Why does sunlight make me tired?

Sunlight makes me tired...
Oh God I hope not!!! (I'm not one of those Goth guys either)

Like I said, I'm in Hawaii right now, I love the beach waaaaaayyyy too much... besides, sharks and meth-heads come out at night.

I was looking at circadia (?) rythyms after this post and it led me to wonder about the chemicals/hormones produced by the human body. Maybe some people's bodies have overactive endocrine systems (I'm assuming). When exposed to sunlight maybe our bodies are try to reset our sleep cycle every single friggin time we go out in it...? Just a thoery.
Either way there is nothing about it anywhere on the internet.

Stuh, are you keeping up with your electrolyte balances. If tired means sleepy, there's no help there, but if you mean fatigued, it's worth having it checked. Chai mentioned hydration. There is often a relationship to electrolytes.

Yeah, tired does mean sleepy. I'll keep it in mind though.

A guy walks into a bar with two black eyes.

Barman says; "Hey you, you been fightin', we don't want any trouble"

Guy says: "Nah, my mother was a panda"

My point: Was your mother a vampire?

Sunlight stimulates your body and prevents it from producing a hormone called melatonin. Melatonin is produced in the brain and is one of the hormones that regulates circadian rythms. In the dark, your brain will pump this stuff out and you'll get sleepy. This can be counter-acted if you acclimate yourself to a nightlife. But for most people, darkness will always make you tired because of this. Check it out at wikipedia if you want some more info.

Also I think sunlight producing Vitamin D and Melatonin has a noteable side effect - it surpresses production of adrelanine. Perhaps that contributes too!

Why sunlight makes me tired
I have heard a lot of the same things floating around the internet. A lot of people who have problems with sunlight making them tired, giving them headaches etc. I am one of them. I have nodded off in school or at jobs under those florescent lights. I hate it. My husband wants me to come out in the sun, but doesn't realize how tired it makes me. When I am doing a project I only turn on the table lamps not the overhead which drives people crazy.

My mom always said put her in a dungeon, feed her once a day and she's happy.

The others that have been talking about the same symptoms though are diagnosed with sleep apnea. You may want to check with your doctor, I am going to.

STAR

sleep apnea is generally present in people who are overweight. they have trouble breathing while they sleep so their body doesn't rest as well as it should.

photophobia----google or wikapedia it
photophobia----google or wikapedia it

Synthesising Vit D from sunlight will not make you tired - trust me.

Not having enough Vit D would make you lethargic.

The heat associated with sunlight will make you want to sleep.

I have a mate with an immune system disorder who gets all sorts of odd effects from exposing her skin to the sun.

Ask your question of a doctor, just for your own peace of mind.

i have it too. i was out in the sun today, with sun screen and a wide brimmed hat, doing some light yard work. after an hour i felt very weak. i came in the house drank a glass of water and fell asleep.... for 3 hours! i get plenty of sleep at night, and it is good restful sleep. i was full of energy before i went outside.

the first time this happened to me was when i was 16... i was mowing my grandmothers yard with a riding lawn mower, i started to feel weird. i parked it, and decided to walk to the house to get some water. i got to a big shade tree and felt so weak i thought i would sit under it and relax for a while. i passed out. my grandmother came home, 4 hours later... and woke me.

and yes it happens if i am at a street fair or other outdoor activity that doesnt involve grass cutting.

i am tired of it. i am 34 now and my Labor Day weekend involves staying indoors. my husband understands but it effects our life. i have a dr's appointment next week. i have never mentioned it before because it never seemed like a problem.... but now i realize it is. I am missing out on way too much.

plus i am anemic. so the 'vampire' comments are really played out after all these years.

What you guys seem to be describing is Heat Stress, and related to the heat more than the sunlight. Heat causes the heart rate to increase.

http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d001701-d001800/d001702/d001702.html

I have it too. I've spent years trying to understand it. I know the physiology behind it, daytime sunlight signals the pineal gland to stop producing melatonin, and start producing serotonin. I'm convinced there's something else going on here tho. Maybe allergy to UV rays that don't produce any Ige (skin) reactions? That's one theory. Another is seen in Fibromyalgia, and CFS, ppl with these disorders have the "owl syndrome" feeling much better at night, and suffering during the day. They tend to react to things the opposite of the way they should - ie. stimulants will put them to sleep, sedatives will give them energy. I'm beginning to think I have this, as a cup of coffee will knock me out just like a sleeping pill...or the sun. I feel great at night...more alive...more "on." One other theory I came up with is when I started quizing people on the time when they were born. Does being born in the a.m. make you a morning person, and at night make your a night person? The theory is based on when you take your first breath - that's when your circadian rhythm starts, at that very moment, and you syncronize with the earth. These are just theories of course, but plausible theories. What do I do? I dont fight it. Let your body sleep when it needs to, and let it be awake when it wants to. It might not sync with your job, or the general population, but its you. Just think - you could be a great on the grave yard shift, prospering at night. You can try taking Melatonin at night, 1 mg should knock you out - but be forewarned that Melatonin can cause depression. I tried it, and it in fact does. I then added 5htp (5-hydroxy-tryptophan) during the day, as this is how your body is supposed to function. Finally I just gave it up, and let my body do what it needed. I'm a night person. I thrive in the night, feel better, more alive, and more creative. The line ups at the grocery stores...well, there are none

Cheers.

Ditto. I found this with the same problem. I can sleep all day or night and no matter how much sleep I get as soon as the sun comes up I want to go to sleep.

It's not a matter or well rested/dehydrated etc, it's just as soon as the sun comes up I want to go to sleep.

I know part of the problem is this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_syndrome

but this sunlight thing compounds that...

I think that I read that when your body is warmed up and then starts to cool it can cause you to be sleepy - I looked it up and found this:
http://www.ohsu.edu/ohsuedu/healthcare/paincenter/resources/Help-Me-Get-Some-Sleep.cfm
Down at the bottom under Helpful Tips for a Restful Night...

I got this out of the book, The Ultimate Healing System. I think there's something to this.

Wheat allergies often occur in the summertime. The sun tends to burn
up Vitamin F. If the sun should cause sunburn, the body will send all of
its available Vitamin F to the sunburned area to correct it. Vitamin F is
used as a skin regenerator. This is why people put oils on their bodies
when in the sun! Many people, during the summer, will feel tired and
exhausted. This is not only from the heat, which causes Potassium and
Sodium deficiency because of sweating. but is also due to wheat
allergy because the sun has burned up theb ody's supply of Vitamin F. It
should be noted that a feathers/wool allergy will also respond to the
(wheat) antid0tes Magnesium, Histidine, Sodium and Vitamin f.
If and when you get sunburned, you should refrain from eating any
wheat products, and this includes Italian pasta. I often tell people to eat
Chinese food during the summer because rice is not affected by the sun.
The food that grows in the tropics is not wheat, but coconut! Coconut
contains a highly saturated fat which is the antidote to sunburn and wheet allergy.

We have found the antidotes to wheat
allergy to be Magnesium. the amino acid Histidine, and Vitamin F.
Vitamin F is linoleic acid which eKists in poly-u~saturated fats such as
Safnower Oil. Olive Oil (which also contains Vitamin E), Castor Bean
Oil, Sunflower Oil. and Peanut Oil.

I've recently found out I have gluten sensitivity which means I will be staying away
from all of the grains. I'm interested to see how I respond to the sun after beginning the diet

Sunlight makes vitamin D, which the body needs adequate stores of calcium to metabolize (without making you feel tired). Calcium lactate seems to be the best supplement for staving off sunlight fatigue.

Being awake makes you tired. When the sun is up, you're usually awake. Therefor sunlight makes you tired.

(whatever happened to Stuh?)

For a quick second I thought stuh might be back....

The sun makes me tired as well,
I can relate to your post. That is how I found this website is by searching through for answers on this subject as well. I can not go outside for more than 5 to 10 minutes without feeling tired. I come back inside and I still feel like I was hit with a tranqulizer. As soon as the sun is setting I am up and full of energy to get what ever I need accomplished. I would like to know if it is a medical problem or something that I could fix. I am 22 yrs old and I have been like this before I went into my teens years. Please tell me if you find anything that would help.