How to optimize our melatonin levels

Suggestions for sleep hygiene
Two environmental ”noise” factors that can make it hard to obtain a good and restful sleep are light and temperature.

The next suggestions can improve your sleep hygiene and can help you optimize the production of melatonin. Here they are:

⦁   Avoid watching TV or using the computer at night, at least one hour before going to bed. These devices emit blue light reaching the brain causing him to believe that it is day already.
Normally the brain begins to secrete melatonin between 9 pm and 10 pm and these devices emitting light could slow down this process.

⦁   Make sure you expose yourself to sunlight regularly.
The pineal gland produces melatonin when we are in complete darkness. If you stay in the dark all day long, the body will not be able to appreciate the difference and thus will not optimize the production of melatonin.

⦁   Sleep in complete darkness or as dark as possible.
A minimum glimmer of light in the room can alter the biological clock and the production of melatonin by the pineal gland.
Even the smallest light emitted by the alarm clock (if electronic) interferes with sleep, so it is advisable to opt out of this type of devices. You can also cover the windows with blackout curtains or black-out blinds.

⦁   Use bulbs with yellow, orange or red light during night
Install weak bulbs and with yellow, orange or red light, if you need a light source to go to the bathroom at night. Such light does not stop the producing of melatonin as it does for example blue and white light.

⦁   Keep the room temperature not more than 23 degrees Celsius.
Many people warm up too much the room in which they sleep (particularly in the upstairs of a house). Studies in this regard have shown that the optimum temperature for a sleeping room should be between 20 and 23 degrees.

⦁   Take a warm bath with approximately 90-120 minutes before going to bed.
This will increase body temperature and when you exit the bathroom, the temperature will drop abruptly, sending the body the signal that it is ready for sleep.

⦁   Avoid using too noisy awakening alarms.
To wake up every morning with too much noise can be a stressful factor. If you sleep well at night and preferably go to bed every night at the same time, it is likely not even need an alarm clock.

⦁   Expose yourself to sunlight in the morning.
The circadian system needs light to get back in operation. Ten to fifteen minutes of exposure to sunlight in the morning will send a direct message to the inner clock to inform you that the day has begun, which will make the signals of light overnight less confusing. As we age it is necessary to expose more to the sun.

⦁   Be aware of the negative effects of electromagnetic fields in the room where you sleep.
Electromagnetic fields can alter the functioning of the pineal gland and implicitly the melatonin production and may also have some biological effects. A gauss device can help you find the levels of electromagnetic fields in different areas of your home.

We should take melatonin supplements?
Current scientific research suggests that melatonin deficiency could cause some profound biological disadvantages such as high levels of inflammation in the body, a weakened immune system and an increased risk of cancer.
One of the safest ways to threaten the natural production of melatonin is through exposure to artificial light at night - including briefly. Many studies have shown that the exchange of the night can cause higher rates of cancer, in particular breast cancer.

The use of melatonin supplements may be beneficial, but it is more beneficial and certainly more economical to do so the body itself to produce melatonin. Thus, you get the "perfect" melatonin dose and when we say "perfect" we mean that you will not get neither too much, nor too little, because the body will use the information it has to adjust the dose needed.

If for whatever reason you cannot increase production of melatonin naturally, as described above, then you can consider using a supplement of melatonin, but it would be best to follow the advice above.

Various scientific studies have shown that melatonin helps people fall asleep faster and stay asleep, to experience less anxiety and avoid fatigue during the day.
Consider that you only need a small dose of melatonin - generally 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg initially and adjust the dose map from this point. Contact large doses of 3 mg for example, can have the opposite effect, keeping you awake instead of asleep, which is why you need to adjust the dose carefully.

Source: Ayurvedic Medica

 

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