How to naturally regulate your body’s melatonin to get more and better sleep

How to naturally regulate your body’s melatonin to get more and better sleep

Switching off the lights and airing out the room can help boost the production of the ‘sleep hormone’.

Melatonin is a molecule that the brain produces naturally to help the body get ready for sleep. That’s why it’s known as the ‘sleep hormone’.

Melatonin levels rise at night (in response to darkness). But certain other environmental factors can also promote good quality sleep.

Factors that benefit melatonin

      1. Soft, warm light. The best light for getting the brain ready for restorative sleep is the light that most closely resembles the sun at dusk. Choose a 2,000-3,500 kelvin bulb.
      2. Avoid blue light. Lower the light intensity, brightness and colour level on your computer, tablet and mobile screens. This will minimise exposure to blue light
      3. Sleep in the dark. Lower the blinds and draw the curtains. Creating a dark environment in the bedroom is key to restorative sleep. You can leave a faint, red light source on for kids.
      4. Cool temperature. The perfect temperature for sleeping is between 18ºC and 21ºC. Avoid heating and/or excessive layers to produce optimal levels of melatonin.
      5. Good ventilation. Keeping CO2 levels low is recommended. To ventilate, open the windows a few minutes before going to bed and leave the door open during the night.
      6. Airplane mode. Put all your electronic devices at home on sleep mode to keep their waves from interfering with sleep. Turn off the TV and mobile phone, and disconnect Wi-Fi and bluetooth.
      7. Sunbathe. Waking up early and taking a bath in natural light helps to reset the body’s rhythms. Getting 20 minutes of sun a day also helps to regulate melatonin.

    Sources:

    What is melatonin? International Melatonin Institute.

    What Does Melatonin Do, and How Does It Work? By Gavin Van De Walle, MS, RD and Ryan Raman, MS, RD and Jill Seladi-Schulman, Ph.D. — Medically reviewed by Femi Aremu, PharmD — Updated on January 13, 2022. Healthline.

    Hábitos para dormir mejor (Habits for Better Sleep). Elisabet Silvestre. Cuerpomente no. 348. RBA Revistas, 2022.

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