Are You Getting Enough Dark?

You might be getting enough sleep, but if you're not getting enough dark, you're probably not getting as good a night's sleep as you could. And you are putting your health at risk.  Our bodies produce a hormone called melatonin, which regulates our sleep, or mood, helps the body fight tumors like cancer, and boosts our immune system. You've probably heard of people taking over-the-counter melatonin supplements to help them sleep. If your body isn't producing enough melatonin, you may have insomnia or be depressed, angry or moody.

Melatonin is produced by your body at night in the dark.  Light makes your body think its daytime.  So if you sleep with the lights on, or the television, or computer, or with a streetlight coming through your bedroom window, your body will not produce the natural amount of melatonin.  Studies have shown that night-shift workers who sleep in the daytime like nurses or flight attendents are up to 60 per cent more likely to get breast cancer.   So, to sleep better and help boost your immune system, make sure you're getting a good night's dark.