throughout The Day

Often days out in the sun are far more active than a day in an office chair. Even if you are not playing several games of beach volleyball, a simple walk around to Zoo can also be rather exhausting. Sunny summer days often include more activities than a typical day in the house. This can absolutely add to you feeling tired after a day in the sun.

Heat Exhaustion

Feeling more than just a little tired, you might be experiencing heat exhaustion. While getting tuckered out by a hot summer day is rather standard, heat exhaustion is something else entirely and can be rather serious.

If you find yourself feeling nauseous, headache, nose bleeds, overly flushed or excessively pale clamy skin, confusion, or feeling faint, then you may be experiencing heat exhaustion. This can lead to heat stroke. Getting out of the heat, hydrated, and seeking medical attention may be needed.

Hot Sleepers! Click the link to learn about the Best Cooling Sleep Products For Hot Sleepers

Summer Days Are Longer

One aspect that you may not have considered yet is that summer days are simply longer. The sun rises earlier and sets later during the summer than any other season. Which makes it easier to get up earlier and stay up later than usual. All of which can add to you feeling extra tired.

Check out our post Summer Sleep Tips & Get A Summer Ready Bedroom for more tips and tricks for getting great sleep in the summer.

How To Avoid Sunlight Making You Feel Tired:

Stay Hydrated

Hydration is absolutely key to your health and wellbeing. This includes energy levels staying high. We highly recommend drinking plenty of water if you are planning to spend your day in the sun. Drinks that replenish your electrolytes can also be very helpful. Just avoid drinks that are extra high in sugar as this can cause peaks and valleys in your energy level.

In the same light of staying hydrated, avoid drinking lots of alcohol. Summer days can often involve relaxed day drinking. While a few drinks are fine, alcohol can dehydrate you very quickly. When combined with a hot sweaty day, you can accidentally become dehydrated very quickly.

Stay Cool

One main reason that the sun makes you feel tired is because it often comes with heat. Hot summer days can tire you out very quickly. Finding ways to stay cool can be a great way to keep yourself for tiring out too quickly. Finding shade, breeze, or activities like swimming can all help you to cool off. By staying cool, you will prevent heat exhaustion along with avoiding dehydration along with other thing that will tire you out.

Struggle with sweating at night? Check out our post: What Causes Night Sweats? Tips To Sleep Cool

Wear Sunscreen

Avoiding a sunburn can do wonders for your sleep. A sunburn can cause pain and fevers that make it nearly impossible to get a good night’s rest.

Which is just one of the many reasons why wearing sunscreen is so important. Wearing sunscreen and reapplying regularly will help prevent sunburns and keep you sleeping well every night.

Vitamin D is important for getting great sleep! Learn more in our blog post: Vitamin D And Sleep

Find Some Shade

Take breaks from the sun and spend some quality time in the shade.

If you are trying to keep your energy levels high throughout the day, we highly recommend taking some breaks from the sunshine and take some time in the shade. If you can take some time in the AC for a break from the heat, this will also do wonders.

Take a Nap

A good nap is a great way to top up your energy tank so you can enjoy the rest of the day. However, we do advice making sure you do not fall asleep in the sun. An accidental nap in the sun is a great way to get a very bad sunburn. Find a cool breezy shady spot and take a good long nap.

For an even better nap, head back to your room, close the curtains, and take a good long nap. This will allow you to fully reset your batteries and enjoy the rest of your day with a full tank.

Blackout Curtains

Speaking of naps, blackout curtains are a great way to really enjoy a good nap on a sunny day. For those extra long summer days, having black out curtains can be a great addition to your bedroom. Whether you are wanting to take a midafternoon nap. Or if you are simply wanting to sleep in, a blackout curtain helps to block out the summer sun so you can get to sleep easier.

So, Why Does The Sun Make You Tired?

To answer the lingering question of why does the sun make you tired, we would have to say… There are a number of different factors that combine together to make a day in the sun so exhausting. For some it may be heat exhaustion, while for others it may be because you have gotten dehydrated. We recommend staying hydrated, getting in the shade when you can, and taking breaks/naps whenever you need it.

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