Sorry, it has been a while since I wrote a blog but have been busy with new exciting intensive patients at the Green Door Clinic as well as studying.
Quite a few people have been struggling with sleep so it came to my attention I should write down some of my tips for helping boost melatonin and combat lack of sleep. (Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland within the brain that helps regulate our sleep-wake cycle and wakefulness).
Some of us are night owls in this fast-moving world we live in which pours into our sympathetic nervous system. This means we are inclined to nocturnal energy sources and bleary-eyed mornings while others naturally wake up. Those morning types produce their serotonin (a hormone that supports activity quickly when exposed to light) But those that stay up in the night this process is delayed by an hour or two. I get that most of us are night owls at times but you can tweak this, start by having a consistent waking time. If you have had a late night, fit in a nap or go without, so that your body clock does not go back to its natural state, believe it or not, sleeping in does not make you catch up, it just makes you more worn out, plus you need as much sunshine as you can in the morning and in the wintertime you will need simulated light.
Someday perhaps society will reward those who are at their most productive at the dead of night, but until then reset your biological clock with some of these hacks.
6 am
Wake up and get out of bed at once, think of your brain as an engine and let it warm up before it is put to work.
630 am
Your digestive system is linked to your sleep cycle, kick start it by eating early, even if it is just a banana and a handful of almonds. About 1 pint of mineral water with a pinch of Himalayan sea salt and one squeezed lime and perhaps a few ounces of fresh-squeezed tomato juice.
A small amount of fruit juice is very beneficial for kickstarting your metabolism, orange juice can help process iron which is good at keeping you alert. A pint of water with some sea salt both hydrates polishes the adrenals and mixed with the lime helps balance pH levels and sets the stage for optimal digestion that day.
7 am
Limit your exercise to the morning, not only is it good for supporting that morning cortisol (the fat-burning hormone), but it also will stimulate your body and muscles for the day, if you can, train outside, if not, train somewhere with natural light or get as much natural light as you can. Exercise can also stimulate melatonin growth. This is probably related to the fact that the hormones and neurotransmitters that are released during exercise support melatonin syntheses. You can train later at night, but if you do it at night, it might shift your sleep rhythm to a later time (and hence disrupt your sleep if you want to stay at the same bedtime.
If you are someone who dreads the idea of exercise at the best of times, then stick to some stretches, a lot of the exercises I show clients use a swiss ball and can easily be done at home. Simple stretches on the floor or on a yoga mat like the mckenzie press up, prone cobra, 90/90 hip stretch to name a few.
1 pm
Eat lunch at the same time each day, or as close as possible. Have your last caffeinated drink before 3 pm. Caffeine interferes with melatonin production. If you tend to drink coffee or tea throughout the day, switching to water or another caffeine-free beverage can be a big help. Again, get outside if you can. Getting a healthy dose of Vitamin D during the day is integral in producing melatonin at night. To shut down your melatonin levels during the day, you need to be exposed to bright sunlight for about 10 minutes around noon.
This amount of exposure to sunlight will help you feel more energized throughout the day, and assist in boosting your melatonin levels at night.
7 pm
Eat your last meal, dim the lights and begin to wind down. Don't snack after dinner, it will keep you switched on. Something to consider eating at this time is, fruits and vegetables such as corn, cucumbers, asparagus, olives, and pomegranate; nuts and seeds such as walnuts, almonds, and flax; and grains like barley and rolled oats goji berries, pineapple, bananas and oranges all contain substantial amounts of melatonin. Drinking camomile tea is great for helping with digestion and kick-starting that melatonin.
830/9 pm
Try taking a warm bath or shower at night can help lower the stress hormone cortisol, which may help encourage the production of melatonin. But it's also highly relaxing, and even helps trick your body into feeling sleepy. You can even add a few drops of lavender to the bath?
10 pm
Go to bed at your new sleep time. Read a book or a magazine if you cant doze off. Stay away from the phone as this will only stimulate your body even more. It gives off blue light that is emitted from smartphones, TVs, computers, laptops, and tablets. Blue light disrupts your natural sleep cycle because the artificial light confuses your body, as it is expecting darkness rather than penetrating bright light before bed I like to use the iPhone 'Bedtime' mode in the clock setting as it will automatically put your phone to 'do not disturb' and stop any incoming calls or messages and also have a more soothing alarm noise to wake you up. If you do not have an iPhone search for a similar alarm in the apps or just set the phone to airplane mode to block out these calls and messages waking you up.
And now more of that melatonin boosting good stuff at night.
Instead of clicking on your overhead lights, or sleeping with the curtains open, make an effort to keep your bedroom as dimly lit as possible — especially at night.
Perhaps use a diffuser, Smelling [lavender] oil for 10 to 15 minutes before rest has been shown to enhance sleep quality and influence melatonin through the nervous system. lavender scents oil induces a state of relaxation, which raises your melatonin as a response. Whether you put some lavender essential oil in a diffuser or spray it on your pillow, this scent may naturally boost melatonin.
Meditation or Yoga?- If you're looking to boost melatonin, and feel more relaxed, meditation in the evening can be a good bet. The brain responds to a calm, quiet mind in the evening hours by releasing melatonin. Meditating can help reduce anxiety, relax the muscles, and lower nervous system arousal, which helps promote melatonin release. If you are not big into meditation yet, simply try the yoga pose called the corpse pose, also known as Savasana, this yoga pose "is dubbed the 'corpse' pose because you lie still and flat on your back, focusing only on your breath
Reduce stress! We can have a lot of different types of stress on our bodies, and I can touch base on that another time. But depending on what stresses you out, you may want to try avoiding things like watching the news, going on social media like Twitter or Instagram or checking work emails. Stress equals extra cortisol, and high levels of pre-bedtime cortisol negatively impact your body’s melatonin production at night. Try to replace all of that with meditating, reading, or listening to a relaxing podcast. The 'Calm' app can have some bedtime stories or sounds to help you sleep.
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