Tick tock. “1:59 AM.”
Tick tock. “2:00 AM.”
You find yourself tossing around in bed, wishing that you could simply drift off to that blissful world of sleep.
Many of us have probably, at some point, suffered from insomnia and have had to resort to counting sheep, changing up our sleep routine, or taking sleeping pills. One popular treatment that millions of people in America seek to resolve insomnia involves the consumption of a hormone supplement that your body naturally produces: Melatonin.
Melatonin, often referred to as the “sleep hormone” is involved in controlling your sleep cycles. In our bodies, the level of melatonin production and release is correlated with the timing of our internal body clock. Starting in the early evening, our body begins to release melatonin, gradually rising into the night and decreasing in the morning.
Many early studies established the beneficial effects of melatonin on individuals suffering from insomnia. A study conducted in 1996 further demonstrated that the timing of melatonin administration is as important as the dosage. They experimented on individuals who had their sleep cycles manipulated to match a 20 hr sleep schedule and assigned them either a placebo, 0.3 mg melatonin, or 5 mg melatonin. The results showed that external melatonin provided higher sleep efficiency than the placebo when administered during sleep episodes in which the body was not actively producing its own melatonin. Furthermore, the experiment demonstrated that the sleep efficiency with external melatonin was still lower when compared to the sleep efficiency of a body producing its own melatonin. In order to tap into the sleep benefits of melatonin, the timing is as important as dosage, and it is best to take melatonin for its sleep effects when the body is not producing its own.
Source: Kevin Liu
Aside from sleep benefits, recent research has also shown that melatonin has many other potential benefits to a person’s overall health. A study in 2006 demonstrated that melatonin can slow down the development of breast cancer by targeting the estrogen-signaling pathway. Another study in 2008 was conducted on children with migraine and tensions headaches. The researchers discovered that administration of 3 mg of melatonin prior to bedtime reduced the duration, number, and intensity of the headaches per month.
Since the body naturally produces melatonin, supplements may be seen by many as a better and a more natural alternative to other sleeping aids on the market. Furthermore, with the recent research that has emerged showcasing the other health benefits of melatonin, its use is not longer limited to being a simple sleeping aid but has the potential to expand to become an all-encompassing health supplement. However, with any medication, we should always be careful in ensuring that we are not overusing or becoming dependent on it. After all, with melatonin, why take more of something that your amazing body is already producing?
Feature Image Source: Jacob Stewart
