Trouble falling asleep is a common complaint and one that is typically easy to fix without pharmaceutical medication. One cause can just be from a lack of melatonin being produced by the pineal gland. Melatonin is a hormone like substance that helps regulate sleep/wake cycles. It has the opposite cycle as cortisol which is known as a ‘stress’ hormone.Some people take L-tryptophan amino acid which is converted into the serotonin and then melatonin to help them sleep. (It can also improve mood as serotonin is a ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter). Some people take a supplement with melatonin which is also a very powerful antioxidant.
The more light in our bedroom, the less melatonin we produce. If you have trouble sleeping then it is best to sleep in a totally darkened room. The moment a light goes on in a room and hits our eyes then our melatonin levels drop. Darkness is important for good sleep.
In addition if you don’t want to take a supplement, a just released study concluded that“…tart cherry juice concentrate provides an increase in exogenous melatonin that is beneficial in improving sleep duration and quality in healthy men and women and might be of benefit in managing disturbed sleep.…”. In other words tart cherry juice appears to have enough melatonin to help one sleep. So leave the Ambien behind and have a few ounces of tart cherry juice before bed.
Yours In Health,
George Mandler
Licensed Acupuncturist & Dietitian
