Tis the Season for Restoration

 

 

 

the last leaves

     As the final leaves find their way to the ground, night comes early and rest is in store.  Connecting to the trends of the season, following the sun to rest early is the best we can do to prepare for the next year to come.  In primitive cultures people live very closely tied to the changes of the seasons.  The winter is a time for storage, not only in preparation of food supplies, but also to save up energy for the labors of spring.  Living in the modern world, we are still subject to these forces.  However, there is no longer a requirement to pay attention or change our routine accordingly.  Today, it requires consciously choosing to structure our lives more naturally, disengaging from the business of the world to restore ourselves in the winter.

    Circadian rhythms are our bodies connection to the cycle of day and night.  This rhythm sets the stage for much of the overall rhythm of our health, metabolism, energy levels and mood.  The complex cascade of hormones is intricately tied to the rhythm of the day and night, or sleep and wake cycles, leading either toward health or dis~ease.  

     Exploring the links to many serious illnesses, researchers are finding substances directly tied to the light and dark cycle such as melatonin, serotonin, vitamin D and cortisol play significant roles in a person’s health.  Monitoring hormone cycles can reveal or predict a great deal about a person’s overall health.  

     Melatonin is the hormone created primarily in complete darkness.  Living in the modern world where we can have illumination at any hour, our bodies ability to construct melatonin can be disrupted.  Melatonin is found to be low in individuals who develop breast cancer and several other forms of cancer.  It acts in the body as a regulator of the circadian rhythm, as well as being a potent antioxidant, support for the immune system and is correlated to the ability to dream.  

     Serotonin is manufactured during the day in opposition to melatonin and is converted to melatonin in the night.  Serotonin has become a common name in many household’s due to its powerful relationship to regulating moods and providing a sense of happiness.  Both hormones are made from tryptophan, an essential amino acid that we get from our diet.  Poor diet and digestive habits may attribute to lower serotonin levels in the body overall. 

     Vitamin D is a vitamin that also has an effect as a hormone.  It is considered the sunshine hormone as it is activated by exposure to sunshine.  Getting enough light to maintain adequate blood levels can be a challenge in many climates.  Maintaining our connection to the rhythms of nature and restoring in the winter helps insure we have substantial energy to make the most of the sunny days in the future.  Low levels of Vit. D are related to poor immune function and development of diseases such as heart disease, cancer and multiple sclerosis to name a few.  

     Cortisol is a hormone in the body that maintains our energy levels and has a natural fluctuation through the day, rising in the morning and diminishing when we go to sleep.  Routine activity and sleep habits have a direct effect on maintaining the healthy rhythm of cortisol in the body.  Cortisol directly affects blood sugar metabolism, blood pressure, immune function and inflammatory response.  Disrupted cortisol rhythms play a big role in an individuals ability to not only have enough energy to get through a day, but also to have enough energy to maintain normal physiologic function. 

     Sleep is the opportunity the body has to unwind from all the days stressors.  It is the ultimate opportunity for the parasympathetic, or rest and digest aspect of the nervous system to restore the body. The liver is most active when we sleep, processing and organizing what we have consumed throughout the day as well as detoxifying what has been stored in the tissues over time.  Upon waking, we have the chance to begin a new day refreshed and to determine how to invest our energy for each day.  If the entire year were condensed down into one 24 hour cycle, winter would be the night and we should all be going to bed.  Following nature’s example, it’s time to get some rest!