Many types of research claim that indoor tanning can be just as dangerous as sun exposure.
This doesn’t catch you by surprise, does it?
Now, if we look at this from a different perspective, if the risks are similar, so should the benefits. Just like many other things in life, the secret of healthy vs unhealthy UV ray exposure lies in the amount of time exposed.
Avoiding the sun altogether is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.
Things you are Missing by Shunning the Sun
The right dose of sun exposure is one of the best ways to optimize your body’s vitamin D levels. However, if you are not able to get sufficient sunshine, then the next best option is high-quality tanning beds.
Avoiding the sun increases the risk of developing a vitamin D deficiency. This matter should not be taken lightly, as vitamin D is responsible for preventing chronic diseases, such as:
• Cardiovascular diseases: vitamin D plays a crucial role in reducing the risk of atherosclerotic heart diseases, heart attacks, hypertension and strokes. According to recent studies, vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of heart attacks by almost 50%.
• Influenza: vitamin D also helps your body efficiently fight many types of infections. Optimizing the body’s vitamin D levels can be more prudent and less expensive than getting vaccinated against the flu.
• Autoimmune diseases: vitamin D is a very powerful immune modulator, thus playing a vital role in preventing autoimmune diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) or multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Metabolic processes and DNA repair: studies show that vitamin D is responsible for improving DNA repair. It also has beneficial effects on autoxidation (a process that occurs in the presence of UV radiation and oxygen, which has important implications for cancer or ageing). It will also help efficiently boost the immune system and considerably improve other biological processes.
What are the Benefits of UV Rays Beyond Vitamin D?
Though the main argument when discussing the benefits of UV rays exposure is usually the vitamin D optimization, UVB exposure has many other positive health effects that have absolutely nothing to do with vitamin D.
It doesn’t really matter if the exposure comes directly from the sun or an efficient, high quality, tanning bed.
To give an example, UV rays exposure can enhance the release of endorphins (thus improving your mood), and can even reduce fibromyalgia pain.
In addition, there are several skin conditions that can be effectively treated through phototherapy or sun exposure:
• Auto-immune diseases (e.g. Crohn’s syndrome, etc.)
• Vitiligo
• Atopic dermatitis
• Psoriasis
Despite popular belief, even the UVA radiation can have its benefits.
UVA produces nitric oxide (NO), an acid that can reduce blood pressure and which has an overall beneficial effect on our cardiovascular health. What’s more, the UVA radiation has an important antimicrobial effect.
To sum up, no matter what type of sun exposure you are using (i.e. natural or artificial), it is extremely important to avoid overexposure and use sensibly. This way, you will not only get an enviable tan, but you will also keep your skin healthy and get a health boost in many areas.
The safest way to tan is via tan tablets. Visit our homepage if you would like to learn more.
