Episode 40: How Much Sun Do You Really Need?

Today we're digging into a 20-year study of nearly 30,000 women, and we're asking how much sunshine we actually need.

And given it will be getting darker earlier this time next week, thanks to daylight savings, I'll be sharing a simple walk to beat the clock change

Let's dive in.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify   
Watch: YouTube

Helpful Links:

• BC Future, "How much sunshine do we really need?" (Claudia Posada, 9 Aug 2026). Source for Coco Chanel, heliotherapy, UVA and nitric oxide, morning light and melatonin, the 360,000-person dementia study, sunny rooms and depression, and the 4,000 IU limit. Original papers unverified.
• Swedish women study, 29,518 women over 20 years, plus Lindqvist's "same magnitude as smoking" quote: HCPLive report on Lindqvist et al., Journal of Internal Medicine, 2016. Checked in this report, not the paper itself.
• Sunscreen doesn't stop vitamin D in real-life use: British Association of Dermatologists on Neale et al. 2019, a review of 75 studies
• Limited winter vitamin D production at North Carolina's latitude: a general rule of thumb. Unverified.
• Follow me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/niki.hardy
• Join me 'round the campfire (The WildlyKnown Life Substack): https://www.nikihardy.substack.com/
• Check out my books: https://www.nikihardy.com/