Sleep though natural and essential is often an elusive condition. If you have insomnia it could be that you are not secreting enough melatonin in the late evening.
Melatonin is a hormone that is secreted by the pineal gland located at the base of the brain. It is secreted at varying levels throughout the day and its release helps to regulate the body's sleep-wake cycle. The onset of darkness stimulates the pineal gland to release melatonin.
During the day, the melatonin levels are barely traceable. As darkness arrives, the pineal gland starts releasing more melatonin into the bloodstream. As more melatonin travels throughout the blood, you become sleepy and ready to go to sleep. Your melatonin level continues to increase until it peaks at around 3 or 4 a.m. After that melatonin levels slowly begin to fall and you will wake up a few hours later.
Anything that disrupts the normal release of melatonin can also disrupt sleep patterns. Your body knows that when melatonin is low that means that it should be alert and awake and ready for the day. Increased melatonin production signals that it is time to go back to sleep. Darkness at any time of day can trigger the release of melatonin and the changes that naturally take place with its release. The weather can have a direct effect on the production of melatonin, especially on overcast days or during the winter months with fewer hours of sunlight.
Working inside a windowless office that lacks suitable artificial lighting can also cause problems for melatonin production. Such conditions can cause melatonin levels to remain higher than normal during daytime, and may cause a person to feel less energetic and drowsy during the day. When more melatonin is released throughout the day, less will be released during the night, and this imbalance can cause insomnia and other sleeping disorders.
Light therapy can help when natural sunlight isn't available. However the best way to keep melatonin levels balanced is by allowing natural sunlight to reach your skin. Go for a walk in your lunch break and any other time you are able to. If you work in a cubicle maybe you could wangle a move to a window seat. Whatever you do try to get enough light during the day.
Conversly when evening comes its time to reduce the light you are exposed to. Don't sit in front of a computer screen. Try to reduce electric light as bedtime draws nearer. Remember until Alexander Graham Bell invented the light bulb we all had low light or no light after dark. That is the way our bodies developed over the millenia, and they haven't changed.
If you are still having problems sleeping after trying all the other remedies you might be helped by melatonin capsules taken at night. These don't help everyone but some people have been greatly helped by them. Remember they are a hormone so don't eat them indiscriminately and never give them to growing children.
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