Melatonin

There was a time when people lived by the rising and setting of the sun. Now, many people in the West live by the alarm clock and the punch of a time card. Between punches, we are left beneath the glow of artificial office lighting. While we all long for that corner office, many are left in the central cubicle...

Life on earth evolved in the presence of light. We depend on the sun to provide energy for the plants we eat, to warm our planet to a safe temperature and to regulate our sleep-wake cycles. However, most life also requires a similar ratio of dark. Humans in ancient times sought the shade at midday and enjoyed long hours of...

Most modern people accept that the "correct" way to sleep is to go to bed at night and stay asleep until morning. In fact, waking at night and being unable to go back to sleep is often considered a sleep disorder. However, there is evidence that humans did not always consider a full night of uninterrupted sleep ideal. Choosing to...

Most of us know someone, be it a friend, grandfather, parent, or another family member, who takes medication for hypertension, or high blood pressure. Not only is high blood pressure common in the Western world, but our risk of developing it increases as we age. At the same time, many people find that they also have trouble sleeping as they...

If you've been keeping up with recent research, you're probably aware of the negative effects of blue light from electronic devices on sleep. More and more we are being warned to put down the smartphone and power down the laptop at night. The link between low melatonin levels and blue light is well established. However, blue light may be affecting...

Benjamin Franklin once observed, "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." However, in reality, it may not be so simple. While some people are up with dawn and yawning by dusk, others come alive at night, yet struggle to function in the mornings. New research has found that whether you are a "morning lark...

Coffee is an American obsession. While many people enjoy this energizing beverage, many of us also view it as a bad habit, even if a minor one. However, a new chronobiology study on coffee and the circadian rhythm has found that moderate amounts of coffee affect the circadian rhythm in positive ways, and may be especially good when it comes to...

Irregular sleep cycles and melatonin levels can have a detrimental effect on every aspect of health, but their connection to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes is especially strong. Recently, scientists looked for a mechanism through which the two seemingly-unrelated health issues might be linked. Their research indicated that the melatonin 1B receptor appears to be the connection, a discovery that opens...

A precise balance of salts in the body is important for a variety of biological functions, from nerve activity to fluid balance. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that salts are also involved in maintaining a healthy sleep-wake cycle. However, new science reveals that salts appear to play a much bigger role than expected, acting as...

Serotonin, which is often referred to as the "happiness hormone," is most often associated with happiness and feelings of well-being. While this inhibitory neurotransmitter definitely has an effect on mood, it also affects our brains and bodies in a variety of other ways. Low serotonin can impact nearly every system in the body, causing symptoms that interfere with just about every...