A snippet from the TAMBA (Twins Triplets and More) Magazine, UK of Summer 2005 which shows how important melatonin can be.

This reports on a study published in the Journal of Sleep Research. "Taking babies outside in the afternoons could help them to sleep better at night. The study found that good sleepers are exposed to twice as much daylight between midday and 4pm as poor sleepers. The higher light levels are thought to help develop the biological clock more quickly, possibly through melatonin, which helps regulate sleeping patterns. Even positioning babies near a window on cold, rainy days can help, because there is still more light outside than indoors. It doesn't matter if the babies are asleep, as their eyelids are thin, and the light can still get through." Interestingly last year there was a survey published by a parenting magazine that showed that babies in the UK last year are not sleeping as well as babies in the 1970s. Could this be because of the effect of EMFs from masts, mobile phones (which some parents sleep with!!!) and DECT phones. Unfortunately this was not part of the survey.

Best wishes,

Yasmin Skelt,
Chorleywood,
Hertfordshire,
England