Day 15: Sleep Better By Blocking out the Light

Back in the days of our ancestors, we rose with the dawn and slept when it became dark, and this cycle imprinted itself in our genes.
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Back in the days of our ancestors, we rose with the dawn and slept when it became dark, and this cycle imprinted itself in our genes. But today, when it comes to light, we're overfed and undernourished -- just as we are with food.

During the day, most of us get artificial light from fluorescent bulbs instead of sunlight, so most of us miss out on getting the sun's vital vitamin D. And at night, when we need the dark to trigger melatonin production, we stay up too late and the excessive artificial light disrupts our body rhythms even more. So we have too much light when we don't need it (at night) and too little natural light when we do (during the day).

Darken Your Bedroom

At night, if there is even the tiniest bit of light in the room, it can disrupt your circadian rhythm and your pineal gland's production of melatonin and serotonin.

•Cover or move your clock
•Use dark shades or drapes on windows if they are exposed to light, or wear an eye mask

There should also be as little light in the bathroom as possible if you get up in the middle of the night. Try keeping the light off when you go to the bathroom at night. Believe it or not, as soon as you turn on a bright light, you immediately cease all production of melatonin for that night.

Sleep well,

Dr. Lipman and the Be Well Team
Email: support@bewellbydrfranklipman.com
Call Us: 888.434.9483

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Wondering What To Eat?

This post details a sample meal plan, and Cleanse-friendly foods, recipes and snacks.

For more ideas visit this Facebook page -- it's frequently updated with Cleanse-friendly recipes.

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