I'm so cool I wear sunglasses at night. Yeeeah.

I know I've been ranting quite a bit lately, so I thought I'd post this bit of oddity up. I really am wearing sunglasses at night. While I type this down too.

See, I've been having insomnia issues. No matter what I do, no matter how tired I am, I can't sleep. I thought about it, and concluded that some of the reasons for sleeplessness could be:

1. Heat: Like, it's over 33 degrees C out there man!

2. Jet lag: It has been about 2 months since I arrived in Malaysia from Canada.

3. I got used to having someone wheeze in my ear.

4. Hunger pangs: Probably related to #2

5. Stress: Still a probable cause, but I don't quite feel like taking librax to help me sleep (Yes, I have a stash somewhere... mmm the good drugs).

6. Migraines

7. 24-hour restaurant with bright flashy neon lights and loud sounds just across the road.

8. Too much light.

This could go on and on, but not me. I need proper sleep, preferably at a time other people are doing it. So I looked at the last issue, #8. Am I really getting too much light? Mind you, I was in Canada between September and March. Wintertime. Could it be possible that my body compensated for the lack of light during my Canada months? Bear in mind, it was winter, and the sun's at an angle anyway over the northern region. Right now I'm back near the Equator. Fun. I can get sunburn just standing by my window. So now, maybe the light I'm getting is overkill.

And then, there's that nasty issue with the laptop monitor. They say not to do any computer related activities before sleep, but the middle of the night happens to be the best time for writing. Unfortunately, how do I go to sleep once I'm done?

This brings us back to the sunglasses at night. In a conversation with Benoit, I thought maybe the light had something to do with my melatonin levels. So says the Great Wiki, "Melatonin signals forms part of the system that regulates the circadian cycle, chemically causing drowsiness and lowering the body temp...". So, melatonin helps bring sleep. But, the Wiki also says that melatonin production in the pineal gland is inhibited by light. So, more light, less melatonin. Less melatonin, less sleep.

Apparently the light that we detect via our eyes is also in a way responsible for melatonin suppression, and most of the light involved is blue light. Some studies suggested that wearing blue light blocking sunglasses, such as those with amber or orange tinted lenses, may help to induce the proper circumstances needed for melatonin production (it also helps in treating bipolar disorders, but that's another story).

So, in the spirit of self-experimentation ( punny if you know how dangerous I am with ethanol in the lab), I've decided to don my copper-tinted Cocoons sunglasses a few hours before the desired bedtime. Wish me luck. And just think, no matter what the outcome, I'm still cool, because I wear sunglasses at night. Haha. So there.



Ange