Hatch Into Health
with Patrice McArthy, R.N. B.S.N.
Hi Peeps,with Patrice McArthy, R.N. B.S.N.
Are you sleeping? Deeply sleeping? Seriously, who gets enough sleep in our stress-filled lives? Very few of us I'm afraid. Most of us can use a little help here. In your journey toward freedom from anxiety it is critical that you give your body the rest it needs to rebuild and repair.
Fact: our bodies produce a hormone called melatonin that moderates our "circadian" (day/night) biological rhythms. These hormone levels decrease with age and stress.
Fact: this necessary hormone is synthesized in the human body, mostly in the brain, by the pineal gland from precursors as shown below:
Tryptophan ---> 5-HTP --->Serotonin --- > Melatonin
The above is the ideal pathway to reach optimal melatonin levels so I recommend trying to get your body to produce it's own melatonin naturally. This can be accomplished by eating a balanced diet, healthy supplementation with core nutrients (multi-vitamin, calcium + magnesium together, and essential fatty acids or fish oils) to help balance hormones, and correcting lifestyle factors like those listed below.
The following factors may reduce melatonin production at any age:
Lifestyle· Poor sleeping habits: going to bed too late, sleeping during the day· Inadequate darkness during the night (lamps, clocks, street lighting)· Insufficient exposure to natural light during the daytime and too much time spent indoors· Excessive mental stress, high adrenaline and/or cortisol at night· High caffeine or alcohol consumption too close to bed time
Diet and supplements· Inadequate brain availability of precursors such as tryptophan or serotonin, (stressful states or high protein/low carbohydrate diets)· Inadequate availability of cofactors necessary for serotonin and melatonin synthesis: vitamin B6, SAM-e, iron and folate
· Medications - benzodiazepines, beta-blockers, loop diuretics, aspirin.
How to take Melatonin for Sleep:Supplemental melatonin was shown in studies to help with falling asleep when taken about 30 min before the desired sleep time. The most common dose found effective for sleep was 3 mg.*
5-HTP can be used in conjunction with melatonin, as a precursor to serotonin, which can support further endogenous melatonin production during the night to help with staying asleep.*
And, your grandmother was right - tryptophan is the sleepy substance in turkey and milk so try a bit of these foods before bed.
Sooo sleepy peeps, try the simplest solution first and work on your lifestyle habits. But, if more help is needed you can try supplementing with Melatonin.
To your sleep!
Patrice
*Zhadanova IV, Wurtman RJ, Lynch HJ, et al. Sleep-inducing effects of low doses of melatonin ingested in the evening. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1995;57:552-
Quote of the Day
"[Sleep is] the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together. "
- Thomas Dekker
"[Sleep is] the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together. "
- Thomas Dekker
1 Comment:
A great article but after not sleeping well for close to 15 years and trying a lot of the above ideas, my husband and I went for a sleep study and we were both diagnosed with sleep apnea, with mine being severe.
I have now slept through the night every night since getting my CPAP machine and have found out that a lot of overweight people suffer from this. It was a huge relief to look at this option and I am very optomistic for my future health. I am now able to stick to my health goals because I am now not too tired to treadmill and don't rely on snacking to get me through the energy deficits of my day. The lack of sleep most definitely must have affected my levels of anxiety as well. I suggest that many folks look into this. My health plan covered the costs of the machine. This is also a holistic solution to a big problem so a win win all the way around!!
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