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New Delhi: If you're feeling sad or miserable most of the time, chances are you're not getting enough of the sunshine vitamin.


While too much sun's warm rays can be harmful to your skin, the right balance can be beneficial, especially, for your mental health.


As per a new study, soaking up some sun may help improve your mental and emotional well-being.


“When it comes to your mental and emotional health, the amount of time between sunrise and sunset is the weather variable that matters most. This applies to the clinical population at large, not just those diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder,” said Mark Beecher, Professor at the Brigham Young University, US.


The study analysed many meteorological variables such as wind chill, rainfall, solar irradiance, wind speed, temperature and more. The weather data could be analysed down to the minute in the exact area where the clients lived.


The study focused on a clinical population instead of a general population and used a mental health treatment outcome measure to examine several aspects of psychological distress, rather than relying on suicide attempts or online diaries.


One thing that was really significant was the amount of time between sunrise and sunset, said the study.


“On a rainy day or a more polluted day, people assume that they’d have more distress. But we didn’t see that. We looked at solar irradiance, or the amount of sunlight that actually hits the ground. We tried to take into account cloudy days, rainy days, pollution but they washed out,” Beecher added.


Exposure to sunlight has been linked to an increased level of serotonin, a hormone released by the brain and is associated with boosting mood.


The study has been published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.


(With IANS inputs)