Melatonin is a sleep hormone produced by the pineal gland located in the center of your brain when your eyes are not receiving any light. Interesting to note, light actually inhibits the production of melatonin. It is a result of thousands of years of cycling our days according to the sun that has conditioned our brains to release melatonin as soon as the sun sets. Research indicates that the body is primed to produce melatonin between 8 pm and 10 pm.

The Link Between Melatonin and Serotonin

Have you ever noticed how easily you can stay awake watching a movie or surfing the internet? This is caused by serotonin being stimulated and melatonin being suppressed. Serotonin is the “feel-good” neurotransmitter. And in the same way that darkness triggers the production of melatonin, light produces serotonin that makes you feel awake and alert. When your serotonin levels are low during the day, your body produces less melatonin during the night. Both are essential, and an insufficient amount of one usually results in an insufficient amount of the other.

To achieve balance between serotonin and melatonin levels, it is important to expose yourself to bright light during the day followed by complete darkness at night. Making sure you are exposed to sunlight during the day, especially at noon, will help ensure you get enough serotonin. You could achieve this by taking a walk after lunch to help your digestion, or by eating lunch outside whenever possible. Even if it’s sunlight through a window, any light around lunch time would be helpful. Taking the extra ten minutes to build serotonin in your day will result in you taking less sleep since you will sleep deeper every night.

Embrace The Dark

The best way to stimulate the production of melatonin in your brain is to ensure that your bedroom is completely dark when you go to sleep. Ultimately, darkness can be defined as the inability to see your hand in front of your face, similarly to how our ancestors experienced the night. Since they did not have access to electricity like we do, their cycles adjusted to the true darkness of the night, even in large settlements. Your goal should be to recreate these sleeping environments to the best of your ability. As we move forward in this module, we will be exploring ways to achieve darkness and increase the amount of melatonin that is produced.