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The sleep-wake cycle of the pineal gland becomes
disrupted as we increasingly eat, socialize and sleep not questioning
the psychological and physical effects of our pre-occupations. In trying
to keep up with the schedules of the day it becomes increasingly
difficult to switch-off the problems of the outside world we take home
affecting domestic commitments.
“Surely in the daytime you have prolonged
occupation” (Surat ul Muzzammil 73:7).
This implies that there is counter-balance in the night
to daily preoccupations. What could be achieved in the evenings could
sustain and nourish us into the day. However, we use artificial light to
extend those pre-occupations. Once the daylight ends, the pineal gland
goes into increased production of melatonin. By extending light
artificially to levels of and above 500lux we impede its production. A
darkened room with a 100watt bulb provides 100lux if we are five
feet away. This doesn’t compromise the release of melatonin.
Factors Affecting Melatonin Production
Factors in our working lives can affect melatonin
production. Electric utility workers based at a generation station were
found to have reduced melatonin levels being exposed to electro-magnetic
fields. Their colleagues in the administrative section working under
60hz of alternating current working in low light offices in the daytime
also had reduced nighttime melatonin levels (Penton p.1).
Other elements also compromise the pineal gland like
tranquilizers, beta-blockers, calcium channel blocking drugs, sleeping
pills like benzodiazepines, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory
Drugs like Ibuprofen and excessive (3mg daily) intake of Vitamin
B-12 (Nedley p.6, 7).
Night-time Praying
The question of the purpose of sleep continues to haunt
scientists. In vibrational medicine, one hour of sleep balances each
chakra, with a minimum of three hours in total for really healthy
people. For the really healthy, three hours is all that is needed by the
higher chakras, which in turn balances the four lower ones (Gurudas
p.60). So what do we do with the rest of the night?
“Rise for prayer in the night, except a little,
Half of it or less. Or add to it – and recite the Qur’an in slow,
measured, rhythmic tones” (Muzzammil 73:2-4).
Fadhlalla Haeri informs us that these verses tell us to
take what we need for rest and if we rise from rest there is balance in
it. “Surely rising in the night is stronger in impact, and
straighter in speech (Muzzammil 73:6). He continues saying that ‘Nashiatul-layl’
is the maximum darkness during which one’s sleep is sound, the
energies are low, and the field of reflection is clear and empty. This
part of the night has the best results (Haeri p.12-14).
The part of our body that functions in this capacity is
the pineal gland. In the Indian tradition, it is the Seat of
Consciousness, the seventh energy point, the Crown Chakra. The pituitary
and the pineal gland work in unison through relaxation and meditation
which Rasulullah (saw) practiced much before The Revelation. Flashes of
intuition occur with increased practice, raising consciousness from an
emotional nature to awareness. Haeri continues, “when we go into
sajdah our individual profiles are obliterated when performed
meditatively. We are in Tawhid (unity) echoing the cosmic
expansion” (Haeri p.38). In Indian tradition the seventh chakra
spiritualizes the intellect and is associated with the personal ability
to integrate with Allah (swt). Then spiritual fulfillment is able to
resolve negative emotions.
The Pineal Gland
When the sun sets, the pineal gland shifts gear and
produces its primary hormone melatonin in larger quantities until it
peaks from 2 – 3.00a.m in the morning (Majidali p.7). It is a
derivative of the amino acid trytophan, and rises and falls daily within
our blood according to the circadian cycle (Ultranet p.1). This cycle
sets the biological clocks, turns on the immune system and inhibits
tumor promoters like estrogen (Penton p.1) Jet-lag is a disturbance in
this cycle (Sleep p.7).
The center of navigation in birds and other animals, the
light sensitive pineal gland produces the hormones: melatonin,
epithalamin, serotonin, vasotonin and melanin. Epithalamin is related to
our learning capacity and slows aging; serotonin has a strong influence
on sleep, pain and well being and vasotonin is related to rapid deep
sleep (Gates p.1). The hormone antigonadotropin suppresses ovulation
(Medic p.8). Melatonin regulates the sleep-wake cycle and inhibits sex
hormones before puberty. In addition, Jordanian scientist Samer
Hattar’s recent research has discovered that a single protein cell –melanopsin-
in the retina seems to detect light by which the human body’s internal
clock is reset. (Hattar p.1).
Modern-day Living and Melatonin Production
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Melatonin
production is reduced by late-night TV viewing.
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The 1995 National Sleep Foundation polls revealed that
half of American adults have sleeping problems at one time or another.
Habits like drinking alcohol too late, exercising before bedtime,
sleeping at different times, concentrating on work before trying to
sleep and shift work are contributory factors (NSF p.4). In addition,
production of melatonin is reduced by excessive
exposure to artificial light, late-night T.V viewing,
electromagnetic fields, chemical pollutants like pesticides and
beta-blockers for heart disease, high blood pressure and headaches.
Studies indicate that even the most modest exposure to extended light
stresses our bodies, accelerates aging and debilitates the immune and
nervous systems.
Caffeine in coffee, black tea and certain types of sodas
reduce melatonin jeopardizing its natural antioxidants, which are vital
to cell protection during waking hours. Yet it must be said it is the
quality not the quantity of sleep that restores and rejuvenates the
body.
In children, melatonin levels are 120 picograms dropping
to 60 picograms at ages 20 – 30. Seen as a ‘youth drug’
store bought melatonin has reportedly caused fatigue, depression and
arterial constriction (NSF p.2, 3). In England and Canada, it is
considered a drug and only obtainable by prescription. The FDA has
yet to remove it from US health stores.
Modest food restrictions increase the number of
melatonin receptors in the body, so short-term fasting is seen as a plus
increasing day-time plasma melatonin levels to night-time levels (Majidali
p.2, 7, 12). One can also increase one’s melatonin levels naturally
from foods like oats which contains 1,796 picograms, sweet corn at 1,366
picograms, rice at 1,006 picograms, ginger at 583 picograms and barley
at 378 picograms (Gates p. 1, 2).
In vibrational medicine when the chakras are aligned and
balanced there is a greater appetite for food in its natural state and
greater sensitivity to the chemical environment that man has created for
himself (Gurudas p.170). However, Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri reminds us,
“All it takes is purification and awareness of our intentions, and
then our intentions unify with our actions, then we are in tawhid
(unity) with Allah (swt) and ikhlas (sincerity).”
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