FYI
As a follow up to some comments about immune boosting lifestyle measures, when it comes to melatonin, you need to be careful about not overdoing it.
Long-term use oif too much melatonin results in reduction in your body’s ability to produce it. Melatonin is known as the “sleep” hormone. What it fundamentally does is establish a circadian rhythm for sleep. It goes up in the evening as the sun light goes down and drops off in the early morning hours of sleep. Artificial light dampenes it’s production which is why it is recommended to reduce light within a few hours of your projected sleep time.
Melatonin is a hormone however and it has other effects. It was actually used in the 30’s and 40’s as a contraceptive as higher doses do impact on sex hormone levels.
The point is that it can be helpful for sleep and that it does have some anti-covid benefits but keep the dose low. I stated earlier 1-3 mg. Normal physiologic levels are in the 0.1mg range! Keep the dose low and do all the other things which help sleep.
- keep the room cool and dark.
- turn down lights as the evening winds ddown.
- don’t stare at screens within an hour of sleep.
- that “nightcap” will come back to haunt you 3-4 hours later when alcohol is metabolized into acetaldehyde which ruins sleep stages.
- stop caffeine before noon. It’s half life is 6 hours in most people and although it may not keep you awake, it definitely impacts on the sleep stages.
More tips on my site.
Other Important Wellness Topics
Stay safe and be well.
AC