How do you sleep?

Sleep… we all love it and we all need it ( whether those kids believe it or not!). I was inspired to write this post due to a question that came into my email about melatonin and kids. I will post my answer to the question later this week so stay tuned.

There are many physiological things that occur in order for sleep to happen. I thought I would begin with a brief lesson in the physiology of sleep. Don’t fret as I will make it very simple and straight forward.

Pineal gland physiology:

Located near the center of the brain, a tiny pine shape endocrine ( hormone) gland resides. This gland is called the pineal gland and it spends some of its time releasing a hormone called melatonin. This hormone affects the modulation of wake-sleep patterns. Basically this gland is involved in the regulation of melatonin synthesis which is a very important component of sleep. As with most endocrine pathways, a series of events occur in order for the desirable outcome.

It begins with the hypothalamus. Despite its size ( approximately the size of a pearl) it has a multitude of important functions in the body, one being sleep-wake cycle. This is what occurs:

Light or darkness is sensed by the retina of the eye
It is relayed to the hypothalamus by the nervous system
The hypothalamus communicates with the pineal gland
Depending on whether it is light or dark, the pineal gland will respond appropriately

If the retina senses darkness, the pineal gland will be stimulated to make and release melatonin. On the other hand, if light is sensed, the pineal gland will not be stimulated by the hypothalamus to produce melatonin.

A few things to consider: There is an obvious pathway and cascade of events that occur when falling to sleep and waking up. I have not mentioned many other things that can affect this pathway. Vitamins, minerals and enzymes play a role in allowing for optimal communication through the nervous system, stress, summer/winter and light patterns, the functions of the hypothalamus and pineal gland and the making of melatonin. If any of these are not functioning optimally, sleep maybe disrupted.

A little pineal history: The pineal gland is only somewhat understood ( most glands are as the endocrine system is a basket full of communicative pathways that affect a great deal of systems) and a little bit of a mystery gland. Way back in the 1600′s, a french philosopher and writer believed the pineal gland was the “seat of the soul,” as he believed it was where all thoughts were formed. The pineal gland has also been referred to as the “third eye.” This is perhaps due to its ability to sense light.

Melatonin

Melatonin is not readily available. It is a derivative from serotonin – a neurotransmitter – which in turn is made from the amino acid tryptophan. In order to produce melatonin, your pineal gland will need tryptophan. Therefore, increasing serotonin via tryptophan through positive dietary measures ( we can not get our serotonin through our diet) may help increase nighttime melatonin release thus a good night sleep.

Below are a few foods that contain tryptophan :

turkey
halibut
chicken breast
mustard greens
spinach
nut butters
tofu

It may take up to an hour for the tryptophan in foods to reach the brain so take this into consideration in your nigh time routine.

Stress and lifestyle also play a larger role in sleep. Exercising every day and finding positive ways to reduce and relief stress can make profound difference of falling and staying asleep. In my next post, I will answer the health question regarding melatonin and kids and give a few tips on optimizing your sleep.

Be well,