Everything You Must Know About Melatonin

Melatonin is a natural chemical created in the peneal gland located at the brain of a person. The eyes get affected by the lack of light and will therefore send an electronic signal to the brain to produce this substance. This substance induces natural drowsiness which greatly affects the sleeping and wake cycles of a person. Today, modern technology has found out the many benefits of melatonin intake for the body. It is now a widely famous sleeping aid used by adults who have sleeping problems like insomnia. Although common, there are still concerns about prolonged exposure to melatonin sleep aid.

Melatonin is a hormone commonly found among biological organisms and has been named scientifically as 5-methoxy-N-acetyltryptamine. The amount of melatonin stored in a person’s body is dependent on the light that is received. 2AM to 4AM is the peak time where the pineal gland naturally produces vast amounts of this melatonin. About 5 to 25 micrograms of melatonin are produced by young adults and middle aged adults once nighttime falls. The amount produced by the pineal gland is adversely reduced as a person comes of age. For this reason, younger people have less sleeping troubles than older people have. Melatonin sleep aids could help with having trouble sleeping.

The modern day use of melatonin now comes in the form of natural sleeping aids. It now comes in dietary supplements famous in helping cure sleeping disorders. It can be consumed before nighttime in order to increase the blood level of melatonin as it produces natural drowsiness and helps a person go to sleep even when it is daytime. When blended together with vitamin C and E, melatonin greatly displays its protective property. It can be used as a natural sunscreen in order to protect the skin from the sun.

Melatonin is also commonly used today for cancer protection especially for women. Modern studies have found out that women having breast cancer have greatly lower amounts of melatonin when compared with cancer free women. The reason for this is because melatonin prevents the growth and maturity of certain kinds of breast cancer cells. Melatonin also helps in enhancing the effects of chemotherapy drugs used to destroy cancer cells.

Studies regarding anxiety, panic and other kinds of depressions and seasonal affective disorders or SAD show that people that have these kinds of disorders have lower levels of melatonin compared to others. The serotonin levels of one’s body have been shown to increase in different experiments conducted by scientist. Once the serotonin level rises, it helps in eliminating the different kinds of symptoms of the most common depressions and anxieties.

The body’s immune system is also greatly affected by melatonin. Studies show that there are some cases where it has been useful in fighting off infectious diseases such as viral and bacterial infections. When combined with calcium, it acts as an immunostimulant that helps in boosting up one’s immune system thus preventing harmful elements from invading the body. Other diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, circardian rhythm disorders and sexual dysfunctions are also treated with the help of melatonin.