• Night prayer can provide a counter-balance to daily preoccupations.
• The pineal gland produces melatonin in larger quantities at night.
• Artificial light can impede the production of melatonin.

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” (Quran 73:7).

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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 below 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).