Sleep is an often-overlooked factor when it comes to wellness and weight loss. Many people are chronically sleep deprived due to travel, work schedule, stress or some other reason. It can be difficult to maintain a healthy weight or to lose weight when lack of sleep is an issue. Melatonin plays a big role in your body's ability to get to sleep.
Description
Melatonin is a hormone that the pineal gland in your brain secretes to help regulate other hormones and continue and maintain the circadian rhythm of your body, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Your circadian rhythm is the internal clock that helps to determine when you fall asleep and when you wake from sleep.
Melatonin and Sleep
Your body manufactures more melatonin when it is dark, and less melatonin when it is light. Experiencing bright lights at night, or too little light in the day can disrupt your melatonin cycle and cause sleeping problems. Melatonin will often be out of balance in night shift workers, people who travel and have jet lag or some people with poor vision.
Sleep and Weight Loss
The way the melatonin affects weight is by altering your sleep patterns and causing sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep can affect how your body stores and processes carbohydrates, and can alter levels of certain hormones that affect your appetite, says Harvard Medical School. Sleep deprivation may also create situations in which people are too tired to maintain a regular exercise routine.
Increasing Melatonin
In order to increase melatonin levels so you can regulate your sleeping patterns, supplementation is usually the best choice. You can try to modify your lifestyle and remove the conditions that cause a melatonin shortage in the first place, but this is usually not feasible. Melatonin supplements are available over the counter and come in capsules, tablets, creams and lozenges. Melatonin supplements have no recommended dosage as of yet, so visit your doctor and work with him to find the safest dosage for you.
Side Effects
Taking the wrong amount of melatonin can result in a handful of different side effects. Nightmares and vivid dreams are a common occurrence, as is a disruption in your circadian rhythm if you take too much. Melatonin can also cause cramping, dizziness, irritability, headache and low sex drive. Be sure to talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you take any type of medication to determine any possible interactions.
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