What is Magic Melatonin
Melatonin is a chemical produced in a part of the brain called the Pineal gland which regulates sleep and wakefulness. The Pineal gland will only produce Melatonin and sleep during the night. In the presence of light, the Pineal gland shuts down the production of Melatonin to indicate to the body that it`s time to wake up even if you don’want to. I remember waking up in the dark and coming home in the dark when I was working in London, also struggling to wake up at 6a.m, it just didn’t feel right! How do health care workers, the military etc do it?
The difference between night and day
The brain can only tell the difference between night and day by the presence of light. The Pineal gland is so sensitive to light that if you wake up in the middle of the night and briefly turn the lights on, a false signal is sent to the brain to turn off Melatonin and keep the body awake. Anyone who has nipped to the bathroom in the middle of the night with their eyes shut as much as possible (me) is doing right Thus, the absence of light is to achieve a healthy sleep.
Quite interestingly is that not all colours of light surpress Melatonin. White and blue white are at the to of the list more so than red, orange and yellow (surprising because of sunlight). Therefore. it is highly advisable to switch to darker light colours as night time approaches. People with insomnia will benefit from completely shutting off all traces of light in their bedrooms before sleep.
Sometimes the human body is unable to produce Melatonin due to a deficiency of the amino acid tryptophan. In these cases natural supplements can give a person a good source of Melatonin.
Melatonin supplements are available in most supermarkets like Consum and also online.
Anyone of us that wakes up during the dark hours and can’get back to sleep knows too well how it effects our function the next day. The good thing is natural Melatonin tablets are cheap and non-addictive. Always opt for the natural sleeping aid.!
Sweet dreams all!