DORIS LOH: Melatonin reduces cone sensitivity but increases rod sensitivity to light. Why does that matter? It is a story about reducing ATP energy requirements. That means using MEL will get you more vision for less ATP.

The reason is simple. Melatonin reduces cone sensitivity but increase rod sensitivity to light.
Why does that matter? It is a story about reducing ATP energy requirements. That means using MEL will get you more vision for less ATP.
Brilliant, is it not?  https://t.co/0FtHwgSPoK pic.twitter.com/GXCi7mrvnf

— Doris Loh (@DorissLoh) May 17, 2023

MELATONIN: For neuro-protection, not just sleep inducement, a lot melatonin is required: 50-100mg.

https://t.co/T6h5DJ9EeB
This article reviews the protective role of melatonin with mechanistic insights against mitochondrial diseases and sugg new avenues 4 safe and effective tx modalities against these devastating neurodegenerative diseases. Future insights are also discussed.

— DCGreenZone1 (@DCGreenZone) October 4, 2022

Below are the sections of each abstract that I thought were interesting and helpful. 

ABSTRACT #1

Melatonin is selectively taken up by mitochondrial membranes, a function not shared by other anti-oxidants, and thus has emerged as a major potential therapeutic tool for treating neurodegenerative disorders. Multiple in vitro and in vivo experiments have shown the protective role of melatonin for preventing oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction seen in experimental models of PD, AD, and HD.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26087000/

For neuro-protection, not just sleep inducement, a lot melatonin is required: 50-100mg.    

ABSTRACT #2

Both in vitro and in vivo, melatonin was effective to prevent oxidative stress/nitrosative stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction seen in experimental models of AD, PD and HD. These effects are seen at doses 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than those required to affect sleep and circadian rhythms, both conspicuous targets of melatonin action. Melatonin is selectively taken up by mitochondria, a function not shared by other antioxidants. A limited number of clinical studies indicate that melatonin can improve sleep and circadian rhythm disruption in PD and AD patients. More recently, attention has been focused on the development of potent melatonin analogs with prolonged effects which were employed in clinical trials in sleep-disturbed or depressed patients in doses considerably higher than those employed for melatonin. In view that the relative potencies of the analogs are higher than that of the natural compound, clinical trials employing melatonin in the range of 50-100mg/day are needed to assess its therapeutic validity in neurodegenerative disorders.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22391273/

ABSTRACT #3

Melatonin is a tryptophan-derived ancestral molecule evolved in bacteria.

Throughout the aging process melatonin levels tend to reduce and as a manifestation of this, many symptoms in organisms' homeostasis, such as deterioration in adjustment of cellular clocks, are commonly seen. In addition, due to deterioration in mitochondrial integrity and functions, immunity decreases, and lower levels of melatonin renders older individuals to be more susceptible to impaired redox modulation and age-related diseases.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35895186/

"Sleep the night before the test didn’t matter, the week & month before did"

Why sleep is so important for students (and everyone else), as found in this study of an MIT chemistry class:
🛌The quality of sleep accounted for 25% of the variance in grades!
💤 Sleep the night before the test didn’t matter, the week & month before did https://t.co/Qitv0zon2Q pic.twitter.com/96054PNFLl

— Ethan Mollick (@emollick) November 12, 2020

Not only does melatonin improve the quality of sleep as well as duration, it's also been recognized as the only agent to normalize blood pressure if that's a concern for you.  

Bill Sardi writes, "Melatonin is the only agent that Dr. Houston has found to work to normalize blood pressure among patients whose blood pressure does not dip at night."

"Sleep . . . organiz[es] . . . and keep[s] permanent newly learned skills and memories."

Thanks to Robert Wenzel

This was a terrific presentation.  His steps for learning new material was pretty good.  So was his 6 Steps to a Better Memory.

What follows are my notes from the presentation:

Cortisol stops all neurons from developing.  Coritsol is that hormone that we produce when we're stressed out, injured, or cannot sleep.  If your work situation is producing any of these and your coworkers enjoy watching you being stressed out, it's probably not a good idea to remain at that foul and fetid place.  Stress decreases the hippocampus.  Wow.  So it literally shrinks your brain. That was interesting and horrible.  

Be aware of how you react to stress.  Avoid counterproductive stress. Good advice but I wonder how much of this is a constant in everybody's work week.  Exercise and sleep both combat sleep.  True that, true that.  

Why is sleep so important?  Sleep is where the brain reviews and organizes things that happened to your in your day.  It's where the excess and unessential things gets discarded.  Part of a dialogue between your hippocampus and cerebral cortex and the rest of the brain where all of the new information and skills are stored.  If you don't sleep, then all of the new things you learn will be gone tomorrow.  Consolidate new information with good sleep.  Helps to keep your memories permanent. Sleep disruptions are common in aging and disease.  It's why we see memory impairments.  Even a short afternoon naps can improve memory retention. Stabilizing, organizing, optimizing, and keeping permanent newly learned skills and memories.  be helpful for beginning to consolidate new information.  

Socializing is important.  Friends help fill in gaps in memory.  They can also reassure us that we are young at heart.

Living alone doubles the risk for dementia markers.  Why are other people good for us?  Be with people who don't cause us stress.  Talking, interacting, having a conversation, all of this keeps us healthy and alive.

Friends are part of what keeps our memories young.

Eat light and healthy.  Ah, yes.  Food remedies.  Eat light and healthy.  Couldn't be more accurate!

1.  Exercise regularly.

2.  Keep mentally active.  

3.  Avoid unproductive stress.

4.  Get a good night's sleep.

5.  Socialize with others.  For those people who cause you stress, either keep interaction with them to a minimum, remove yourself completely, or give it back to them good and hard.

6.  Eat light and healthy.

His point about avoiding saturated fats and high cholesterol foods is flat out wrong.  This is part of the standard American commercial diet.  Truth is that saturated fats and high cholesterol foods are not only healthy for you but essential in fighting disease and aging, the two factors he mentions earlier that impair sleep.  Cholesterol fights inflammation.  It is vital for life.  Coconut oil and coconut butter, a saturated fat, is awesome for health.  See Dr. Mary Enig for thorough reviews on its benefits. One heart surgeon told me that he takes 2 teaspoons of coconut oil every morning for heart health. Not only does coconut oil fortify the heart, it also helps your kidneys function better.  What is not to like!!

Your Feet Help You Sleep

Keep your feet bare during sleep. Your feet and hands help reduce 
your body's temperature. The cooler your temperature the more readily will your body induce sleep.