Patient/caregiver was instructed upon factors influencing production of melatonin as follows:
Night shifts
- Individuals working night shifts can experience disruption of their natural melatonin cycles, owing to their shift work, which can result in disruption of their sleep-wake cycle.
Blindness
- Exposure to sunlight during the day not only inhibits the production of melatonin during the day, but also sets the ground from normal production of melatonin during the night.
- Blind individuals, due to their poor sense of light perception, suffer disruption of melatonin cycle, and consequently experience disruption of their sleep-wake cycles.
Other Factors
- Caffeine, alcohol, and blue light emitted by electronic gadgets like TV and computer screens are all known to inhibit the production of melatonin by the pineal gland, thus contributing to sleep disruption.
- So, consumption of caffeinated drinks, alcohol, and exposure to screen time are discouraged around sleep time.
