Melatonin (Supplement)

Melatonin has been called the body's own natural sleeping pill. It plays a key role in the sleep cycle by helping you fall asleep. Low melatonin levels can cause sleep-onset insomnia.

This is how our body utilize melatonin in controlling our sleep:
1. The body changes serotonin into melatonin.
2. Melatonin is stored in the pineal gland inside the brain.
3. The pineal gland releases melatonin only during times when the level of light is low.

Practically speaking, this means that melatonin is secreted only at night, while you are asleep. In the morning, when you open your eyes, the presence of light is a sign to your brain to shut down the melatonin production.

The pineal gland is like a "third eye", a small organ hidden within the brain. Hindu philosophy refers to a "third eye" that "sees" more deeply and truly than the other two. One of the jobs of pineal gland is to respond to changes in light and dark.

The pineal gland helps govern circadian rhythms- the biological rhythms that take place over a day, such as the sleep-wake cycle. This may be one of the reasons why it feels "natural" to sleep at night. You can learn more about circadian rhythms here.

Pineal gland is believed to use melatonin as a "messenger" to "tell" other systems what to do. Several studies suggest that melatonin induces sleep without suppressing REM (dream) sleep, as sedatives and other artificial sleep aids do. Travelers have started using melatonin to "reset their clocks" after flying across one or more time zones, and some studies seem to confirm melatonin's efficacy in combating jet lag and restoring restful sleep patterns.

In several studies, supplementation with melatonin has been found helpful in inducing and maintaining sleep in both children and adults, for both people with normal sleep patterns and those suffering from insomnia. It is also useful in banishing jet lag.

However, it appears that the sleep- promoting effects of melatonin are most apparent only if a person's melatonin levels are low. In other words, taking melatonin is not like taking a sleeping pill or even 5-HTP. It will only produce a sedative effect when melatonin levels are low.

Melatonin appears to be most effective in treating insomnia in the elderly, as low melatonin levels are common in this age group. (The efficiency of the melatonin system tends to decline with age.) If you have normal or high levels of melatonin, taking melatonin supplementation will not help in getting better sleep.

Safety: Studies of melatonin's safety are limited, with isolated reports of exacerbation of depression, fatigue and restriction of coronary arteries.

Do not take melatonin supplement if:

• You are pregnant or breast-feeding
• You are under the age of 35
• You are suffering from cancer of the blood or immune system
• You have kidney disease

Melatonin supplementation can disrupt the normal circadian rhythm. In one study, a daily dosage of 8 mg a day for only four days resulted in significant alterations in hormone secretions.

Synthetic melatonin may be safer than melatonin from animal sources.

Dosage: Start with 1.5 mg daily, taken 2 hours or less before bedtime. If this is not effective, gradually increase the dosage until an effective level is reached (up to 5 mg daily).

More at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin