HomeLifestyleHealth & FitnessThis is how you can increase Melatonin Levels naturally?

This is how you can increase Melatonin Levels naturally?

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Melatonin is the night and sleep hormone, and it has very broad effects on well-being and health. With natural measures, you can increase its level again.

The main function of melatonin is to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. At night, melatonin ensures a restful sleep. It also protects neurons against degeneration, participates in memory fixation processes and influences the activity of the immune system.

Melatonin deficiency is associated in the short term with sleep disturbances, tiredness, and difficulty concentrating. In the long term, lack of sleep associated with melatonin deficiency can be associated with mood disorders, being overweight, poor bone health, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, among other problems.

Fortunately, there are ways to bring melatonin levels back to normal.

8 WAYS TO INCREASE MELATONIN

1. DON’T BE EXPOSED TO SCREENS AT NIGHT

Limit computer work to daytime hours. You can watch a movie at night but stop watching at least an hour before going to bed. If you have to go to bed at 11 p.m., the time to start watching the movie would be between 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., but no later.

Your melatonin level will be optimal if you replace the time in front of the television, computer, tablet or mobile phone, for a chat with your partner or listening to music or an audiobook by candlelight.

2. AVOID CAFFEINE

Cut out caffeinated drinks or skip them afternoon if you want to increase your melatonin levels. We all know the effect of caffeine on sleep which, at least in part, is due to its influence on caffeine levels.

In a 2015 study, for example, scientists found that a dose of caffeine equivalent to one double espresso reduces the melatonin level in such a way that it leads to a 40-minute delay in sleep-wake rhythm if taken three hours before going to sleep.

3. DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL OR SMOKE

It is best not to drink alcohol if you want to increase your melatonin levels. Also, don’t smoke or use other stimulant drugs. If you can’t quit smoking, do it at least 4 hours before going to bed. Remember that tobacco, in addition to being carcinogenic, is stimulating, not tranquillizing (it only “calms” when you suffer from withdrawal symptoms).

As for alcohol, even light alcohol consumption can lower melatonin levels.

4. DON’T EXERCISE LATE AT NIGHT

Sport is great, of course. However, if you have trouble sleeping, exercising at night is not ideal, as it stimulates your metabolism, activates circulation, and increases your cortisol levels, which prevents melatonin levels from rising.

You should have finished your training by 9pm at the latest. The ideal time to train is between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., thus achieving the best effects and training performance.

5. RELAX

It is well known that anyone who suffers from constant stress sleeps poorly. Worries prevent the relaxation necessary to enter and maintain sleep.

A solution must be found that can reduce stress, but that is not always easy. Learning to manage time and a wide variety of relaxation techniques help ensure that stress does not affect the body so much that the levels of melatonin are reduced.

6. INCREASE SEROTONIN

Serotonin is necessary for the production of melatonin. If the serotonin level is low, then so will the melatonin level.

Relaxing and exercising promote the formation of serotonin, and especially getting nutrients such as tryptophan, magnesium, zinc, and group B vitamins through the diet.

7. CHECK MEDICATION

If you cannot sleep well or wake up rested, it is advisable to review the medications you are taking with your doctor.

Some drugs can cause sleep disorders or alterations in the serotonin-melatonin balance, as occurs with some drugs to treat high blood pressure and some anticoagulants.

8. TAKE CARE OF SLEEP HYGIENE

The concept of sleep hygiene refers to the measures that guarantee a sufficiently long and quality sleep (a minimum of 7 hours per night).

If possible, always go to bed at the same time and always get up at the same time, even on weekends. In this way, it is easier for a regular pattern to be established in the production of melatonin each night, and those of serotonin and cortisol will take over in the morning.

If, on the other hand, you repeatedly sleep too little or irregularly, melatonin does not reach high levels and cortisol remains elevated for too long, which fuels stress and inflammation.

Image Credit: Getty

You were reading: How to Increase Melatonin Levels Naturally

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