Neurotransmitters 4: Melatonin
Dear Friend,
Teenagers sleep a lot, especially in the summer. But they might wake up feeling tired. Here’s why and what you can do to help.
Neurotransmitters shape your life experience. From stabilizing your mood with serotonin to allowing you to awaken each day feeling refreshed with melatonin, they define your quality of life.
This week, we’ll discover how healthy melatonin levels support responsible decision-making, physical health, and concentration ability.
Sleep deprivation for teens is an actual health threat. Studies show lack of sleep can cause students to:
- Fall behind in school.
- Become susceptible to making poor decisions.
- Experience a decline in their physical health.
Ask your students:
Do you wake up feeling rested?
What could help you get more sleep or sleep better?
Proven ways to support melatonin production are:
- Get 5-10 minutes of sunlight in the morning. Sunlight supports alertness during the day and triggers your body to produce nighttime melatonin sooner, making you sleepy earlier at night.
- Sleep in a dark room. Even dim light can stop your body from releasing melatonin and make it harder to fall asleep. Light exposure at night can affect how long you stay asleep. Consider moving your phone and TV out of your room.
- Reduce screen time at night. If you can’t avoid screens completely, try to use night mode whenever possible. The warm light doesn’t appear to suppress melatonin as much as blue light.
Breathwork Activity of the Week
Sleepytime Breath
This is a perfect breathwork exercise for getting quiet, taking a power rest, or settling yourself before you sleep. Focusing on your breath count allows your body to settle, preparing it for deep rest by signaling the autonomic nervous system’s Rest and Digest mode to kick in. This keeps you healthy, rested, and on track with life.
- Lie down in a comfortable position.
- Inhale for the count of 4.
- Pause for the count of 7.
- Slowly exhale to the count of 8.
- If you lose track of this breath, that’s good! It’s a sign that it’s working for you!
- You can use it as a tool to help you fall asleep.
Movement Activity of the Week
Hamstring Stretch
Practice getting a new perspective by stimulating
both the left and right sides of your brain.
