WHAT IS MELATONIN USED FOR?

Melatonin, known as the sleep hormone, is generated in the pineal gland as a response to darkness. As the light disappears, your body generates more of the hormone to help you fall asleep. Melatonin comes in different supplemental forms, including capsules and topical creams. Some people take it to help adjust one's internal sleep clock.

 

How Does It Work?

Melatonin’s key role is sleep regulation by helping balance one’s 24-hour internal clock or circadian rhythms. It helps you know when to sleep, wake-up, and eat. It connects receptors in the body to help you relax. For example, it binds to receptors in the brain to minimize nerve activity.  

 

The exact way melatonin helps you fall asleep isn't completely understood, but if you're exposed to less light, melatonin production diminishes. Not enough melatonin causes you to sleep less. The reason for less melatonin production may be caused by different factors, including:

• Stress
• Aging
• Shift work
• Less natural light during the day
• Sleep disorders
  
  

Any of the above reasons can reduce melatonin levels. When this happens, melatonin dietary supplements help you replace the missing hormone. Melatonin comes in pill and topical cream form and is made from animals, microorganisms, and synthetically.

 

What Is It Used For?

Besides sleep control, research suggests that melatonin helps with other medical conditions, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), stomach ulcers and heartburn, and increasing growth hormones levels. However, the main reason for melatonin supplements is to help with sleep-related issues.

 

Helps Sleep regulation

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many people suffer from sleep disorders. The four most common sleep disorders include the following:

 

Insomnia

Inability to fall asleep or waking up in the middle of the night and unable to fall asleep again. Most people experience insomnia at one point in their lives, and one in ten suffers from chronic insomnia. The condition can come from psychiatric or medical disorders and can be short-term or chronic if not treated.

 

Narcolepsy

It's a neurological disorder that causes problems with controlling sleep and wakefulness. If you're affected by narcolepsy, you experience sleepiness during the day. Sometimes even falling asleep during the daytime without intending to sleep. 

These sudden attacks can happen anytime during the day or doing any kind of activity.   Narcolepsy can affect anyone at any age, but it's most common between 15 and 25. If left untreated, sleep deprivation occurs.

 

Restless legs syndrome (RLS)

If you have an uncontrollable urge to shake your legs, it may be RLS. It’s an intense sensation that can occur during the day. However, it's most common at night, making it difficult to fall asleep. RLS may also make you wake up in the middle of the night and keep you from falling back to sleep.

 

The reasons vary for what triggers RLS, but it can be brought on by sitting for extended periods at work or driving or lying down in bed. The only way to alleviate the legs' intense pressure is to shake them, resulting in sleep deprivation and irritability during the day.

 

Sleep Apnea

One of the more severe sleep disorders, sleep apnea, is a breathing disruption while sleeping. The most common symptom reported is waking up gasping for air. There are two types of sleep apnea: central and obstructive.

 

Central sleep apnea (OSA) is less common, but it’s when the brain stops telling the body to breathe. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is more common and happens because the soft tissue in the back of the throat becomes blocked. Signs of OSA include snoring, fatigue, gasping for air, trouble concentrating, and restlessness during sleep.

 

Other Sleep Problems

Sleep issues may also result from other less serious situations and may be more situational or environmental—for example, jet lag after taking an international flight. Or experience anxiety before or after surgery or a problematic event.

People who work shift work may have to switch sleep cycles from day to night throughout the month, making sleep harder to achieve. Children also may have sleep concerns resulting from nightmares or growing pains.

 

Increases Growth Hormone for Men

Human growth hormone (HGH)  is produced by the pituitary gland and helps with many bodily functions, including:

 

• Muscle growth
• Metabolism
• Cell repair
• Body composition
  
  

Not having enough HGH may result in weight gain, increase your risk of disease, and lower your quality of life. HGH levels decrease for different reasons such as age-related decline, diet and lifestyle choices, and the amount of sleep you get.

The majority of HGH you receive comes at night. Research shows HGH comes in pulses at night, with a peak around midnight. If you have a poor sleep, the lower amount of HGH you have in your body. Melatonin topical cream supplementation can help you sleep more and increase HGH in your body.

 

May Help with Fertility

Unexplained infertility affects thousands of men and women. Some research indicates that melatonin supplementation increased the chances of live birth.

In some studies, the liquid around the female egg has higher levels of melatonin. Some theorize that melatonin improves egg quality, one of the main reasons for decreased fertility levels for older women.

 

May Help Viral Infections

More research needs to be done, but some scientists have been looking at how melatonin may decrease viral infections, including Covid-19. One review published in Virus Research discusses how melatonin can regulate human immune responses and may be beneficial against different viral complications. Melatonin may provide therapeutic treatment for viral infections.

 

How to Take Melatonin?

Melatonin comes in creams and pill form. Since it can induce sleepiness, take it about one hour before bedtime. Start off with a low dose, around 5 mg,  applying on the inner arms or legs,  and follow the instructions on the product. 

 

It's meant to jumpstart your internal clock, so taking it every day may provide the sleep you need but may stop natural melatonin production. It's best to use it when you need it and if you have any questions, speak to your doctor.