Hormone Bomb

Written by Dr. Thornburg

A trick that does not involve exercise or diet and improves metabolism, prevents diabetes and helps you sleep better...

So what is this hormone bomb?

God said, “Let there be light!” on the first day of creation. Light is life-giving and warm and symbolizes growth and abundance. Unfortunately, He forgot to add, “except when you are sleeping at night and want to prevent metabolic disorders after mankind creates artificial light with iPads, iPhones, light bulbs, television and security lights.” I would say He really messed this one up but you cannot say that to God. He created light after all.

Using night lights, having the TV on, and other light sources in your bedroom when you sleep turns out to go against 1000s of years of genetic and physiologic programming. Nature created "lights out, campers" at 7 pm - 8 pm except in winter and summer when it can be much earlier or later. The darkness guides our body’s metabolism just like it programs a flower to bloom.

Light and dark need to work together like Ying and Yang. One begets the other to create harmony and health.

Look at the world photo at night. The dark is normal and the artificial light is not. We should start to tell teens that nothing good happens after 7 pm, rather than midnight.

Research from Northwestern University School of Medicine (1) shows that a single night of light exposure during sleep acutely impacts measures of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is the diminished ability of cells to respond to insulin action transporting glucose out of the bloodstream and precedes the development of type 2 diabetes.

So let’s not photobomb, or better yet, hormone bomb our sleep.

Setting good sleep habits is particularly important for infants and children, as it directly impacts mental and physical development. Circadian rhythms develop at about six weeks, and by three to six months, most infants have a regular sleep-wake cycle. Learning to work with your body is essential for good health because every living creature needs sleep.

Reference:

I Mason, D Grimaldi, R G Malkani, K J Reid, P C Zee; 0117 Impact of Light Exposure during Sleep on Cardiometabolic Function, Sleep, Volume 41, Issue suppl_1, 27 April 2018, Pages A46,

 

1 comment

Patricia Thornburg

Wonderful & important information. Thank you!

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