Sleeping in complete darkness will help boost the most powerful antioxidant your body can utilize, melatonin. This hormone is released into the blood by the pineal gland based on light-dark cycles. It is also produced in the retina, lens and gastrointestinal tract.

Reduced Melatonin has been linked to increased cancer rates in night-time workers, alzheimers, migraine and cluster headaches, and immune system suppression. The importance of melatonin is not completely understood or fully researched but it’s obvious that we need to do whatever it takes to support its production.

Modern times have illuminated our evenings and allowed us more freedom to work, play, and stay up late. Though this is great for squeezing more out of your day, it is messing up with our circadian rhythm. Here is a test for you: If you are laying in bed going to sleep and you can see the fingers of your outstretched hand once all the lights are turned off – then you could be suppressing your melatonin production as you sleep. Melatonin production peaks about halfway through your sleep cycle before waning off as you wake (and probably as sunlight filters through your blinds). Your room should be dark enough that you can’t see your outstretched hand.

Some might recommend supplements but this seems unnecessary, considering how many pills we already pop. And synthetic drugs seem less superior than natural production. The safe, easy, effective way to increase melatonin is the natural way – sleep in darkness! If you don’t have blackout blinds then use an eye mask. It’s simple, cheap and effective and you can take it off if you need to get up to go to the bathroom or need a late-night snack. But don’t turn on the light! Use a small nightlight in the bathroom or else you might disrupt your melatonin production for that night’s rest.

This is a link for a mac-daddy $25 eye pillow. Or try amazon for a $5 version.

For all you fish connoisseurs out there, here is the Ocean’s Alive eco/health report. Above and beyond the toxins in the fish, I find it difficult to justify farmed fishing with all its inherent ecological impact and ethical ramifications, but the idea of over-fishing is just as appalling. What can a vegaquarian do? Here is the ecological impact report.