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Addressing Melatonin Through Your Lifestyle

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Winnipeg Naturopathic Doctor - Melatonin, fatigue, tired, exhaustion, exhausted

September and October have brought in a wave of so many people with severe exhaustion. It’s the theme of fall, and I’ve never seen so much of this, all at once.

The exhaustion takes on different forms and varies – some are experiencing fatigue primarily in the morning, while being wired at night. And vice versa. Some are struggling to get out of bed, while some are struggling to fall asleep and stay asleep. And for most, sleep doesn’t feel restful or refreshing.

So, we’ll look at a number of things: iron, vitamin B12, thyroid (TSH), cortisol, melatonin, etc. But today, let’s talk about melatonin.

Melatonin is a ‘neurohormone’ which can be used to regulate sleep-wake cycles. Endogenous (what’s made in your body) melatonin is released by the pineal gland, found within the brain. Production and release of endogenous melatonin is activated by darkness and depressed by external/environmental light sources (yes, me too – falling asleep to crime TV isn’t helpful).

Yes, we can supplement melatonin but lifestyle is even more important. Two major ways to moderate your melatonin levels include:

  • Reducing and limiting exposure to blue light at NIGHT: setting ‘night shift’ on your iPhone & iPad, f.lux for Macs, ‘night light’ for PCs and blue light-blocking glasses (or filter added directly into your prescription lenses. (1) And hey, if you can avoid screens for the entire evening, I am deeply impressed and encourage you to keep it up. 

  • Bright light exposure (ex. SAD lamps) during DAYTIME hours – some studies show that individuals with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) may have abnormal melatonin levels (increased daytime melatonin and delays in night-time release of melatonin). (2) This point is also of particular importance to those who have compromised bright/daytime light exposure - night shift workers and those who travel quite a bit. (2)

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health discourages the use of melatonin without medical supervision. It is important to have someone guiding you through melatonin supplementation as it is of significant importance to be properly informed and supervised on dosage and type (immediate vs. extended release). Melatonin is NOT indicated for everyone and does have a number of interactions with common pharmaceuticals. In fact, in Europe, melatonin is available by prescription only (and is referred to as Circadin®).

Melatonin is also not the be-all, end-all to all sleep woes. Sleep is influenced by a number of factors, and melatonin is simply one intervention of many.

And melatonin is not just helpful for sleep - it can be used both orally and topically for a number of concerns. We’ll talk about that another time!


Reference(s):

(1) PMID: 29044670

(2) PMID: 30074278

 

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