GSE
How to boost MELATONIN levels
MELATONIN
levels
Eat foods rich in tryptophan and MELATONIN
Tryptophan-rich foods:
Protein
- turkey, chicken, fish, pheasant, partridge, cottage cheese, eggs, nuts, milk,
cheese
Non-Protein -
bananas, wheat germ,
avocados, and the legumes (beans, peas, pulses, soy)
MELATONIN -rich
foods:
Bear in mind that circulation levels of
MELATONIN vary from several ng in the day to a peak of about 50ng at
night.
Food Variety Form MELATONIN ng /g
Pistachios
sp.
dry wt
>200,000 ng /g
Almonds
dry wt
39 ng /g
Walnut
Juglans regia L.
3.5 ng /g
Basmati rice
Dry wt
38 ng /g
Oats
Avena sativa L. fresh wt
2 - 90 ng /g
Barley
Hordeum vulgare L. fresh wt
1 - 82 ng /g
Wheat
Triticum aestivum L. fresh wt
125 ng / g
Cranberry
Vaccinium oxycoccos L.
40 ng /g
Dietary Sources and Bioactivities of Melatonin - PMC (nih.gov)
University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, research published in
"Nutrition Reviews" in September 2001
Using Supplements
5-HTP (A better
supplement choice than
MELATONIN)
5-hydroxytryptophan is the "Best
SEROTONIN Supplement".
The body converts SEROTONIN to
MELATONIN , the "Body's natural sleeping pill". Low
MELATONIN levels can
prevent you from falling asleep.
Dose: Take 100mg
5-HTP before bedtime - also ensure sufficiency of vitamins B6, B12, folic
acid and magnesium, which are cofactors in conversion pathways
More about 5-HTP
Supplement MELATONIN
How to Supplement MELATONIN
Health Benefits of Supplementing MELATONIN
Herbs, vitamins, minerals
Boost body's MELATONIN
production with herbs. Most
of these should be used one at a time
and not be mixed with prescription drugs
Valerian -
250-500mg (Start with lower dose);
St John's wort -
100mg before bedtime ;
Calcium with magnesium - 600mg calcium and 600 magnesium before bedtime with food. (Be careful
taking magnesium if you have a kidney disease.);
Vitamin B6/Niacinamide (B3) -
10 mg B6 (>5-10 mg converts too much
5-HTP to
SEROTONIN
before crossing blood brain barrier) and 500 mg Niacinamide before bedtime;
Chamomile - as a
tea, 1 cup in the evening;
Kava - 250 mg
before bedtime (Standardized to contain 3.5% kavapyrones);
Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) -50 mg daily; Good for relieving stress;
Inositol -100mg daily; Enhances REM
sleep;
Other herbs:
skullcap, California poppy, passionflower, catnip
SAMe and vitamin B
Conversion of
SEROTONIN to
MELATONIN depends
on SAMe . (S-Adenosyl Methionine)
vital for neurotransmitter metabolism, SAMe donates methyl groups in the
SEROTONIN
to
MELATONIN synthesis pathway.
The body makes and recycles SAMe
from the amino acid methionine, a process which requires enough vitamin
B6, B12 and folate (folic acid) to maximize production .
B12
- Take 125mcg - 1 mg of methylcobalamin / day
if you suspect deficiency (can be a problem for vegetarians);B6 - Take no more
than 10 mg/day as a supplement
Folic Acid (Vitamin B9)
SAMe - And
other methyl donors
Exercise boosts MELATONIN
Study demonstrates that exercise boosts MELATONIN
- a
stud y involving 7 healthy women
demonstrated that 1 hour of exercise on a stationary bicycle could double or
triple
MELATONIN levels. Other
studies have also demonstrated that physical exercise can boost
MELATONIN levels. However, do not exercise right
before bed, which has a stimulating effect;
"NATURAL LIGHTING"- LIGHT DURING THE DAY /
DARK AT NIGHT
Daytime sunlight exposure
Go out in the sun - several studies confirm that natural sunlight exposure increases
MELATONIN levels. This is not surprising, since
bright light is known to increase SEROTONIN
production, preventing depression.
Sunlight -Let there be Light!
Avoid light late at night
Reduce light exposure in the evening - artificial light sources and excessive
light exposure after darkness onset in modern societies can lower MELAONIN
production by desynchronizing your biological clock, making your body think it's
still daytime;
Use subdued
lighting in the evening Install
F.lux sofware
(free) on
your computer to cut down on blue light emissions -
don't forget your
children's computersReduce computer
screen brightness
Wear orange
safety glasses at
night to filter out blue light - Blue-filtering lights can also be installed in bathrooms (for the
night-time excursions) or in the nursery / hall for nursing mothers who
necessarily must attend to their baby at night, but don't want to stop
MELATONIN production.
Use candlelight (read how
J.D. Moyer gave this a try for 30-days ).
