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Melatonin for the Treatment of Alcohol-Related Sleep Disorders

Aug 18, 2011 | By Tomas Linnaeus
Melatonin for the Treatment of Alcohol-Related Sleep Disorders
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Alcoholism remains a common problem in our society. At least 15 percent of young adults have an alcohol-related issue, according to a March 2005 report in the "Archives of General Psychiatry." Such abuse can have an adverse effect on your health. A study in the May 2011 edition of "Alcoholism" showed that ethanol consumption adversely affects nighttime sleep. Alcohol also suppresses melatonin -- a natural sleep-promoting substance circulating throughout your body. Taking melatonin supplements may therefore prove useful in treating the disrupted sleep associated with alcohol abuse.

Alcohol Degrades Sleep

Alcohol readily crosses the blood-brain barrier and has potent effects on your central nervous system. According to a July 2010 review in the "Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology," ethanol can damage the brain -- especially in children. Sleep provides a good indicator of brain health, so alcohol should adversely affect sleep. Ethanol has an immediate, negative effect on sleep quality. An investigation published in the May 2010 issue of the "American Journal of Addiction" showed that 50 percent of alcoholics experience insomnia when not drinking as well. The sleep disorder appeared during both short and long periods of abstinence.

Alcohol Suppresses Melatonin

Your brain controls your endocrine system. Alcohol's effects should therefore affect your hormone levels. Melatonin conveys the information your senses obtain from the environment to the rest of your body. Alcohol disrupts the pathways used to relay this data. A November 2000 report in "Epidemiology" revealed that such a disruption reduces melatonin synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. Larger amounts of alcohol produced greater suppression. An analysis presented in the December 2003 issue of "Biological Psychiatry" showed that melatonin levels remained low during abstinence. The authors reported that sleep quality remained poor as well.

Melatonin Enhances Sleep

Melatonin has become one of the most popular over-the-counter supplements. The pineal hormone provides you with many health benefits without causing side effects, according to a September 2010 review in the "International Journal of Neuroscience." Melatonin decreases the time taken to fall asleep, increases the time spent asleep and improves sleep quality. No study has directly assessed the impact of melatonin on sleep in alcoholism. However, the hormone has proved effective in other populations with melatonin deficiencies. An experiment published in the 2005 volume of the "Nordic Journal of Psychiatry" showed that melatonin-enriched milk improved the nighttime sleep and daytime alertness of institutionalized elders.

Ramelteon Treats Insomnia

Drug companies have conducted little research on melatonin. They cannot obtain patent rights to the hormone because it's a natural substance. Yet, related compounds have become available to you with a doctor's prescription. Ramelteon, for example, facilitates the effects of melatonin by stimulating the hormone's receptors. This drug produces hypnotic effects comparable to those of melatonin, according to a June 2009 review in "Advances in Therapy." Scientists have started testing ramelteon in patients with melatonin deficiencies including people diagnosed with alcoholism. A clinical trial offered in the June 2011 issue of the "Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine" revealed that taking ramelteon for a month improved the sleep quality of alcohol-dependent subjects with insomnia.

References

Article reviewed by Knuckles Last updated on: Aug 18, 2011

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