Vitamin A And Sleep

[Dan W]

Some interesting ideas from Chris Masterjohn:
http://www.westonaprice.org/our-blo...setting-circadian-rhythm-allowing-good-sleep/

 

[onioneyedox]

Vitamin A is very vulnerable to irreversible degradation in response to high-intensity blue and ultraviolet light. Lutein and zeaxanthin are non-provitamin A carotenoids that accumulate in the retina to protect against such damage. Better antioxidant status in general and especially better lutein and zeaxanthin status could reflect a better capacity to preserve vitamin A from degradation.

Makes me wonder how effective computer screen is at degrading vitamin A. The fact that it comes from one direction to at which we are directly focusing may potentiate the effect. Natural light is coming from more scattered directions and not with fixed polarization. If I look at screen with polaroid sunglasses it seems that light is polarized in certain way, though I'm not sure, which may or may not have an additional effect. Maybe it can alter the structure of water of eye, have stressing effect that way. Just a thought.

 

[onioneyedox]

Just what I have been observing recently: I have been using about 10.000 IU vitamin a topically (Haidut's Retinil) before sleep and actually feel like I really am waking up better. I have tendency to sort of fall to somesort of deep torpor sleep, hibernation it feels like, if I have no urgent/good reason to wake up. This was especially bad when I was on low carb, and dreams were just stressful circling toughts and patterns. Now dreams are better but still I was not "just waking up" regularly. I hear some people get help from vitamin D, but I have never observed that in myself. I have been eating liver and occasionally supplementing vitamin A, so this is bit curious to me. Just a anecdote, as usual, but maybe somebody wants to test it (do mind that first nights it might be just plasebo wake up).