It Is Possible to Become Addicted to Sunbathing, Researchers Say

According to an investigation whose findings were published in the journal Cell this past June 19, it is possible for people to become addicted to sunbathing and thus greatly increase their risk to develop skin cancer.

Study senior author David Fisher says that, as confirmed by evidence at hand, spending too much time in the sun and thus experiencing chronic exposure to ultraviolet radiation can trigger the release of endorphines.

For those unaware, endorphines are known as feel-good hormones. This is because, whenever they happen to flood the body, they give people a sense of wellbeing, EurekAlert informs.

Seeing how endorphines act on the body via the same pathway that heroin and other similar drugs employ, David Fisher and his colleagues argue that it is possible for a person to become addicted to them.

Hence, the researchers claim that, after spending a tad too much time in the sun, some people might find it virtually impossible to take a break and go enjoy a soda under an umbrella.

This theory is confirmed by experiments carried out on mice. Thus, rodents whose endorphines levels upped as a result of exposure to ultraviolet light and were then no longer allowed to sunbathe all experienced withdrawal symptoms.

These withdrawal symptoms included shaking, tremors, and teeth chattering, David Fisher and fellow researchers write in their paper in the journal Cell.

The problem is that, as shown by previous studies, ultraviolet radiation is a common cause of cancer. Therefore, the fact that people can become addicted to it should worry researchers and doctors alike.

In light of these findings, specialist David Fisher and his colleagues urge that efforts be made to convince people that, regardless of how good it might make them feel, spending too much time in the sun is not recommended.

“This information might serve as a valuable means of educating people to curb excessive sun exposure in order to limit skin cancer risk as well as accelerated skin aging that occurs with repeated sun exposure,” David Fisher says.