PART ONE: CIRCADIAN HEALTH IN PREGNANCY

Summary Notes:

• The circadian rhythm controls what happens when

• Via genes, the circadian rhythm controls the creation of sperm, eggs, sex hormones, puberty and overall fertility¹

• Mitochondrial health depends on a healthy circadian rhythm to balance pro-oxidative and antioxidant forces (redox) in pregnancy²

• Redox balance allows sperm creation, egg creation, and implantation to complete³

• Melatonin, controlled by the circadian rhythm, plays a major role in balancing redox as well as fertility⁴

• Any free person can access a lifestyle that nurtures their circadian rhythm

• The placenta connects the baby to its mother’s circadian rhythm in utero⁵

• Placental health requires high melatonin⁶

• Melatonin itself is a powerful endogenous—ie, made by the body—antioxidant that protects health of both mother and baby in pregnancy⁷

• Melatonin climbs throughout pregnancy and peaks at the time of birth⁸

• There is a synergy between melatonin and oxytocin in the uterus⁹

• Oxytocin vs pitocin

• Endogenous melatonin vs synthetic melatonin

• Natural boost of melatonin: tryptophan-rich food —> sunshine —> darkness

• Over the counter melatonin is unreliable because the dose is highly variable despite what label says¹⁰

• Real life “Easter egg”: I recorded this workshop from my gazebo and at this point in the recording my chickens 🐔and rooster 🐓 swarmed me… I later found out a bear was stalking them! 🐻 rawr!

• It takes about 20 years for new research to get into clinical guidelines

• Light is the most important factor in regulating the circadian rhythm

• Lifelong health conditions are related to the circadian programming received in the early life beginning in the womb¹¹

• Sleep quality, another effect of the circadian rhythm, is correlated with all forms of mental health across the lifespan¹²

• Circadian systems have multiple modes per day (ie, sleep/wake)

• A zeitgeber is a “time-giver” that directly affects the circadian rhythm¹³

• There are primary (also called “self-sufficient”) and secondary zeitgebers

• Primary zeitgebers—for humans, that’s light/temperature and meal timing—directly affect the biological circadian clocks

• Secondary zeitgebers (ie, social cues) support or detract from the effects of the primary zeitgebers

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