| Day and night are a natural rhythm of life. For millenia | | | | getting up at dawn. Nowadays it is much more |
| before the electric light was developed people had to | | | | common for city people to spend most of their work |
| live largely by the natural cycles of light and dark. It is | | | | day indoors regardless of the time of the year. |
| to be expected therefore that the human body has | | | | Heating in winter and air conditioning in the summer |
| used these cycles in ways that encourage health and | | | | also contribute to our indoor lifestyles. |
| that varying from them too far might have negative | | | | We also have a medically induced fear of being out in |
| consequences. It seems that this is the case. Sleep | | | | the sun because of the risk of skin cancer. We have |
| disorders, depression and even ageing and cancer are | | | | been strongly encouraged to stay out of the sun. |
| some of the conditions that are affected by poor | | | | [However do note that far more people die from low |
| "light hygiene". | | | | vitamin D caused cancers and heart disease than |
| Each person has a master biological clock which | | | | ever die from skin cancer. We get most of our |
| regulates the production and release of melatonin | | | | vitamin D from the sun.] |
| from the pineal gland. Melatonin helps us sleep and | | | | In addition to the social desirability of staying indoors |
| more is produced at night than during the day time. It | | | | a many people routinely wear dark glasses when |
| also has two other very important roles. Melatonin is | | | | they venture outside in the sun which prevents the |
| part of the serotonin pathway - this is one of the | | | | eyes from getting the strong dose of light we need |
| "feel-good" hormones and a lack of it is known to | | | | to maximize the production of melatonin at night. |
| contribute to depression and seasonal affective | | | | Perhaps it is time to rethink our lives. Here we have a |
| disorder. Melatonin also contributes to a | | | | natural treatment for cancer, depression and ageing - |
| well-functioning immune system and it has a | | | | one that the body produces on its own as long as |
| recognized role in controlling at least some cancers | | | | we give it the raw ingredients - and most of us do |
| and reducing the impact of ageing. | | | | not even know about it. |
| Melatonin is a particularly strong antioxidant, it | | | | Our body needs regular bright light. Even the winter |
| reduces cancer's ability to grow and it stimulates the | | | | light of those places closer to the poles often have |
| immune system to increase its ability to deal with | | | | greater light than we have inside. Our body also |
| cancers and infections. It has been subject to a huge | | | | needs regular darkness, deep darkness of the kind |
| range of animal and human studies with the | | | | that occurs when there is no moon. |
| knowledge of its usefulness in inhibiting cancer going | | | | Our bodies do learn to adapt to the environment we |
| back more than 30 years. | | | | live in. However it appears that adaptation is only |
| So you can see it is a very desirable hormone. | | | | possible up to a point. |
| Unfortunately modern society does not have good | | | | It might be useful to go out in the middle of the day |
| "light hygiene" which encourages substantial melatonin | | | | regularly to get some bright sunlight, both to increase |
| production - in fact, just the opposite. | | | | melatonin and vitamin D levels (vitamin D is another |
| Culturally in the western world it is considered more | | | | natural anticancer agent). Think also of going to sleep |
| socially desirable to be a person who likes to party | | | | earlier in the evening and waking up at dawn - nature |
| well into the night, than to be a person who enjoys | | | | and natural cycles can have great health benefits. |