Tanning - endorphin release

[yaesutom]

I happened to catch some of a CNN story on tanning beds..

They did all these tests, some tanning beds had the UV light blocked, some didnt, the people didnt know.

They gave naltrexone to some people that go tanning regularly, and they would show signs of opiate withdrawal..

Interesting, apparently laying in the sun or going into a tanning place causes the body to produce lots of endorphins...

Makes sense to me, that awww yeah feeling when yer in the sun, almost napping.. or .. well years ago I used to go like once a week to one of those cheap tanning places nearby, apparently to "get my fix" heh, to me it...well , felt good. I mean I hear the bad stuff (cancer or whatever) about that but then you lay in one for 10-15 mins or whatever, and well shit, i'd always come out feeling damn good, i associated the feeling to being "good for me", to get some sun, whether fake or not.. "feels" healthy, hehe, anyway .

I even remember like first time or going in one of those after a long time with no sun, even getting a tad nauseated afterwards (but still made me feel damn good for hours afterwards).

So makes me think, an opiate addict who ran out of opiates, ..maybe mild.. might be able to just walk into a tanning place and..get a tan, "get a fix", my guess is it would help with withdrawal from opiates (maybe mild w/d, dunno..).

I had no idea there was endorphin release after exposure to UV light like that, I do remember going there after a long day at work though and really, its damn relaxing and... heh.. well, "felt good", then felt good for whoever long after on that day. I didn't necessarily give a shit if i looked more tan or not, but a couple dollars and 15 minutes in one of those things was reinforcing, weekly or whatever.

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Makes me wonder about.. can't think of the name, the type of depression that happens in some people in the "rare sunlight" months of the year. SAD? (dunno what that stands for if thats it). After seeing that story (actually i mostly just heard the TV), heard some talk about tanning addicts, its just funny - the whole war on drugs, the "drugs are bad" people don't realise...why they go to get a tan, or why they have sex, addiction, pfft.. no point in going on there everybody reading knows what i'm talking about.

But the fact that you can become an 'addict', and get withdrawal symptoms, physical - opiate like withdrawal symptoms, along with the psychological, ...by just going 'tanning' , very interesting..

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It would be interesting to see the results (posted on the net here or whatever) of a little experiment, someone dependant on opiates, purposely takes a lower dose or none (etc) so they do get some w/d symptoms, then go into one of these places.. and get a tan.. see if the w/d's are reduced..

 

[Mussoman_Beast]

Wow! That's really interesting!!!

If you get the chance and know where it is, could you post a link?? I'd like to read more about this.

Really cool post

 

[bigmac74]

I remember reading an article about this and so I went straight to PubMed which had abstracts that seem to show evidence against endorphin released tanning.

This may have been the article I read, unsure as it was at least a fortnight ago.

 

[BilZ0r]

^ Plasma opioids don't matter, in my opinion.

The whole thing reeks of bullshit to me.

 

[jasoncrest]

The endegenous opioids released during tanning can't be enough to help even very mild withdrawal...

 

[yaesutom]

Oh well - I never researched this on the 'net, and it was on CNN.. although they did mention naltrexone / the opiate antagonist etc so what they were saying sounded interesting.

lol - either way, whatever causes me to 'feel good' and relaxed after 10-15 mins in one of those things..well i dunno, but it feels damn good afterwards thats all I know. (and too lazy to bother researching on this topic myself right now anyway)

--edit, just did a quick google search for tanning and opiates, looks like what i ended up hearing on TV,

Addictive effects of frequent tanning - Study
Mar 29, 2006, 06:36, Reviewed by: Dr. Priya Saxena


"The finding was unexpected and is consistent with the hypothesis that frequent tanning is may be driven in part by a mild dependence on opioids, most likely endorphins,"


By Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Frequent users of tanning beds may be getting more out of the experience than darker skin, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. New evidence suggests that ultraviolet light has "feel-good" effects that may be similar to those of some addictive drugs.

"We had previously shown that ultraviolet light has an effect on mood that tanners value," said Mandeep Kaur, M.D., lead author. "Now, in this small study, we've shown that some tanners actually experience withdrawal symptoms when the 'feel-good' chemicals are blocked."

The research – reported in the April issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology – involved eight frequent tanners and eight infrequent tanners. Frequent tanners were those who tan eight to 15 times a month, or more than necessary to maintain a tan. Infrequent tanners were those who use tanning beds no more than 12 times a year.

The research was designed to test the hypothesis that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light may produce endorphins, brain chemicals that are linked to pain relief and euphoric feelings, and could play a role in tanning behavior. UV light occurs naturally in sunlight and is responsible for the tanning and burning effects of the sun. Artificial UV light is used in tanning beds and sunlamps.

In 2004, the Wake Forest researchers reported on a study in which participants had tanning sessions in two identical-looking tanning beds. Tanners spent half of each session in one bed, which used UV light, and half in the other, which didn't. Mood was measured before and after each tanning exposure. The results revealed greater relaxation and lower tension after UV exposure compared to non-UV exposure.

In the current study, the researchers hoped to discover whether endorphins could be driving the tanning behavior. Half of tanners were given an inactive drug and half were given a drug to block the effects endorphins and other opioids, which include narcotics such as morphine. Participants then tanned in both the UV and non-UV beds.

At higher doses of the opioid-blocking medication (15 mg. of naltrexone), frequent tanners showed a reduced preference for UV tanning. And, four of the eight frequent tanners reported nausea or jitteriness. None of the infrequent tanners who took the drug reported these symptoms.

"The finding was unexpected and is consistent with the hypothesis that frequent tanning is may be driven in part by a mild dependence on opioids, most likely endorphins," said Steven Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., senior researcher and a professor of dermatology. "The nausea and jitteriness induced by the medication are consistent with symptoms of mild opiate withdrawal."

The researchers said that while the study is small, it supports the hypothesis that tanning behavior may be driven by endorphins in much the same way that the so-called "runner's high" helps to motivate runners.

Kaur said the finding is significant because, like other risky behaviors, it is important to understand why frequent tanners choose the activity. Exposure to UV through tanning has been shown to damage the genetic information in cells and is linked to the development of skin cancer. Despite this, there was a 300 percent increase in the number of indoor tanners in the United States between 1986 and 1996.

- April issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology

i have no clue about the "Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology" hehe..

 

[BilZ0r]

There are as many studies showing now increase in endogenous opioids during tanning as there are showing the opposite. And as I say, even if plasma opioids did go up, who cares, as opioids shouldn't be able to pass the BBB.

 

[shroomcloud]

can you explain this ^ why wouldnt they be able to pass the BBB?

 

[BilZ0r]

Because they are massive, relatively water soluble compounds.