In today’s high-tech world, the reality of chronic EMF exposure is pretty much a given. In this article, we’re going to take an in depth look at how exposure to EMFs affects our production of the important hormone melatonin. The change in our melatonin levels could be leading to the symptoms associated with EMF Sensitivity.

Melatonin

Trouble falling sleeping? Trouble staying asleep? Moody? Feeling depressed? Anxiety? Melatonin has various functions it performs in our central nervous systems. So, when melatonin production is low, we can experience a lot of neurological symptoms.

Chronic EMF Exposure

There’s the cell phone. The calls and texts you make throughout the day. Your phone is probably almost always within reach – whether you’re on the job, at school, in the car, or at home.

Then there’s the WiFi in the office, at school, and at home. And, if you stop into a cafe to grab a coffee or tea, there’s the WiFi again.

A car ride is no better. You’ve got the cell phone, the WiFi, the bluetooth and the GPS Tracking. Plus, you’re riding in a real-life Faraday Cage. Your car is a metal container that traps the electromagnetic frequencies in. Unable to escape, the frequencies stay in the car and build up.

The Environmental Health Trust, a non-profit environmental think-tank, has this to say about cell phone use in vehicles:

“The metal surroundings of a vehicle (also including elevators, aircraft and watercraft) can cause the radiation to bounce around, which increases your exposure. Research finds that if one passenger is using a cell phone or other wireless device, the radiation penetrates into the other passengers in the vehicle.”

So, it’s safe to say, that avoiding chronic EMF exposure is almost an impossibility in our tech-driven world.

Your Precious Pineal Gland

Before we talk about melatonin, we need to talk about where melatonin comes from. That would be your pineal gland.

Your pineal gland is a tiny endocrine gland located in the brain. It is about the size of a grain of rice. It resembles a pine cone, which is where it’s name comes from.

Medical science would be the first to admit, they don’t know half of everything this small gland does.

They do know it controls the circadian rhythms of the body. So, it acts like the body’s clock. It regulates our sleep and wake cycles. It does this through the secretion of the hormone melatonin.

Science also has found the pineal gland to be involved with regulating bone metabolism as well as fertility.

Although the pituitary gland is known as the master endocrine gland, there is some evidence that the pineal gland controls the pituitary.

So, although tiny, our pineal glands could very well be the most important endocrine gland we have.

According to a published study, light from our retinas gets routed to our pineal glands. So, there is evidence that this gland acts as a type of internal eye.

The Light Hormone

The pineal gland secretes the hormone that is regulated by light. Melatonin. So, the fact that our pineal glands receive light that enters our eyes, makes a lot of sense.

Some hormones are regulated by our stress levels. Like cortisol and adrenaline. The more stress we experience, whether its stress from an emotional upset or from lack of sleep, the more of those hormones we produce.

Melatonin’s production is based on light, and the absence of light, or darkness.

During the day, when light is abundant, our bloodstreams show a lower concentration of melatonin. At night, our blood shows higher concentration of melatonin. But studies show, it is the light we absorb during the day that enables us to produce the melatonin at night.

Mammals exposed to light at night show a drop in melatonin levels.

Master Antioxidant

In addition to regulating our wake and sleep cycles, as well as various central nervous system functions, melatonin is a powerful antioxidant.

This means the hormone has the ability to scavenge free radicals and stop the destructive process of oxidation in the body. When an apple is peeled and left out on the counter, after a while, the outside of the apple turns brown. That is oxidation.

While we burn oxygen for energy, the ability to put out the fire of oxidation is what keeps us vibrant and healthy. Melatonin has been found to be “uncommonly effective” as an antioxidant.

“Melatonin is uncommonly effective in reducing oxidative stress under a remarkably large number of circumstances. It achieves this action via a variety of means: direct detoxification of reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species and indirectly by stimulating antioxidant enzymes while suppressing the activity of pro-oxidant enzymes.”

When Melatonin Production Drops

With melatonin being integral to our sleeping and waking cycle, as well as to the regulation of our nervous systems, and the stopping of free radical damage – what happens when we don’t produce enough of this hormone?

According to one published study, when melatonin production goes down, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer go up.

“There is a relationship between failure in melatonin production in the pineal gland, an insufficient supply of this hormone to the body, and the occurrence of free radical etiology diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and others.”

Melatonin and Sleep

National Sleep Foundation’s 2023 Sleep in America® Poll shows that there is a direct correlation between sleep health and mental health.

Americans who are having difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, are more likely to suffer from depression. They also found a link between lack of quality sleep and pathological disease.

Sleep is undoubtedly an important factor in a healthy lifestyle.

Low levels of melatonin are linked to poor quality sleep. Increased sleep latency, decreased time asleep, and frequently waking up during the night are all linked to how much melatonin is in our blood.

According to another published study, an increase in melatonin in the bloodstream reduces the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, as well as increases the amount of time in sleep, and improves overall quality of sleep. So, to have good sleep, we must have good melatonin levels.

EMFs Lower Melatonin

Scientific theories abound as to why exposure to EMFs causes lowered melatonin levels.

Some researchers think the eye absorbs the EMFs in place of light waves. This replacement of light waves results in a smaller amount of melatonin being synthesized, as the pineal gland is receiving less light from the retinas during the day.

Other scientists speculate that the melatonin is being used as an antioxidant to protect the body from the free-radical damage caused by the EMFs. This leaves less circulating melatonin in the body.

EMF and Melatonin Studies

Studies done on rats exposed to low levels of electromagnetic frequencies show a decline in melatonin production.

Recent research has found electromagnetic frequencies disrupt melatonin receptors, making it harder for the body to use the melatonin that is circulating in the blood.

According to government studies, when tests using EMF exposure show a decrease in melatonin, it is a decrease that is between 25% – 30%. Which is a substantial decrease.

EMFs and Cancer Link

Melatonin has been found to have anti-carcinogenic properties. This has prompted scientists to speculate that the link between EMF exposure and cancer could be caused by the decline in melatonin synthesis that EMFs cause.

Melatonin and EMF Sensitivity

According to a 2022 National Institute of Health (NIH) study, electromagnetic hypersensitivity syndrome (EHS) is an emerging syndrome.

“The adverse health impact of EMF has created an urgency to study its mechanisms of action in the human body.”

While they are careful to point out that it is not officially recognized by the World Health Organization as a medical disorder, they also admit to there being a need to address it. Depression and sleep disturbances are two symptoms of EHS that the NIH recognizes.

They also admit that those who suffer from EHS do show consistent brain abnormalities when an MRI is taken.

While the NIH does not conclude that the EMF sensitivity people experience is due to the EMFs causing lowered levels of melatonin, they do conclude that melatonin works to protect the body against EMFs and EMF sensitivity.

So, if exposure to EMFs lowers your melatonin levels, you are now less protected from the damage caused by EMFs – and more likely to experience EMF Sensitivity from exposure.

Minimize EMFs Where You Sleep

The first step to protecting your pineal gland and its melatonin production is to minimize EMFs where you sleep. Although there are no published studies showing that EMF exposure during sleep can lower night time melatonin levels, we believe in keeping the bedroom area as free from EMFs as possible. This means removing unnecessary tech and only keeping in the bedroom what you really need.

Although charging cell phones in the bedroom at night is convenient, we recommend moving the cell phone out of the bedroom area if possible. We also recommend shutting off WiFi at night.

Rather then using the cell phone as an alarm clock, we recommend using a battery-operated alarm clock without any wireless or bluetooth. Battery-operated alarm clocks emit lower EMF fields than clocks that plug into the wall.

Be mindful of what is opposite any of the bedroom walls. If there are outdoor Meters or Panels, try to move the bed as far from them as possible.

For people who are very sensitive to EMFs, it is possible to turn off the power to the bedroom at night during sleep. While it does provide a deeper sleep, it definitely has its drawbacks in terms of convenience.

Keeping plants in the bedroom help to minimize EMFs. The spider plant and trays of wheatgrass are among the most effective for this. While an entire tray of wheatgrass could be a bit much on a nightstand, small pots of wheatgrass that are sold as food for cats are a perfect size.

Harmonizing the EMFs that are in the bedroom can be done through spot-clearing individual EMF fields or space-clearing the room.

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