Lately, I feel like my body clock is out of order. Sometimes, I have trouble sleeping at night while other times I just drift off from fatigue before it’s even 9 in the evening. It’s probably from the stress and responsibilities I have to deal with at the moment. There are several ways that help in managing sleep disorders. These all revolve around managing the release of melatonin in the body.

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland (a small gland in the brain) that help regulate sleep and wake cycles. Normally, melatonin levels rise in the mid to late evenings and remain high all through dawn. These decline in the morning. The natural release of melatonin is partly affected by light. This may be the reason why some blind people have trouble sleeping. As the body ages, melatonin levels begin to change and gradually decline with age. Read the rest of this entry »