Melatonin
Author: gostjobles
Many love it, others hate it. We speak of winter, coldest time of year. And this season is that you can see many changes in people mainly produced by melatonin, a hormone produced in the pineal gland or epiphysis, located in the brain, and participates in numerous cellular processes, neuroendocrine and neruofisiológicos.
It is synthesized and secreted depending on the amount of light reaching the organism. A lower incidence of light, the melatonin secretion. Hence the long nights and little light during the winter make melatonin levels are highest during this time of year.
Usually the lack of melatonin causes insomnia, but this time of year the opposite is true, the increase in concentration that occurs we need to spend all day stuck at home sleeping, drowsy.
Also shown lack of interest and increase the desire to eat at all hours, and that melatonin reduces body temperature which leads to eating more food, especially energy foods which contain fats and carbohydrates.
This is a big big problem, because if we add seasonal dormancy and the increased need to eat food in greater quantities and more energetic, obtenermos a large weight gain.
But that’s not all; the rise of this hormone reduces the levels of serotonin, which is essential in regulating moods. Dopamine also decreases due to the lower incidence of sunlight, causing loss of focus and lack of concentration and interest.
Knowing this, the best and most suitable to cope with these changes is the practice of physical exercise to counteract all the above side, so stay active, playing with the snow!
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