UV for a good mood?
Ever wondered why exposure to the sun or sunbeds leaves you with a spring in your step?
It’s because sunlight and darkness trigger the release of hormones in your brain. Exposure to sunlight is thought to increase the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin. This is associated with boosting mood and helping you feel calm and focused. At night, darker lighting cues trigger the brain to make another hormone called melatonin. This hormone is responsible for helping a person feel sleepy and go to sleep. You can see here, for us to be at optimum health and happiness, we need sunlight during the day and darkness at night.
What happens during the winter or when the sun doesn’t shine?
Without enough sunlight exposure, a person’s serotonin levels can dip low. Low levels of serotonin are associated with a higher risk of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is a form of depression that is triggered by changing seasons.
For many customers, visiting Consol for a regular and responsible dose of UV exposure, especially during the winter months, is an effective way of staying energetic, healthy, illness free, positive and happy!
A mood boost isn’t the only reason to get increased amounts of sunlight. Exposure to sunlight can also benefit those suffering from nonseasonal depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and in pregnant women with depression, according to the Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience.
In Studies...
A team of researchers measured different aspects of psychological well being in 53 volunteers before and after sunbed use. At baseline, all volunteers completed psychological questionnaires. Forty-two of the volunteers were assigned to receive twice-weekly full body UVA irradiation for 3 weeks. The other 11 received no phototherapy. At the end of the trial, all participants completed psychological questionnaires.
They found that sunbed exposed volunteers felt significantly more balanced, less nervous, more strengthened, and more satisfied with their appearance after sunbed use.
