How to pick the best sunglasses
Sunglasses are essential for personal self care. So many people will skip wearing sunglasses for convenience, but ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun can be very damaging to your eyes! Extensive UV exposure can even lead to early development of cataracts, which are a big problem in the US as they affect 50% of people by the age of 70. To protect yourself, it is best to wear sunglasses yearound whenever you’re outside (even if it is cloudy because you are still being exposed to UV rays). This is especially important when around bodies of water or snow as these are very reflective. Wearing sunglasses regularly also helps protect the delicate skin around your eyes, which reduces wrinkles and slows the signs of aging.
Thankfully sunglasses help reduce the UV exposure for your eyes, but not all sunglasses are created equal. There are 2 really important things to remember when you are picking your sunglasses:
- 100% UV protection: this is the #1 most important factor because this means the sunglasses will filter out damaging UV rays. This usually comes in the form of a protective coating, but your sunglasses must be labeled as having UV protection, otherwise they are not really protecting your eyes!
- Polarized: these reduce glare and reflection, which give you clearer vision especially in bright light. This increases contrast without distorting color and also reduced eye strain (which makes your eyes tired and negatively affects your vision) and squinting (which causes wrinkles). This is based on preference as well, but there is a noticeable improvement in visibility when wearing polarized lenses.
Unfortunately these features are often confused with each other, but they are not the same. It is important to ensure that your sunglasses have both of these features to have the biggest protective effect for your vision.
Here are a few more tips that are helpful when picking out your shades:
- Bigger is better as this provides more protection for your eyes and the skin around your eyes. The more coverage your sunglasses have on your face, the more protection they provide, so consider buying wraparounds or oversized sunglasses.
- Color and darkness of the lenses do not matter. Choose whichever color and darkness you like, it is your preference. Many people think that darker lenses protect your eyes better, but this is a myth.
- Cost does not matter. As long as they have UV protection (and polarization if you want to see things clearly), the cost is irrelevant.
Smile to improve your health!
June is National Smile month. Smiling and laughing so many benefits that support you on mental, emotional, physical and social levels. Here are 8 reasons to smile as much as possible!
- Smiling activates brain chemistry that boosts your mood! When you smile your brain releases dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin – all of which are feel good molecules that increase your feelings of happiness. Regardless of how you feel, smiling boosts your mood and increases positive thoughts!
- Reduce your stress with a smile! Studies have shown that smiling decreases cortisol (stress hormone) production which lowers your stress levels. Smiling also decreases feelings of anxiety and depression.
- Did you know that smiling boosts your immune system? One study showed that smiling and laughing actually increased the number of infection-fighting antibodies and immune cells. So give your immune system a boost with a good belly laugh!
- Smiling decreases your pain! The endorphins released by smiling and laughing actually reduce your feeling of pain. Which means laughter really is one of the best medicines!
- Lower your blood pressure with a smile! Studies have shown that laughing can briefly increase your heart rate followed immediately by a slower heart rate and decreased blood pressure. Even small amounts of laughing can help reduce your risk of heart disease!
- Did you know that smiling makes you look younger? One study showed that subjects who were smiling were rated as looking younger than the same person with a neutral or angry expression. Be sure to smile to embrace a youthful appearance!
- Smiling can help you have better relationships! People who smile often are described as more likeable and positive, which leads to better relationships and improves overall well-being.
- Would you like to be more attractive? Smiling makes you appear more attractive to others. Multiple research studies have found that people who are smiling are rated as more attractive.
No matter how you feel, you are only one smile away from having a better day! Anytime you are looking for a quick “pick me up,” turn on a funny video or do something else that gets you smiling and laughing!
How to pick the best sunscreen!
Summer is here, which means it’s time to get outside and enjoy some sunshine! Since the sun is out in full force, it’s really important to wear sunscreen to prevent sunburns that can lead to skin cancer. June is Skin Cancer Awareness month. Unfortunately skin cancer affects 1 in 5 Americans by the time they are 70, which is why it is so important to protect yourself! Thankfully sunscreen can reduce the risk by more than 40%! Not all sunscreens are created equal, some are much better than others. This article is designed to teach you tips on how to pick the best sunscreen!
Sunscreen Recommendations:
- Choose a broad spectrum sunscreen as this protects against ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays.
- Get SPF 30 or higher. Many people don’t know that the SPF number is the number of minutes of protection (i.e. the time duration you should reapply). The higher the SPF number the longer you can go between reapplication! Be sure to apply at least once every 2 hours at the maximum.
- Water resistant does not mean waterproof. Even water resistant sunscreens are only water resistant for 40 to 80 minutes. Sunscreens should be reapplied after you’ve sweat or been in the water.
- Apply liberally! Maybe people will put on a light layer, which does not fully protect your skin. Be sure to add enough to get a thick layer on your skin.
- Mineral based has less potentially toxic ingredients. Try to find a sunscreen that uses zinc oxide or titanium oxide as a
- Check the expiration date before using. Sunscreens that are expired have lower effectiveness.
- Read the ingredients carefully! Choose sunscreens that have Avobenzone instead of Oxybenzone (an ingredient found in some chemical based sunscreens but it has been found to be a hormone disruptor and potentially lead to skin sensitization, so it’s best to avoid).
- Here’s a list of things you want to make sure are not in your sunscreen:
- Aminobenzoic acid
- Trolamine salicylate
- Cinoxate
- Dioxybenzone
- Ensulizole
- Oxybenzone
- Meradimate
- Sulisobenzone
- Padimate O
- Here’s a list of things you want to make sure are not in your sunscreen:
My Favorite Brands:
- Whole body = Alba Botanica – Hawaiian Sunscreen Fragrance Free Sunscreen Spray SPF 70
- Face = Sun Bum – Original SPF 50 Sunscreen Face Lotion
Other Considerations:
Sunscreen cannot prevent 100% of sun damage. If you’re going to spend an entire day outside, consider getting SPF shirts and SPF hats!
