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What is melatonin?
Melatonin is a hormone that’s naturally produced in the pineal gland, which is a small gland located in the brain. The hormone plays a crucial role in regulating sleep and the body’s circadian rhythm, which is the internal clock that helps us maintain a regular sleep-wake cycle.
Melatonin levels rise in the evening and stay elevated throughout the night, which helps us fall asleep and stay asleep.
Aside from its role in sleep regulation, melatonin also provides a number of other health benefits. For instance, it may boost the immune system, reduce inflammation, and protect against certain types of cancer.
In the supplement form, people use melatonin to treat sleep disorders such as insomnia, jet lag, and shift work disorder.
How melatonin declines with age
Melatonin levels decrease as you age, which may negatively impact your sleep quality. Today, there is enough evidence to suggest that the hormonal changes that begins in women over the age of 40 due to the transitioning into menopause can disrupte the cycle of melatonin release.
Additionally, the circadian rhythm undergoes physiological changes with age, further disrupting the production of melatonin.
What’s more, certain medical conditions can also decrease melatonin, such as dementia, severe pain, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
Unfortunately, the decline of melatonin can precipitate numerous health problems, including chronic insomnia.
The impact of melatonin decline on sleep quality
Melatonin decline disrupts the sleep cycle, leading to insomnia. As a result, you may deal with extended sleep latency or reduced sleep time. For instance, it may take you hours to fall asleep or wake up too early and fail to sleep again.
Over time, insomnia can have devastating effects on your health. This includes physical side effects and mental health problems.
How melatonin sleep supplements can help
Melatonin is a vital substance that regulates sleep.
In general, when light hits the receptors of the eye, signals get sent to the brain to induce feelings of alertness and vigilance. As light becomes dimmer, the pineal gland ramps up the production of melatonin, which leads to a general feeling of drowsiness and sleep.
As you can probably guess, this system is not perfect, and any disruption to the secretion of melatonin can lead to sleep disorders (e.g., insomnia).
For instance, if your brain doesn’t secrete melatonin properly, you can expect difficulties falling asleep or experience shallow, fragmented, and poor sleep quality.
The good news is that melatonin supplements solve this issue by providing the body with the master regulator of sleep to restore a regular sleep schedule.
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In one review that analyzed 11 studies, researchers found that melatonin supplements taken briefly before bed can reduce sleep latency by 3 minutes. They also extended the total sleep time by half an hour.
Even more impressive, a few studies found that melatonin may even help with cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Potential side effects of melatonin supplements
Most scientists agree that melatonin supplements are safe and non-addictive. However, they can still lead to some side effects, including:
- Feeling drowsy in the daytime
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Stomach ache
- Dry mouth and skin
- Night sweats
- Pain in the arms and legs
References
Zisapel N. (2018). New perspectives on the role of melatonin in human sleep, circadian rhythms and their regulation. British journal of pharmacology, 175(16), 3190–3199. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.14116
Besag, F. M. C., Vasey, M. J., Lao, K. S. J., & Wong, I. C. K. (2019). Adverse Events Associated with Melatonin for the Treatment of Primary or Secondary Sleep Disorders: A Systematic Review. CNS drugs, 33(12), 1167–1186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40263-019-00680-w
Blume, C., Garbazza, C., & Spitschan, M. (2019). Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep and mood. Somnologie : Schlafforschung und Schlafmedizin = Somnology : sleep research and sleep medicine, 23(3), 147–156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11818-019-00215-x
Disclaimer: The information presented here is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to be used as medical advice. Any statements or claims about the possible health benefits conferred by any products or lifestyle changes have not been evaluated by medical professionals or the Food & Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. You should consult your health practitioner before changing your diet, taking supplements, or starting any exercise or health program
