If you believe that the only good reason to use a tanning bed is to get a tan, think again. Yes, indeed, that is likely the most common reason to use a tanning bed, but there are other benefits to using one, as well.

There are health benefits related to tanning beds? This may seem like a preposterous idea, especially since you have most likely only heard about the negative health effects of tanning in a commercial tanning bed namely, skin cancer. But just as the sun is a source of so much more than just a good tan, so is a tanning bed.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is important to protect against diabetes, multiple slclerosis, and cancer. Basically, vitamin D is something that everyone should have, and the best way to get it is from the sun.

In fact, although a "vitamin" is technically something that is required by the body but that the body cannot make, vitamin D is a vitamin that our bodies do, indeed make. Our bodies can make vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Of course, these days, because of pollution, the fact that we humans now wear clothing and spend so much time indoors, etc., many people do not get enough vitamin D. In fact, even wearing sunblock can block the UV rays necessary for producing vitamin D.

So, how can people get their regular dosage of vitamin D? By going out and using a tanning bed, of course. And, in fact, in states with long, dark and sunless winters, there is nothing quite like a tanning bed to boost your levels of vitamin D.

Exposure to sunlight -- or a tanning bed -- a few times a week can reduce the risk of osteoporosis, muscle weakness, fractures, and even cancers. Are you getting enough sunlight? Even during the winter months?

Burnless summer

If you have a tendency to burn when you spend time outdoors, it might be a good idea to visit a tanning bed, first. A tanning bed emits the exact same tanning rays that the sun does, so you need to use a tanning bed only for short periods of time. But it can be easier to get the brown tan you want (rather than the red one!) by visiting a tanning bed. Protect yourself against the sun by getting a tan, first! Just be sure to start with a very short exposure time and then slowly increase it. It is still possible to get burnt in a tanning bed.