Jack

As I mentioned before, serotonin gets acetylated to form N-acetylserotonin (which then gets methylated to form melatonin) N-acetylserotonin may also have neurogenic effects. https://x.com/photobiogenesis/... Now, let’s get back to melatonin.

Now, circling back to light, it’s important to note that melatonin activity is incredibly sensitive to artificial blue light. Blue light photons (~460-480nm) that are found in unnatural amounts in tech devices, LED downlights, fluorescent bulbs, etc. have the power to completely INHIBIT melatonin—this is a BIG deal. It also raises cortisol, sympathetic drive, & induces melanopsin/mitochondrial dysfunction—leading to chronic inflammation, metabolic chaos, cellular dehydration, & decoherence to your system—nothing works well in this state.

Cortisol works on a see-saw with melatonin. Alongside leptin, they are 2 of the main circadian hormones that are strongly attuned to light-dark cycles, temperature, feeding cues, & exercise. As cortisol is a stress hormone, it also increases when one is under any form of stress—whether that’s light, metabolic, emotional, mental, or physical.

Acute stress, or for the better term—quantized pulses of stress hormones, are fundamental to life. It’s when this stress becomes chronic is where issues start to arise, it induces inflammation & hypoxia via HIF1a. If you are pseudohypoxic due to fear/stress, blue light/nnEMF, mitochondrial dysfunction, or malnutrition—then NAD+ levels drop.

What does this do? This pushes more tryptophan down the kynurenine pathway to make more NAD+. This means you make less serotonin/melatonin.

What’s interesting is that there is a circadian mechanism regarding NAD+ biosynthesis & recycling via NAMPT. So optimizing your circadian biology through respecting your local light-dark cycles, exposure to your outdoor environment, eating seasonally, & exercise/feeding at sensible times is key to driving proper NAD+ status, which indirectly improves melatonin. This NAD+ also acts a precursor to NADPH (via NAD kinase), which is key to antioxidant defence, recycling various metabolites, steroidogenesis, fatty acid & cholesterol synthesis, detoxification pathways, & more.

So to summarize above: if one has low dopamine, noradrenaline, melanin, & dysregulated cortisol—on top of low melatonin/serotonin (as well as various other neurotransmitters/hormones becoming dysregulated). There is complete dysregulation in sleep-wake cycles. You’ll feel wired at night, making it hard to get to sleep. As well as struggling to wake up in the morning. How many people do you know have this problem?

Before I summarize how to optimize melatonin status, let’s share some more cool stuff melatonin can do for you:

Melatonin acts as an aromatase inhibitor, leading to regulated estrogen status, thus increasing testosterone/DHT in men, as well as alleviating excess estrogen in women

Melatonin—alongside melanin/a-MSH—can help mop up mold/mycotoxins: https://x.com/jack_schroder_/s...

Melatonin can act as a heavy metal chelator.

Melatonin has huge potential to repair & optimize both your gut lining, blood-brain-barrier, & blood-cerebrospinal fluid-barrier.

Doris Loh has written some very interesting papers on melatonin & phase separation. This is a very complex topic—regarding how melatonin (as well as ATP & water) influences the organization & dynamics of cellular structures through a process known as phase separation. This involves the spontaneous formation of distinct, membrane-less compartments within cells that help regulate various biological processes, including the storage & release of biomolecules, the regulation of chromosome structure, cell division, signal transduction, gene expression, & DNA repair, as well as its significance extending to the preservation of cellular homeostasis.

Melatonin influences melanogenesis, protects melanocytes from excess oxidative damage, & can aid in the migration of melanin internally.

Btw, I also just wrote a huge thread on melanin, which ties in nicely with melatonin’s effects: https://x.com/jack_schroder_/s...

Melatonin protects the liver—it can lower LDL cholesterol & triglycerides in the liver, enhances anti-inflammatory factors whilst lowering pro-inflammatory ones, & this leads overall to a healthy liver, improved metabolic health & prevention of fatty liver/other diseases.

Melatonin activates the vitamin D receptor (VDR), acting as a ligand during the winter when vitamin D is low: https://x.com/jack_schroder_/s...

Melatonin is fundamental to myelin synthesis, which is required for enhancing neuronal action potentials, channelling biophotons, & enhancing the DC electric current within us: https://x.com/jack_schroder_/s...

I also have a webinar in my private membership that goes in-depth about melatonin: https://x.com/jack_schroder_/s...

HUGE library of research on melatonin: https://x.com/jack_schroder_/s...

What about melatonin supplementation? There’s a lot up in the air with taking exogenous melatonin—I see both sides. One thing for sure is that it can be used acutely under circumstances such as jet lag/changing time zones. It may be useful for people who have cancer. Chronic use? I’m not a fan personally, but there is some benefit to using it under certain circumstances. However, there’s also some studies to show that it can induce retinal thinning, degenerate photoreceptors, inhibit melanogenesis, & dysregulate circadian rhythms. I would opt for trying to make it endogenously first.

HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR MELATONIN STATUS: ·Dial in your circadian biology: daily sunlight exposure at all phases of the day (sunrise, UVA rise, UVA/UVB, sunset), prioritize darkness at night, blue-light blockers & red lights/candles, avoid nnEMFs (phone on airplane mode, turn off Wi-Fi at night, ethernet cable, etc.), grounding at least 30 minutes/day, exercise/feeding within sunlight hours. ·Infrared light & darkness: ensure you get sufficient infrared light exposure (sunlight, sauna, red light therapy devices, etc.), as well as optimizing darkness at night for 3-4 hours after sunset to ensure proper melatonin release in the pineal gland. ·Nutrient cofactors to support melatonin production: Calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, BH4, vitamin C, B3, B5, B6, B9, & anything tied to methylation (thus, methionine, glycine, choline, B2, B12, & again—magnesium, zinc, B3, B6, B9). ·Optimize gut health: as ~95% of serotonin is made in the gut, which can then form melatonin—this can be supported by addressing any infections or dysbiosis, liver/gallbladder support, butyrate/lactate/acetate-rich foods for SCFAs, circadian biology, sunlight/melanin, seasonal foods, mindset, vagus nerve optimization, fermented foods, resistant starch, etc. ·Minimize stress & toxin load: whether that’s chronic financial, emotional, physical, or mental stress, buried trauma, negative thought pattnerns, as well as heavy metal toxicity, mold/mycotoxins, microplastics, synthetic compounds, & other environmental polluants. All of these can contribute to inflammation in the body, but also the fact it will rapidly deplete melatonin. Minimize as much as you can. Further address your mindset by; mindfulness practices (gratitude, meditations, journalling), butyeko/pranayama breathwork, myo-fascial release/massages, heat/cold therapies, talking to someone you trust, therapy (CBT), emotional freedom technique (EFT), and EMDR therapy. Lower your toxin load by opting for natural products. Support liver/gallbladder/gut/kidney detoxification pathways with nutrients, supplements, herbals, & circadian biology.

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