Beware the Full Moon?

One study indicates the full moon may have an effect on
our sleep cycles.
Image: Shutterstock

Are you someone who believes in the power of the moon? Can it transform werewolves? Does it mean “big changes” are coming in life? Will it make people act strangely?

Even if those things seem a bit silly to you, there’s one thing that could still be affected by the full moon—whether you believe it or not. Scientists studying the effect of the full moon on our sleep cycles have found evidence that we have a harder time sleeping when the moon is at its brightest.

The researchers studied 33 participants, who slept in a darkened room where the moon was not visible. On the nights when the moon was full, the participants took longer to fall asleep and slept, on average, 20 minutes less than during a new moon.

When there was a full moon, there were lower levels of the Dracula of Hormones, melatonin. As I’ve talked about in previous blog posts, melatonin affects our body’s natural clock and is produced in larger amounts when it is dark. During the full moons of the study, researchers reported lower levels of melatonin in the subjects—despite the fact that the moon wasn’t visible to participants.

Participants had more trouble falling asleep and
staying asleep during the full moon.
Image: Shutterstock

As always, studies should be taken with a grain of salt. This one had a very small test group, and at this point the findings are interesting but inconclusive. Does the moon really mess with our sleep cycles? It’s possible, but more research will need to be done with larger test groups and more targeted testing.

“There is such a strong cultural story around the full moo n that it would not be surprising if it has an effect,” said one expert, according to USA Today. “It’s one of these folk things that you would suspect has a germ of truth.”

What do you think?

Spotlight: Melatonin, the “Dracula of Hormones”

Can melatonin help cure insomnia?
Image: Shutterstock

About a year ago, a co-worker told me that when she had trouble sleeping, she just took a small dose of melatonin and that helped her sleep through the night and wake feeling well rested. I had been having trouble falling asleep at night, and I asked her to tell me more. She told me that melatonin was a natural hormone and was sold over the counter for a relatively inexpensive amount. It sparked my curiosity, but I was too overwhelmed with work at the time to research it further.

I have a good friend who suffers from insomnia. She sometimes goes days without getting more than a few hours of sleep—and not for lack of trying. She often “rests” on days like that, which means she often spends hours lying in bed, exhausted, trying to fall asleep. From time to time I have bouts of sleep trouble as well, tossing and turning for several hours before drifting off into an uncomfortable sleep, only to reawaken a few hours later. As I continued to hear stories from my friend about her inability to sleep, I kept asking myself about melatonin. Finally, I sat down to learn more. Here’s what I discovered:

Image from crystalinks.com

• Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pineal gland in our brains, which is a pea-shaped gland just above the center of our brains. It is produced to help control our sleep cycles, with larger quantities of it being produced starting around 9 PM and lasting until about 9 AM—our natural sleep hours.
• Melatonin is found in some foods naturally, which is why it is the only hormone that the FDA allows to be sold as a dietary supplement.
• Light directly affects how much melatonin our brains produce, which is part of what leads to symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
• Melatonin is generally produced in higher amounts in children and adolescents, with that amount naturally dropping off as we age. Some older adults only make small amounts or none at all.
• Not enough research has been done on melatonin, but scientists are looking into using it as a treatment for SAD, to help control sleep patterns, preventing/reducing sleeping problems after surgery, and reducing chronic clutter headaches.
• It’s possible that melatonin may help slow or even stop the spread of cancer, slow aging, and strengthen the immune system.
• Melatonin seems to help some people struggling with sleep problems, but during formal research it was shown to be ineffective as a sleeping pill. There is evidence, however, that it can help reset our internal clock—though whether it is more effective than light remains to be seen.
• Some research suggests melatonin may help people fall asleep faster. It could also help those working night shifts adjust their schedules. It may also be an effective treatment for jet lag. For the treatment of insomnia, the study results have thus far been inconclusive.

Image from gnc.com

In sum, melatonin may or may not be effective as a sleeping aid. The good news is that there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that use of it could be harmful, so it could be a good option to try if you’re wary of prescription sleeping pills (as I am). Dosage can vary from 0.2 mg to 20 mg, though, so if you’re considering giving it a go, you should discuss dosage with your doctor first.

Afternoon Exercise May Be The Best

Afternoon might be the best time for exercise.
Image: Shutterstock

It turns out that the best time to exercise might be in the afternoon, according to a new study published by the LA Brain Research Institute in the Journal ofPhysiology. Our bodies have an endogenous circadian rhythm, an internal clock, which controls everything from our hearts to our brains. Sometimes that clock gets out of whack, and researchers say that exercise can help put it back on the right track.

The preliminary results, based on results on mice, suggest that midday is the time when exercise most affects our circadian rhythm in a positive way. We have cells within our brains that help us tell what time of day it is, which influences when we naturally sleep and wake, among other things.

Signals from light and darkness cause genes within these cells to produce proteins and release them into the body. From there, they move to all our vital organs and keep them synchronized.

The problem is, sometimes our internal clocks don’t function like they ought to. They get confused and off because of things like artificial light in the evening; even aging makes the internal clock less functional. When this happens, we have a harder time falling asleep, sleeping through the night, and staying awake during the day. More severe consequences are a higher risk for diabetes, obesity, some types of cancer, memory loss, and mood disorders.

Exercising can help get our circadian rhythms back to normal.
Image: Shutterstock

But Dr. Christopher Colwell and his colleagues believe that exercising may be the key to getting our circadian rhythms back to normal. After several weeks of letting healthy mice run on a regular basis, they found that their circadian protein production was up, meaning their internal clocks were being regulated effectively.

Excercise, whenever it happens, is good for us (duh)!
Image: Shutterstock

Some mice had malfunctioning internal clocks, so the researchers had these mice exercise at different times of the day to see if running would also help “fix” them. As it turned out, these mice also started producing more of the proteins, especially those who ran during the equivalent to our “afternoon.” Their internal clocks were functioning better than they had been before.

What this study tells us is that exercising in the morning and afternoon does help our internal clocks regulate. Colwell says that some evidence he’s gathered suggests that late-night exercise might actually be harmful to our sleep rhythms, though. More research will need to be done before the specifics can be nailed down. But one thing’s (still) for certain: exercise is good for us!

9 Natural Remedies To Sleeplessness

Technology and fast-paced lifestyles can make falling asleep difficult.
Photo by Chuck Pefley

I live in a big city. I spend most of my day in front of a computer screen. I have the worst time falling asleep at night. Surprising, no? Unfortunately, I’m not the only one struggling with nighttime woes—quite the opposite, actually. As we become more connected with technology and more in tune with a faster-paced lifestyle, knowing how to wind down at the end of the day is becoming more and more important.

Sure, there are drugs for that, but most of them leave you feeling woozy in the morning and can sometimes even create dependence—making it hard to ever fall asleep without the extra help. As someone who’s not too fond of the idea of having to take drugs every night to fall asleep, I turn instead to natural sleep remedies to help me get my ZZZs.

Drinking alcohol too close to bedtime can
make it difficult to get a good night's rest.
Image: Shutterstock

I can’t sleep with lights on, and as luck would have it, turning off all the lights is the first natural remedy suggested by Blisstree.com. Our bodies naturally crave sleep when it’s dark and wake up when it’s light. Turning off lights gives your body a cue that it’s time to wind down.

Next on their list is shutting down electronics, or at least resisting the urge to use them just before snuggling up. The blue light emitted by TVs, computers, and phones simulates daylight and makes your body want to wake back up.

It may seem counterproductive, but if you can’t fall asleep, you should get out of bed. Lying in bed for extended periods of time (after 15-20 minutes) creates anxiety that can lead to insomnia. If you can’t sleep, get up and do something else until you feel tired enough to go back to bed. Remember: try not to go to electronics—that’ll really wake your brain back up.

Other suggestions for how to improve your ability to fall asleep at night include not eating closer to bedtime than three hours, turning down the heat, working out during the day, refraining from drinking alcohol and caffeine close to bedtime, not working night shifts, and trying supplements like Relora, Passionflower, and Melatonin.

Which of these have you tried/are you interested in trying? I turn down my lights, work out, and don’t drink before bed. Unfortunately, I am a computer junkie and tend to let myself toss and turn until I eventually drift off to a fitful sleep.