If you were asked ‘what’s the advantage of a sunbed?’ your answer would probably be related to tanning. Building up a healthy-looking tan and getting the confidence boost that comes with being pleased with your appearance is definitely one of the biggest benefits to using a sunbed. But the truth is that there are many other advantages that regular sunbed users enjoy that you may not have heard about.
Here are 5 great advantages of using a sunbed that are worth considering:
- Controllable
Probably one of the biggest advantages of sunbeds, especially over the natural sun, is that they’re controllable. They put users in charge of their level of exposure, which isn’t always possible on sunny days when there is a lack of shade. Today’s sunbeds are designed with integrated safety controls such as built-in timers that automatically power down the appliance following a short session to prevent burning and skin damage and give users more control over their tanning outcomes. You can’t simply turn the sun off!
- Customisable
Another big advantage that sunbeds have over natural sun exposure is that they can often be customised to tailor the light output exactly to your needs. While light from the sun comprises of roughly 95% UVA and 5% UVB, the lamps on some modern sunbeds can be swapped as needed to expose the skin to different forms of light. Collagen-boosting red light tanning is becoming increasingly popular, for example, while green therapy lamps have been shown to help improve the skin’s appearance.
- Health-supporting
What many people don’t realise is that UV light has the same impact on biological processes regardless of whether it comes from a natural or artificial source. So the health benefits of natural sunlight - a boost in Vitamin D production, reduced inflammation, an improvement in skin conditions, lowered blood pressure, and better heart health, for example - can be replicated through sunbed use. The advantage of this is that these benefits can be maintained over winter when there is less natural UV.
- Mood-Boosting
Sunlight has long been known to impact mood. So much so, in fact, that there’s even a medical term for the ‘winter blues’ - seasonal affective disorder - and in some people the symptoms can be severe. Research suggests that sunbeds can mimic the natural mood-boosting qualities of the sun, with studies showing that users typically report feeling less upset, irritable, nervous, jittery, and afraid following a tanning session, while also feeling more positive, more interested, and more engaged in aspects of daily life.
- Relaxing
While there’s nothing better than that relaxing feeling you get while laying in the soft sand on the Spanish coast, sunbeds offer a very affordable and very convenient way to create a calming environment for unwinding at home. Contemporary sunbeds often feature advanced built-in entertainment options - everything from mood lighting to integrated sound systems and even TV screens - to make it easy for you to enjoy some much-needed ‘me time’, unwinding away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Reaping the Benefits
While the advantages of sunbeds were once reserved only for those who could afford to visit luxurious spas and salons, recent advancements in the industry mean that these benefits are accessible to practically everyone today. The cost of commercial models has reduced to enable more venues to add tanning beds into their services, while the domestic range has grown massively to give homeowners easy access to space-saving models that can be used as needed without having to step foot outside the front door.
So if you’re on the fence about sunbeds, remember that tanning is just one of many advantages, and that there are multiple benefits to tanning regularly, and safely.
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