Health Benefits Of Melatonin For Sleep

Melatonin is a natural hormone, but dietary supplements with melatonin have gained popularity for its many health benefits. Melatonin plays a role in regulating your body's circadian rhythm, an internal time-keeping system of sorts, which has led to many people seeking melatonin for help with sleeping. Certain kinds of melatonin are more effective than others. If you suspect you have a sleeping disorder, however, talk with your health care provider because melatonin may not help you.

Identification

Your body naturally produces melatonin through the pineal gland. Secretion of melatonin from the gland is stimulated by darkness, and it is inhibited by light. Melatonin is also found in plants. The pineal gland secretes melatonin into your bloodstream. The peak time for this process usually occurs between 2:00 and 4:00 a.m., after which it gradually lessens. Infants produce very little melatonin but between ages 1 and 3, production of the hormone surges. Melatonin communicates with many parts of your body, including your brain, gut, ovaries and blood vessels. Receptors in your brain are responsible for your sleep cycles, while the others affect fertility, body temperature and heart and immune function.

Melatonin and Sleep

Too little melatonin can prevent you from falling asleep or disturb your sleep. By taking a melatonin before bedtime, you can supplement your natural melatonin and help it do its work. Researchers from Creighton University Medical Center's Complementary and Alternative Medicine say that taking melatonin can make you fall asleep faster, induce sleep, increase sleepiness and increase how long you stay asleep. In addition, melatonin improves sleep efficiency, which is a measure of how long you stay asleep versus how long you spend in bed. Melatonin also helps with the troubles associated with jet lag, and it assists blind people in establishing a normal sleep routine.

Melatonin and Sleeping Disorders

If you have a sleeping disorder, melatonin may be less effective for you. The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports that melatonin is not effective for treating either primary or secondary sleep disorders. Primary sleep disorders are a pattern of sleeping problems with no known cause. Sleeping problems may also be a symptom of other health and environment issues, like anxiety and depression, and would be labeled as secondary sleeping disorders.

Appropriate Doses

Melatonin supplements are synthetic versions of the hormone and come in immediate- and extended-release formulas. They are also manufactured as liquids, tablets, and nasal sprays. Creighton University, in a review of literature, reports that a short-term regimen of 0.5 to 5 mg of melatonin is effective and safe for most adults. It's best to take it at your desired bedtime. In addition, the university reports evidence for the immediate-release type being more effective.

Caution

The National Sleep Foundation, or NSF, says that if you feel a sleep problem is serious enough to treat, then you should talk to you health care provider to ensure you understand the cause of the problem and get it treated appropriately. In addition, you should not take melatonin supplements for longer than one month. The bulk of research on the hormone has been in short-term studies. Taking too much melatonin can make your sleep problem worse. The NSF also warns that because melatonin is not a drug, so supplements are not regulation by the Food and Drug Administration. Potential side effects don't have to be listed on the package, and there could be a difference between the amount of melatonin listed in the package and how much is in the product.