Melotonin hormone, which maintains the body's biological clock and adjusts its natural rhythm, can only be secreted at night and in the dark while sleeping. In addition to protecting the person against various diseases, melatonin; It also acts as a shield against cancer.
For Quality Sleep, Internal Rhythm Must Be Compatible with the External Environment
With a history spanning millions of years, humanity has adapted to an average day pattern of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness, depending on latitude and seasonal conditions. The ability to use artificial light at night begins 250 thousand years ago with the discovery of fire. Oil lamps were introduced 5 thousand years ago. Streets began to be illuminated with gas lights in the 1700s. With the discovery of electricity in the last 120 years, artificial lighting has reached its current dimensions. Electricity enabled illumination of the interior of large buildings and lighting at night for work, entertainment and security.
Light has broad effects on human physiology and behavior, regulating and influencing them. Therefore, with inappropriate timing, it can alter human physiology. An example of light-induced distortions; daily body organizations are affected (such as changing the production rhythm of hormones). Changes in the hours of exposure to light and darkness can cause shifts in the timing of body organizations. The harmony of internal rhythms with the external environment may be lost. Sleeping and waking hours may be affected. Also light; It acutely affects neuroendocrine systems, reduces melatonin production, and increases cortisol production.
Light Interferes with Melatonin, Necessary for Sleep
Melatonin, the quintessential hormone of darkness and sleep, plays a fundamental role in this entire process. Light removes melatonin from the body, resulting in negative consequences for sleep. Without melatonin, we cannot fall asleep, or it will be more superficial, fragmented and with more awakenings. In short, it will not be of high quality. As a result, the more light there is at night, the worse the consequences.
Melatonin is a hormone secreted from the pineal gland in the brain, especially at night in the dark environment. It is obtained from a substance called tryptophan. The main function of the hormone is to adjust the body's biological clock and rhythm (circadian rhythm). Melatonin production is related to the length of the night, the longer the night, the longer the production. Light at the beginning or end of the dark phase inhibits melatonin production. If the light is intense enough, even for a short time, it suppresses melatonin release. Melatonin production increases in winter, when days are short, and decreases in summer days. Sleep deprivation does not affect melatonin production.
Cortisol level is found to be high and melatonin level is low in depression. Many depression medications increase melatonin secretion through the brain chemicals they affect. A parallel can be established between the increase in melatonin level and benefit from treatment. There are studies showing that melatonin increases life expectancy and reduces signs of aging by positively affecting the immune system and reducing stress.
Melotonin has a suppressive effect on diseases, especially cancer. The risk of developing breast cancer is much higher in women who work at night. Many studies have been conducted on the relationship between melatonin and cancer. There has been a lot of scientific research showing that melatonin is a cancer-preventing agent. It has been experimentally observed that melatonin limits growth in many tumor types. Melatonin plays a suppressive role in experimental breast tumors. Melatonin has a direct killing effect on tumor cells when given in therapeutic doses. Since melatonin secretion decreases in women who work at night due to light at night, the risk of developing breast cancer has been found to be higher than in women who work during the day. The risk of cancer increases when working at night, by illuminating dark environments and therefore suppressing melatonin levels.
Exposure to Light During Night Sleep May Cause Cognitive Damage
It's clear that the main consequence of not sleeping in total darkness is a worse night's sleep. But there is more. These are the most important health implications: Insufficient and poor quality sleep resulting from sleeping with light can cause cognitive effects; This essentially leads to reduced attention and the ability to learn and memorize new things.
Studies show that if our sleep does not reach deep stages due to the presence of light, we do not have the brain repair we need, and in the long term, this is associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
You can use blinds, blackout curtains, etc., taking into account the external light that may enter the room. The aim is to reduce it as much as possible. However, the ideal would be to sleep in a place where there are no street lights outside and no light pollution, with the windows open so that you can rest. In this way, light will fully enter the room in the early morning hours, which will also be beneficial. Neurologists emphasize that "it is important to be exposed to natural light for as long as possible, especially in the first hours of the day" once the sleep period ends to better synchronize the circadian rhythm. In this sense, first thing in the morning is great because it gives us the time to wake up, activate and eliminate melatonin from the body.
For More Melotonin…
· For a regular and sufficient release of melatonin, it is necessary to sleep in a dark environment. Night lights, if used, should give a pale red light.
· If you fall asleep in front of the television, the television should be turned off.
· A regular and adequate sleep pattern should be established. Care should be taken to go to bed and wake up at the same time.
· Night work should be shifted to daytime if possible.
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