How Sleep Works

From the moment we wake up in the morning, a chemical called adenosine has been building up in your brain. the more adenosine, the sleepier you will feel. When we fall asleep, the brain removes the adenosine. After getting 8–9 hours of healthy sleep, we will feel alert and ready to take on the day. The second factor is called the circadian rhythm, something we all have. It is a 24 hour cycle, and your circadian rhythm operates by peaking just before midday, and as we go into the evening, the circadian drive will come down, hitting its lowest point once you are a couple of hours into your sleep cycle.

We have these factors that guide our body through being awake and asleep, and they can help us understand how they interact. Sleep pressure will start to peak as you get closer to sleep, while our circadian rhythm comes down. The hormone melatonin circulates through the body, telling our brain that it is nighttime and time to go to sleep. Daylight acts as a signal for our body and shuts off the release of melatonin. The brain and the body no longer release melatonin, and it is time for the body to be awake. We often go through buildings in our day-to-day lives that are lit up, but not nearly as powerful as the light emitted from the sun. This explains individuals who complain about not feeling alert when their surroundings are lit up.

Using devices like laptops and phones emits strong LED lights into the eyes, so your body may not release melatonin. The individuals that I talked to throughout my research struggled to not feel sleepy at an ideal time, because they were not getting the appropriate amount of darkness exposure before bed.

Taking melatonin as a sleep aid is something I have used since 10th grade, and supplementing with the correct amount of melatonin can improve your sleep, but not entirely. A vast majority of questions I have gotten from friends and family have been centered around: Can you build up a tolerance to melatonin when you take it consistently? Short answer is no, unlike other sleep medications, you cannot build up a tolerance to melatonin. You will not need a higher amount over time to experience the same effect.