How Long in a Tanning Bed For Vitamin D?
As important as Vitamin D is, you wouldn’t need to be in a tanning bed for hours at a time in order to get it. It is true that UVB radiation from the sun provides some Vitamin D, but not enough. The time one needs to be exposed varies and can depend on the season or location. In general, however, 10-15 minutes of exposure will provide enough Vitamin D if you do not have any conditions that affect absorption of vitamin D or skin tone.
You’re not alone if you’ve ever wondered how long you should stay in a tanning bed. Unfortunately, it’s a question that affects millions of people. However, there are ways to get the benefits of tanning without putting your skin at risk. Read on to learn more about how to use a tanning bed safely.
Sunlight
The average person can spend anywhere from one to three minutes in a tanning bed, but a long session is not necessarily necessary. Studies have shown that prolonged use of a tanning bed can increase the risk of melanoma by more than 20 percent. This risk is nearly doubled if the person is under 35. While sunbeds are a convenient way to get Vitamin D, they are also very harmful and should be avoided.
Healthline says more than one billion people worldwide do not get enough vitamin D from sunlight. This is incredibly worrying, considering that 41% of U.S. adults do not receive enough of it. The body’s ability to produce vitamin D is essential for healthy immune systems. It is produced by the skin when it is exposed to sunlight and is also found in certain types of fish. Getting enough vitamin D from sunlight can be challenging, but tanning beds can provide a quick and easy way to boost your levels.
One study also found that tanning bed users had higher serum 25(OH)D concentrations than those control subjects. Furthermore, they had lower levels of parathyroid hormone. In addition, they had significantly higher BMD and z scores at the total hip, suggesting that tanning may benefit the skeleton.
Another study from Anti-Cancer Research found that vitamin D levels remained high for up to six to eight weeks after sunbed sessions. However, dietary supplements were not shown to maintain vitamin D levels. This may mean sunbeds are a better source of vitamin D than diet alone. Nonetheless, the risks of overexposure to UVB radiation are not trivial.
According to Holick and Dowdy (2002), the optimal time to spend in a tanning bed for vitamin D production is about 15 to 30 minutes. In addition, the time needed to produce vitamin D varies between people and seasons. The optimal amount of time spent in a tanning bed varies according to the time of day and position. In summer, standing vertically receives less UV radiation than a person lying horizontally, while in winter, standing vertically increases the total UV exposure. Also, the amount of UV exposure is lower than that of a person whose limbs are in wide-spread posture.
The amount of time a person should spend in a tanning bed depends on age and skin color. Fair-skinned individuals will need as little as fifteen to twenty minutes of exposure to UVB radiation three or four days a week. Darker-skinned individuals will need more prolonged exposure.
Sunbeds
While a tanning bed may increase your vitamin D levels, many health risks are associated with prolonged sun exposure. The amount of UVB radiation emitted by sunbeds is similar to that of the sun. In addition, UVB exposure may increase your risk of developing skin cancer.
The sunbed’s UV rays can damage DNA in your skin, causing skin cells to grow out of control and even causing skin cancer. It also increases your risk for eye inflammation and skin aging. This makes it not the most healthy way to obtain vitamin D.
Various studies have been conducted to determine whether sunbeds effectively boost vitamin D levels. Most studies have found that sunbeds do increase Vitamin D levels. However, these results were not consistent between different sunbeds. Researchers found that the amount of Vitamin D produced by sunbeds could increase to a level similar to that of the equatorial sun after two sessions.
The effects of UV exposure on vitamin D levels in winter are mainly unknown. However, you’ll need more UV exposure in summer than in winter. This is because the natural UV levels in our skin are around 10% of what you get from sunlight. However, winter sunbeds may not be as harmful as you may think.
The study found that tanning bed users had significantly higher serum 25(OH)D concentrations than non-tanning bed users, and their BMD was also higher. Moreover, these users had significantly higher z scores of their total hip, suggesting that tanning bed use may benefit our skeleton.
Exposure to UVB Radiation
Exposure to UVB radiation for vitamin D production has many benefits but can also have harmful consequences. Exposure to UVB has been associated with cancer, including melanoma, and can harm the skin. However, there are various ways to supplement vitamin D without exposing yourself to the sun.
Exposure to UVB radiation can raise blood levels of vitamin D. This is good news for those who don’t get enough vitamin D in their diet. It can also help patients with chronic kidney disease. These patients can improve their cardiovascular health by increasing blood levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.
The amount of UVB radiation that reaches the body depends on the solar zenith angle. If the angle is low, UVB photons are forced to travel farther through the ozone layer, increasing their probability of absorption and scattering back into space. In addition, the angle of the sun also affects the UV spectrum. The action spectrum of vitamin D covers the ultraviolet spectral range, with its maximum wavelength at 295 nm.
The amount of UVB radiation a person receives will determine their vitamin D serum levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D is expressed as 25-hydroxyvitamin-D3. Research is still inconclusive on the impact of UVB radiation on vitamin D levels. However, studies in laboratory settings have shown that exposure to UVB radiation can increase the amount of vitamin D.
The role of UVB radiation in preventing multiple sclerosis is not entirely understood. But studies have found a link between varying levels of UVR and the risk of multiple sclerosis. In addition, exposure to UVB radiation for vitamin D production may have a protective effect on the body’s immune system. In addition to vitamin D, many other UV-induced products have biological effects relevant to the prevention of MS.
The optimal wavelength for LEDs for vitamin D production is 293–298 nm. This wavelength increases vitamin D3 production 2.4 times more effective than natural sunlight exposure. This wavelength range is ideal for vitamin D supplementation in healthy and diseased individuals.