Circadian health expert and medical scientist Logan Pendergrast, Ph.D., explains the essential neurotransmitters that regulate sleep and wakefulness. This segment explores adenosine, the chemical behind sleep pressure, and GABA, the brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter that fosters calm and rest.
Dr. Pendergrast also highlights orexin, the neurotransmitter responsible for sustaining wakefulness and alertness, and how its deficiency can cause narcolepsy. Finally, he covers serotonin’s dual role in mood and as a precursor to melatonin, the hormone that helps lower body temperature and promote deep, restorative sleep. Together, these chemical messengers create the foundation for the sleep–wake cycle and support healthy brain function throughout the day.
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So next we will talk about a factor that
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many don't think about and that is the
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scent in the environment that we sleep
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in. So there is some scientific data to
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show that the sense that we are
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experiencing during sleep can influence
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the quality of our sleep. And one of
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these studies showed that lavender which
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is linolu lowers our heart rate and
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boosts the quality of our deep sleep.
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This was published in 2005.
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So, in considering this and considering
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how important the smell in our
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environment could be, we would like to
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avoid some allergenic or some of these
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highly synthetic scents because if
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you're having some sort of an allergen
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that can cause, let's say for instance,
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inflammation in the nose, which could
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impair your ability to breathe. Um,
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there's also evidence that having
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consistent smells in the environment,
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let's say for instance that's lavender,
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can reinforce the body's preparedness
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for sleep through just regular behavior.
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And what this is called is is pavlavian
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conditioning. What this just means is
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essentially habitually your body knows
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that when it smells lavender, it it
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should be prepared for sleep. An
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additional tip here is to skip these
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plugins that plug into the wall. And the
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reason for that is because these plugins
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have what are called volatile organic
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compounds or VOCC's. And these have some
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toxicity effects on the body that could
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impair our ability to sleep effectively.
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And so, as a tip here, maybe to um
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implement for those of us who would like
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to try this out, using a drop of
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something like two to three simple drops
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of lavender oil around the pillow or
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around the surface that we're sleeping
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on could maybe begin to utilize some of
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these factors that are supported in the
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scientific data to help improve our
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sleep.
