Poor sleep quality or quantity can be a risk for cancer development

So many patients I see have sleep problems, from difficulty getting to sleep (ie, sleep onset), restless sleep, interrupted sleep, and waking up tired for the next day. Like most things, taking medications or even supplements doesn’t fix the root causes or factors which are contributing to the sleep issues in each person. And different people can have different causes and factors to their sleep issues, so a different treatment recommendation is needed.

Poor sleep quality or quantity can lead to the following health issues:
1. Low energy and fatigue
2. Poor concentration and memory
3. Mood and behaviour changes, and worse mental health symptoms
4. Low immune function
5. Poor healing and tissue repair
6. Weight gain
7. Increased inflammation
8. Changes to many metabolic hormones including increased cortisol (stress hormone), increased ghrelin (hunger hormone), decreased insulin sensitivity, decreased leptin (satiety hormone), reduced testosterone and muscle protein production
9. Increased risks of cancers, partly due to the reduced immune system function and the other effects listed here (Zamfir Chiru, Popescu & Gheorghe, 2014)
10. And more!

There are so many factors which can cause sleep issues, that I could write a book on the topic! So I won’t go into everything here! One of the main factors or things we need for optimal sleep is for our bodies to make Melatonin, which is our “sleep hormone”.

The main thing we need to make Melatonin is sun exposure! We don’t make Melatonin from being indoors, but only from being outside! We don’t have to physically be in the sun and have sun on our skin to make Melatonin, like we do to make vitamin D, but from sun exposure through your EYES! Hence we can make Melatonin from being undercover or in the shade, or even if there’s a rainy or overcast day. The more time you spend outside during the day, the more Melatonin you make.

Melatonin is made in your pineal gland during the day from sun exposure through the eyes. Melatonin is stored in this the pineal gland until the sun goes down and again your eyes are used as sensors to detect the fading light, and your eyes signal the pineal gland to start secreting the Melatonin to help tell your body it’s soon time to sleep, and keep you asleep through the night.

However there are a number of factors which can interfere with Melatonin production including:
1. Wearing of sunglasses – this can block sun exposure into the eyes and reduce Melatonin production
2. Shift work – people doing shift work don’t get enough time outside during the day
3. Nutrient deficiencies can affect the production of Melatonin, even if you get enough sun exposure
4. Thyroid function, liver function, stomach function – all are needed to be functioning well for a number of metabolic functions in order to produce Melatonin.

Hence Melatonin production and sleep issues are a WHOLE BODY issue, and cannot be fixed from taking medications or supplements alone, including from taking Melatonin supplements.

In my experience, I find that 95% of the time that people try to improve their sleep with taking Melatonin supplements, it doesn’t work. Because the root causes of the sleep issues are not being addressed. This shows the importance of finding and fixing the root causes of sleep issues, and not just trying to address the symptom of poor sleep!

Melatonin as a natural hormone or in a supplement isn’t actually a sedative and doesn’t make you tired or sleep, or bring on sleep! It’s a circadian rhythm (day/night) regulator for your body, to tell your body WHEN to sleep.

Melatonin isn’t only just your sleep hormone, but it is also a major antioxidant in your body to reduce oxidative damage! As such, it reduces oxidative damage to cells and organs, reduces damage to immune system cells, reduces inflammation, and other benefits, all of which can reduce the risks of cancer development. A number of published studies do show many people with cancers have low melatonin levels (Zamfir Chiru, Popescu & Gheorghe, 2014).

If you have troubles with sleep, such as difficulty getting to sleep, interrupted or restless sleep, poor quality sleep or if you do shift work, or if you have any health issues alongside sleep difficulties such as weight gain, low energy or fatigue, mental health issues, or even cancers, then you need to fix your sleep issues for your long-term health. I can help find all the root causes and factors which can be affecting your sleep as well as other related health conditions and symptoms!

Stay healthy!

References:
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Zamfir Chiru, A. A., Popescu, C. R., & Gheorghe, D. C. (2014). Melatonin and cancer. Journal of Medicine and Life, 7(3), 373–374.