A good night’s sleep has been linked to various health benefits, such as cancer and diabetes prevention, improved weight control, and more. A key factor in achieving those benefits is not only the duration of your sleep, but also its quality. To reap the health rewards of sleep, it’s essential to sleep in total darkness — and this is because of melatonin.
Melatonin and Your Health
Melatonin is a hormone that mainly produced by the pineal gland in the brain. It helps regulate the body’s relationship with light and darkness, day and night, essentially acting as the reset button for our circadian rhythms (internal clock system). This system can influence various aspects of our well-being, from cellular health to mental acuity. But melatonin’s role doesn’t stop there — it is also a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune modulator, and master repair hormone, proven to combat cancer cells.
Though researchers are still figuring out how melatonin controls these various critical mechanisms in our body to improve its overall functioning, it’s evident that melatonin is vital for our health.
The Importance of Timing and Darkness in Sleep
Melatonin serves as the winding mechanism for our biological clocks. When darkness falls, our bodies increase the production of melatonin, making us feel more drowsy. While we sometimes try to fight this natural instinct with caffeine, social events, or drugs, we may be jeopardizing our health in the process.
Some might think that the amount of sleep they get doesn’t matter, or that sleeping during the day should have the same benefits as nighttime sleep. Unfortunately, this is not true. Humans are built to sleep, but more importantly, we are also built to sleep at night consistently. Daytime sleep doesn’t have the same effects on our body since light inhibits melatonin production.
Disrupting our sleeping patterns can also interfere with our circadian rhythms, leading to a range of health issues, including obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. These negative effects are demonstrated by the numerous studies linking night shifts to detrimental health outcomes.
Melatonin: Antioxidant and Anti-Cancer Agent
What is it about irregular sleep that makes it so detrimental? While the biology is complex, it is evident that melatonin plays a crucial role. Melatonin has the ability to scavenge free radicals — dangerous molecules that can damage cells. This can help protect our cells and DNA from oxidative stress. Melatonin also fights cancer cells more directly by inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death), which is often switched off in tumors.
Furthermore, melatonin can reduce tumor growth by inhibiting blood vessel development, which is essential for cancer cells’ rapid growth. Many studies have also found melatonin to alleviate symptoms associated with cancer and its treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation side effects.
How to Get Melatonin
Several melatonin supplements are available in the market, but it’s essential to approach them with caution since melatonin is a powerful neuro-hormone. Pregnant women should be especially careful as it regulates female reproductive hormones. Always take melatonin supplements under the supervision of a medical professional.
Alternatively, some foods naturally provide melatonin or boost the body’s melatonin production. These include pineapples, bananas, oranges, cherries, oats, corn, barley, and tomatoes.
Incorporating melatonin into your health routine can be beneficial in multiple ways. It can promote sleep, help with insomnia, support those dealing with jet lag, and even aid people working night shifts. It’s not yet clear whether supplemental melatonin can prevent cancer, but it can surely help support restful sleep and reset the body’s circadian rhythm.
To optimize melatonin production, maintain a regular sleep schedule in a dark environment and avoid exposure to bright light before bedtime. Include melatonin-rich foods in your evening meals and invest in blackout curtains if you live near outdoor all-night lights. Cover or remove blue lights from rechargeable toothbrushes, phones, and computer screens, as these suppress melatonin production.
By taking these measures, we can enable our bodies to manage circadian rhythms, regulate our biological clocks, and ensure optimal long-term health. For more health and wellness information, visit Dr. Eliaz’s website.
