Yesterday I wrote about the importance of sleep and shared some of the commonly referenced remedies to help alleviate insomnia.
Today I want to share the one suggestion that I think we most often miss, the one that may have the most significant impact.
But first, I want to again mention…if you are experiencing other symptoms of hormone imbalance besides insomnia, the first place to start is with hormone testing and an experienced health care practitioner who can help you get back into balance. When your glands and hormones are out of balance, there are physiological reasons that prevent you from sleeping, no matter what you do to try to induce sleep.
Back to the additional information…the hypothalamus in the brain regulates our circadian rhythm by instructing the pineal gland to produce melatonin during the night and serotonin in the daylight or sunlight. On average, this works out to be about eight hours of melatonin and sixteen hours of serotonin.
Sunlight stimulates the pineal gland to produce serotonin. Serotonin is a natural, opiate-like chemical that is thought to promote relaxation and sleep, calm anxiety, and relieve depression. Serotonin production is also stimulated by such things as exercise, taking time to include doing the little things that bring you joy, and following a good diet.
Lack of sunlight in the winter months, when we experience shorter days and more darkness, is thought to contribute to seasonal depression. However, serotonin production is inhibited year round when we are not exposed to natural sunlight, unfiltered by car and window glass.
When spending time outdoors in the direct sunlight is not possible, the next best thing is utilizing “full spectrum” lighting, the closest thing we have to direct sunlight because of its ability to regulate melatonin and serotonin. According to David Olszewski, contributing author of Light Years Ahead:
“On this planet we have to have the full spectrum of sunlight to live. This is how we evolved as a species. Sunlight is not just a bright light; it is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, best described as a rainbow. These 1,200 frequencies of light all act on some part of your body. They power the cells, regulate your biological clock and produce hormones in your body; they affect your metabolism; they give you the equivalent of vitamin C and vitamin D. When you’re not getting enough light, all these functions start diminishing, and cause depression of your immune system. We need these frequencies on an ongoing basis.
A full spectrum light has a profile with 1,200 frequencies, and it is similar to sunlight, but it can only be produced in a fluorescent tube with a lot of expensive phosphors. Certain incandescent light bulbs…are sold as full spectrum, but they are not fluorescent and they are not full spectrum. They are merely coated to absorb the yellow. You can bend small fluorescent tubes and put them into sockets that will go right into your regular lighting, and the beauty of full spectrum (besides health benefits) is that they are so cool and low-cost running that they use one-fifth of the electricity of a regular bulb.”
At the other end of the equation is melatonin. The pineal gland produces melatonin to induce sleep in the presence of two factors: 1) the right time, beginning somewhere around 9:00 pm, and 2) the presence of darkness. In the days prior to electricity, people went to bed when it got dark and arose when it became light. Today, how many people are in bed at 9:00 pm at night?
Scientists now know there are “light receptors” behind the knees and in the eyes (even though the eyes are closed) that sense light and send signals to the body. Even though it is night, indoor lighting can be bright enough to inhibit the production of melatonin. Night lights, lights from digital clocks, and street lights penetrating through curtains all inhibit melatonin production.
Based upon the above discussion, some additional suggestions you might try in support of restful sleep and normal body function include:
1) Go to bed around 9:00 pm.
2) Eliminate all sources of light so that your bedroom is totally dark. Test the degree of darkness by checking if you can see your hand when you place it in front of you.
3) Spend a minimum of 10 -15 minutes a day in sunlight.
4) When sunlight exposure is not possible, consider utilizing full spectrum lighting in your work or living space.
Most sources recommend a bare minimum of seven hours of sleep at night, with eight hours preferred. Eight hours of uninterrupted, restful sleep will work wonders on the body’s restorative powers and hormone balancing, with the side benefit of also eliminating a huge chunk of stress from our lives.
This holiday weekend is a great time to take advantage of a little extra restful sleep. Happy holiday! : )
I found this very interesting. I am so tired, I am struggling to function daily. I am on Livial, Primlout, T3,T4, I have had Thyroid Toxicosis several times, my neck always hurts. and blood presure tablets. I am so tired.
Thanks, Ann
Ann,
Where do you live? I am in southern Indiana. Dr. Whitney Gabhart, ND, is giving a seminar this Saturday, July 11, on “Hormomes 101, Fat, Fatigued, and Female?” I wish you could attend. I am talking with Dr. Gabhart about doing a video conference or skyping her programs. So many women need the information. In Indiana, NDs cannot prescribe medication. She is an endocrinology expert and works as an educational assistant to physicians here locally. If interested, I can ask her if she can do conferences over the phone. She has expert knowledge about the thyroid. Have you had your saliva hormones tested – sex hormones and cortisol? Have you had your free T3, Free T4, TPO tested? I am not familar with Livial and Primlout, so I looked them up. I see that they are synthetic drugs. My doctor works through Dr. Gabhart to supplement what I need via bioidentical (non-synthetic) hormones. A great web site to check out is canaryclub.org. I can totally empathize. It is terrible to feel terrible, particularly when it goes on forever and ever. What T3 T4 are you taking? Are they synthetics too? A great book I’d recommend is Stop the Thyroid Madness. It has really opened my eyes wide. If you are taking all those things and still not feeling well, that is concerning. Another great book is Hormone Balance Made Simple by Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins. Also, Fat, Fuzzy, and Frazzled? by Drs. Richard and Karilee Shames. The book I am writing is designed to help women become aware of what is going on in their bodies and what they can do about it. Hope some of this info helps. I want you to feel better!
Umm, no light receptors behind the knees. One study by Scott Campbell et al some years back appeared to show that there were such receptors, and their results got a lot of publicity. However, neither Campbell’s group nor any other has been able to replicate the results, and Campbell has refuted the original claim. Unfortunately, that never got a lot of publicity.
(Similarly, one can still read all over the place that the human circadian period is 25 hours. Not true. Scientists thought so once. It is now known that the human circadian period (for adults of all ages) is 24 hours and 11 minutes, +/- 16 minutes.)
It is true that the pineal gland produces and secretes melatonin in the dark while light banishes the hormone from the blood. Anyone taking a melatonin supplement in the evening should get plenty of light right after awakening, otherwise the body may be tricked into believing that the nights are very long.
(Now I’ve gotta go look up serotonin and try to figure out where it comes from. I don’t think the pineal produces it, but the pineal does use it in the production of melatonin IIRC.)
Thank you for your comments! I went to your site, and wow, you have a lot of information there. You have really studied this subject!
Wow, that is interesting about the light sensors behind the knees. I work with 2 doctors who are still under that impression. I will have to inform them, thanks to you!
So, the thing for people to do is focus on maintaining a dark room for the sensors in the eyes? Do you think that those black eye masks are effective? Under the impression that there are light receptors behind the knees, I couldn’t see where they could be effective…but if there are none, then wouldn’t the dark eye masks be effective to keep out light and thus not negatively affect melatonin?
Seeing your comments made me dig into it myself…serotonin is a neurotransmittter, a biochemical messenger and regulator, synthesized from the essential amino acid L-TRYPTOPHAN. Part of serotonin converts to melatonin in the pineal gland. I suppose the key is balance – sufficient daylight to produce serotonin and sufficient darkness to produce melatonin.
I thank you for your comments! I want to be sure I am communicating accurate information, and I so appreciate your help!
Hello again. How nice that my rather negative comments were so very positively received, thanks. I breathe a sigh of relief about that.
My research has all been aimed at understanding my own sleep disorder, but I’ve had to read a lot about normal people, too
Melatonin secretion actually starts well before a person gets sleepy, if the light is dim, and apparently leads to sleepiness. Light in the morning needs to have plenty of blue in it; dim light in the evening should have more orange and less blue in it. Some people even switch to amber colored lamps in the evening. I’ve bought orange/amber goggles for the purpose, but I keep forgetting to put them on
(Here is one source of amber goggles: https://www.lowbluelights.com/products.asp?cid=15 )
Darkness is ideal while sleeping and the blindfold-type masks are good. Many people have very well-lit bathrooms, and spending 5 minutes there in the middle of the night with lights on can reduce melatonin levels somewhat. A candle is ok
Circadian rhythms are fascinating, and there’s constantly new knowledge out there.
Oh, no – I only appreciate your comments! I am learning a lot because you were willing to take the time to write a comment.
I just went to the amber goggles site. I didn’t know there was such a thing! Now I am curious how we get more blue light. I didn’t know there was such a thing as blue light – just knew natural lighting is what to strive for and flourescent lighting is not what we need.
I also find it intriguing what is said about window glass somehow compromising the natural light…one thinks they are getting natural light when their curtains are open, but the window glass somehow filters it.
That makes so much sense what you say about dim lights causing sleepiness. I marvel at the wisdom of the body.
I went back in and made some edits to my article, thanks to your feedback. Thanks again, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend…with plenty of sleep, right? : )