Melatonin is a hormone that is produced and secreted at night, and only at night, by the pineal gland. Exposure to light at night completely suppresses the production of melatonin. It doesn\u2019t require very bright lights to stop the production of melatonin\u2014bright indoor white light \u00a0at 300 lux) as well as very dim light at 0.25 lux, were both sufficient to prevent all melatonin production in laboratory animals. \u00a0Moonlight is about one lux. \u00a0Research conducted by the National Institutes of Health showed that even a very brief light exposure suppresses melatonin production in lab animals: a one minute exposure to white light every two hours during the night suppressed melatonin production by 65 percent. The only type of light that does not affect melatonin production is red light.<\/p>\n
Melatonin is essential to the regulation of reproduction, body weight, and energy balance, and is necessary for the synchronization of sleep and circadian rhythms<\/a>.\u00a0 In other words, if you don\u2019t get enough darkness, you have a very good chance of ending up tired, cranky, listless, out of whack, and possibly obese. \u00a0Consider the blue light emanating from the TV, from our laptops and our phones, how much time do you spend in front of it in the evening?<\/p>\n Research has also shown that one of melatonin\u2019s functions is to thwart the growth of cancerous tumors. Researchers began studying the relationship between melatonin and cancer when it became obvious that women who work the night shift have an increased risk of developing breast cancer, and because it was known that nocturnal exposure to light–any color light other than red light\u2014suppresses the normal nightly production of melatonin.<\/p>\n It turns out that human breast cancer cells being grown in live rats, as well as breast cancer cells being grown in petri dishes, proliferate wildly when exposed to artificial lights at night. \u00a0I wonder what percentage of cancer patients spent hours of leisure time in front of the tv thinking they were relaxing? \u00a0All the while getting weaker and not knowing what effect it was having on the cells of their body?<\/p>\n The fix is easy: Nighttime, go to bed and stay there til dawn. \u00a0If you have to be up during overnight \u00a0hours, use only red bulbs in your lamps. \u00a0Decide what tv shows are crucial and turn the tv on only for them.<\/p>\n My meditation altar has several sets of lights and at night the red lamp is on. \u00a0I may not be ready for bed as night falls, but I can keep melatonin production going by sitting to meditate, or to do inner work, or creative visualization<\/a>, pretending and daydreaming. \u00a0When you have an interior life, there are many things you can do in the quiet in the dark alone.<\/p>\n RELATED:
\nNot able to sleep? Turn Off The TV, Turn Off The Lights<\/a>
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\n<\/a>Our ancestors used to sleep twice a night<\/a>
\n<\/a>The secret to rest is staying in bed in the dark with eyes closed<\/a>
\n<\/a>Restful sleep and increasing melatonin levels naturally<\/a>
\n<\/a>My sleep habits are morphing again<\/a>
\n<\/a>I may not need to change my life, I may just need to change my perception of it<\/a>
\n<\/a>The morphing sleep cycles of menopause; 15 things to do when you can\u2019t sleep<\/a>
\n<\/a>Not able to sleep? Turn Off The TV, Turn Off The Lights<\/a><\/p>\n