How many nights a week do you do it? Fall asleep with the lights or TV on? Many people do it so often and think nothing of it, leaving the body restless and unproductive. Your body needs darkness to rebuild, repair and restore cells, organs and tissues. It uses a hormone to do this and is called (the hormone of darkness), say hello to (melatonin).
Melatonin is a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and is produced largely by the pineal gland and released into the bloodstream and cerebrospinal fluid. Here are a few ways to get the restful sleep and assist your body in the healing process?
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Get outside during daylight hours. Your brain receives information about the sun through your eyes via the optic nerve. Do it even on cloudy days.
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Turn out the lights or light a candle if you need light after the sun goes down. Artificial and blue lights trick your brain into thinking it is still daylight. These types of lights emitted by electronics and energy-efficient light bulbs leave your body confused, stressed and fatigued.
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Make sure you are asleep during the best sleeping hours of the night which are 10 pm – 2 am. Wanna know how to find your ideal bedtime? Start by counting back 7.5 hours from the time you have to wake up.
Remember our bodies have not yet evolved to fit our 24-day lifestyles and a lack of sleep leaves us struggling to heal, making poor food choices and overeating. This can keep your body in fight or flight mode instead of rest and repair.