Want a better night’s sleep? Learn how to support your natural melatonin rhythms for better sleep.
In this, the second of a three-part video series with Dr. Paula Witt-Enterby, a melatonin expert, shares what to do — and not do — for improved sleep. Full transcript below. And, a recent study (link below) ties artificial light while sleeping to obesity, which underscores Dr. Witt-Enerby’s message in the video about the importance of dark sleep to help maintain our natural circadian rhythms.
This recent article from The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that “exposure to artificial light at night while sleeping appears to be associated with increased weight, which suggests that artificial light exposure at night should be addressed in obesity prevention discussions.”
Other studies demonstrate that the desynchronization of these rhythms (e.g., working through the night, light exposure at night, eating late at night) can disturb our natural melatonin levels, which may contribute to anxiety, sleeplessness, racing mind, weight gain, bone loss, and insulin resistance.
Dr. Witt-Enderby, Q&A with Dr. Paula Witt-Enderby
In our opinion, taking all the steps possible to support our natural melatonin rhythms are worth doing. It should lead to a better night’s sleep but might also confer many other health benefits as well.
See also:
Video #1: Melatonin – Understanding Melatonin for Better Sleep
Video #3: Melatonin – When and How to Supplement
Transcript
Welcome to Interviews with Experts, today we share the second in a 3-part series from our interview with Dr. Paula Witt-Enderby. Dr. Witt-Enderby is a Professor of Pharmacology at Duquesne University. She has a Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology and teaches pharmacy students about endocrinology and endocrine-based drug therapies. She also researches the effect of melatonin in the body as it relates to bone and breast cancer and she is Board Certified by the National Ayurvedic Medical Association.
In this clip, Dr. Witt-Enterby talks about how to support natural melatonin levels since levels decline naturally with age. She also discusses blue light and how it affects melatonin levels.
As you watch this video, keep in mind, that while melatonin is best known as a supplement that people take to help with sleep. Melatonin is also a hormone made by the pineal gland in our brains. In today’s clip, we will be talking about this naturally occurring form made in our bodies.
What can be done to support our natural melatonin levels since they decline as we age?
I’m all about diet and lifestyle changes first because I think those will have lasting and important changes in our bodies. Start first with a look at your lighting at night. If you keep your shades open, you get a lot of street lighting. You want your melatonin levels to peak between 2 and 4 am. When you are sleepy go to bed. Don’t try to stay up past 10 pm. If you have alarm clocks, you can cover them. You can put black tape over them. I don’t believe in night lights they are going to suppress your melatonin levels.
Women might have their cells phone or nooks, or any type of device to read with light, any of those can actually suppress your melatonin so that even though you are sleeping, your melatonin levels might be suppressed. Try and maintain dark sleep.
It’s not just dark sleep, you need to get outside more. Try to get enough natural lighting because it keeps your daytime melatonin levels low and which is what you want and you want to get your nighttime melatonin high.
We should try and stop eating at 8 pm because our bodies need to go into a fasting state.
What is blue light and how does that affect melatonin levels?
So light has different wavelengths. Blue light has a short wavelength so it is THE wavelength of light that actually suppresses your melatonin levels. So red light wouldn’t do that. You can actually filter blue light from your cell phones. The newer cell phones give you that option. It’s the blue light that works through these receptors in our retina called melanopsin receptors and they will shut down all melatonin production with that. It usually takes about 15 minutes. If you are going to read, try to get settled in bed maybe an hour before [you want to fall aleep]. Do a little bit of reading then around 9 o’clock shut down all light sources. Read a book that is paper. I know that that sounds crazy.
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