"If you've ever heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder, you know that there are people out there who are so severely affected by the change in seasons that they have trouble functioning in their normal lives. Of course, this isn't a problem that affects a great number of people but you'd be surprised to learn how many people are at least mildly affected by the change of seasons. More specifically, people are frequently affected by the change in sunlight that comes during the winter months or are affected by spending prolonged periods of time in areas that are high on rain and low on sunlight. In fact, if you think about it, you might begin to notice that you yourself have a tendency to get a little blue when the sun isn't shining brightly.

There's a reason for this; sunlight provides the Vitamin D that the body needs to fight off feelings of depression. When the body gets low on Vitamin D, it can't fight those feelings as effectively. And of course, that's not all that the body needs Vitamin D for. Vitamin D regulates calcium which assists with kidney function and bone growth (that's why you drink your milk, right?) It is also helps improve the efficiency of the immune system and provides many other benefits to the body including possible cancer prevention. And without that Vitamin D, those benefits are lacking.

So, what are people to do when the sun isn't shining? After all, you aren't going to move away from your home or job just because it happens to be in a place that rains all of the time. And you probably don't have the option of maintaining a winter home in a sunnier hemisphere just to get your Vitamin D. So, clearly, you have to find an alternative source of Vitamin D for those times when the sun doesn't shine enough for your health. Tanning beds may be able to help provide that Vitamin D. But are they a safe source?

Absolutely. In fact, tanning beds may be a safer source of Vitamin D than spending time in the sun itself. The reason for this is that the best way for a body to get Vitamin D is through moderate exposure to UV light. When you spend time out in the sun, it's usually not for a moderate amount of time. Even if it is, you can't really tell how much exposure you're getting to UV rays because there are so many weather and location factors to take into consideration. When you tan indoors, you control the exposure to UV rays to make sure that you are getting only moderate levels, minimizing the risks of UV exposure and maximizing the benefits.

Furthermore, tanning beds are located inside of tanning salons which give you direct access to professionals who can give you advice on the best methods of tanning for Vitamin D absorption. These professionals are the first to learn about newly approved tanning lotions and new types of tanning treatment that can better maximize your tanning experience. Rather than trying to research the right way to tan outdoors, you can book a tanning bed at a salon where the information about safe tanning will be right at your fingertips.

Finally, the benefits of the tanning salon environment can help to decrease the effects of Vitamin D deficiency, at least in the area of depression. People who take the time out to enjoy the salon experience and who get the relaxation of time spent in a tanning bed are more capable of warding off the feelings of depression that can happen from low Vitamin D than are those people who simply try to wait until the sun returns. So, tanning beds are not only a safe source of Vitamin D, they're a good place to go get it."