Melatonin and Trying to Get Pregnant

Question:
Any information on melatonin use in women contemplating pregnancy? Thanks.
Dr. C H

Answer:
Dr H -

It is not recommended as melatonin suppresses release of GnRH.

Here is a study considering using melatonin as a form of birth control.

Patients trying to get pregnant should not be on melatonin.

For patients who are infertile, morning full spectrum light is used to
suppress melatonin production and increase GnRH production.

Dr Ben Lynch, ND

Morning Person vs. Night Owl? It is an Adrenal Issue.

All you Morning People out there kill me - I've always wondered how ya do it.

Now I know.

I was a Night Owl through and through. After a few months of changing habits and supporting my adrenals, I've shifted to a Morning Person. Well - almost.

Morning People have their cortisol secreted in large amounts in morning. It is cortisol which wakes ya up in the morning. If one is healthy and their adrenal glands are functioning properly, they can get out of bed in the morning without a hitch.

However, if you're stressed, working too much, no vacation and high anxiety, then your adrenal glands are getting depleted and cannot produce the cortisol in high enough amounts in the morning time. Thus, you have to literally drag yourself out of bed and into the shower.

Night Owl people have cortisol spiking in the evening which lets them go and go. This is great if you have a night shift or need to study late. Many medical students or post-doctorate people have to keep going so their adrenals help by producing more cortisol.

Problem is that the adrenals need refueling and cannot maintain high production forever.

it takes many nutrients to keep the adrenal glands functioning at full speed. It also requires 8 hours of sleep and low stress levels. No doctor should grab for an adrenal support supplement without suggesting improved sleep and mild exercise first.

If stress is the main issue causing your adrenals to over-produce cortisol and adrenaline, then it is likely necessary to calm your nerves first with sleep and exercise. Supporting adrenals with nutrients is not going to solve the problem.

It is like filling a cup continuously with a hole in the bottom. The cup remains full but the hole exists still - thereby the problem still exists. Sleep and exercise and other forms of stress reduction may just be the ticket to improve your adrenals and shift you to a Morning Person.

How to shift from a Night Owl to a Morning Person:

• Go to sleep even when you are not tired - begin at the ideal sleeping time.
• Get your room very dark at night as this increases melatonin.
  
• Move the alarm clock and other electrical items away from your head.
• Get an alarm clock that uses natural full spectrum lighting and stare into it for 30 minutes on rising as this lowers melatonin.
• Get some exercise in the morning or early afternoon. Do not exercise later in the afternoon as this increases cortisol.
• Do not take hot baths before bed as this increases cortisol - take warm baths instead.
• Eat a small protein snack before bed to maintain proper blood sugar levels through the night. Not eating before sleep causes cortisol secretion which raises blood sugar levels.

Nutrients which may prove useful for adrenal gland functioning:

• B vitamins
• Healthy forms of fat such as omega 3 fatty acids
• Vitamin C
• Numerous herbs such as eleuthrococcus, glycyrrhiza, opolopanx, rosemary, avena, schisandra and others.

There are different levels of adrenal support and they should be followed in order of severity. The most mild and most effective initial adrenal support is sleep and mild exercise to calm the nerves. Yoga and stress reducing exercises are crucial.

Stress increases the excess production of cortisol and causes the adrenals to fatigue. So stress is key to reduce.

Adrenal Restoration from initial mild support to most potent:

• Sleep and mild exercise and stress reduction techniques and yoga
  
• Vitamin C
• Herbal adrenal adaptogen support to help cope with stress.
  
• B vitamin supplement - full spectrum meaning it contains all the B vitamins which also helps the body adapt to stress and provide nutrients.
• Focused broad-spectrum adrenal nutrients containing herbs, B vitamins, hormone precursors and antioxidants. These are a potent group of nutrients for the adrenal.
  
• Adrenal glandular product which contains actual organic adrenal gland from an animal. This is used if someone is very depleted even after getting proper sleep, stress reduction and B vitamins.
  

With these ideas and products, it is possible to make the Night Owl fly away and become a Morning Person. I am actually regaining my strength now and able to wake well-rested in the morning. It is also harder for me now to stay awake late at night. It is now 11:30pm and I'm absolutely trashed. Before I could stay awake until 4am and waking by 10am was impossible for me. I had to drag myself to the shower - literally.

I've experimented with loads of adrenal support products and other techniques. So I am well-versed in how to overcome adrenal fatigue and become a morning person - for the first time in my life.

If you want to check to see how your cortisol is doing, ask your doctor about the Adrenal Stress Index test. It is fast, effective and lets you know how the cortisol curve is doing. The cortisol is supposed to spike in the morning hours and taper down very low in the evening hours. I have seen the opposite in patients and also flat lines.

Currently, I am taking BioAdreno as I want a powerful boost. I typically don't like taking such a powerful supplement but I have to pass my clinical board exams soon. I am taking 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. I definitely don't take any after 1pm as I want to sleep by about 1130pm - sooner if I didn't have so much stuff to do.

If you've any questions, post a comment.