Melatonin is a hormone
secreted by the pineal gland in the brain. It helps regulate other hormones and
maintains the body's circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is an internal
24-hour “clock” that plays a critical role in when we fall asleep and when we
wake up. When it is dark, your body produces more melatonin; when it is light,
the production of melatonin drops. Being exposed to bright lights in the
evening or too little light during the day can disrupt the body’s normal
melatonin cycles. For example, jet lag, shift work, and poor vision can disrupt
melatonin cycles.
Melatonin also helps
control the timing and release of female reproductive hormones. It helps
determine when a woman starts to menstruate, the frequency and duration of
menstrual cycles, and when a woman stops menstruating (menopause).
Some researchers also
believe that melatonin levels may be related to aging. For example, young
children have the highest levels of nighttime melatonin. Researchers believe these
levels drop as we age. Some people think lower levels of melatonin may explain
why some older adults have sleep problems and tend to go to bed and wake up
earlier than when they were younger. However, newer research calls this theory
into question.
Melatonin has strong
antioxidant effects. Preliminary evidence suggests that it may help strengthen
the immune system.
Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant and free radical scavenger
that helps 'cool down' excess inflammation. In fact, melatonin is so integral to the health of your
immune system that a lack of it causes your thymus gland, a key component of
your immune system, to shrink in size.
Because melatonin is a strong antioxidant and is able to cross the
blood-brain barrier, it is thought to help protect against Alzheimer's disease
as well as brain aging.
In one study, artificially aged mice treated with melatonin had reduced
oxidative stress and markers of cerebral aging and neurodegeneration,
indicating the melatonin offered both neuroprotective and anti-aging effects.
In another study, researchers revealed that combining daily
exercise with the daily intake of melatonin appeared to have a synergistic
effect against brain deterioration in mice with Alzheimer's disease-associated
mutations. Improvements in behavior, learning and memory were noted.
Melatonin's immediate precursor
is the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is a major player in regulating and
giving a lift to your mood. And, like serotonin, melatonin plays important
roles in your physical and mental health
For the past 30 years, melatonin has been the subject of intensive
research. A natural and therefore unpatentable substance, it remains
controversial because drug companies won’t study it; without a patent, they
don’t make the huge profits. Still, the word is out about melatonin, and it’s
being used by millions of people who want to naturally improve their sleep
quality or their general state of health.
Melatonin
for Sleep Problems
Most of the research on this versatile hormone deals with its potential
usefulness as a sleep aid. The National Institutes of Health has put millions
of dollars towards sleep research involving melatonin. In one of the most
recent studies on this subject, published in the October 2001 issue of Journal
of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, researchers found that only 0.3
mg of melatonin, taken a half-hour before bedtime, was enough to restore efficient
sleep in people over age 50 with sleep disorders.
Melatonin, along with the use of bright light therapy, has also
helped to shift sleep time in people with delayed or advanced sleep phase
syndromes (DSPS or ASPS) [people who wake up very late or very early]. Taking
melatonin at the desired bedtime and being exposed to bright light in the
mornings has been shown to gradually shift the body’s internal clock to a more
socially acceptable pattern.
Other Possible Benefits of Supplemental
Melatonin
Supplemental melatonin has been used to treat and prevent anxiety, depression,
and sleep problems related to autism. High-dose melatonin shows promise as a
treatment for cancer and AIDS. Low doses have been shown to lengthen the lives
of lab animals by as much as 30 percent. Some evidence exists that it could be
helpful for those with Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
When researchers set out to discover the highest safe dose of
melatonin, they gave higher and higher doses to rats. They found that no dose
was high enough to kill the animals. Humans have taken doses of up to 6,000 mg
at a time without side effects aside from sleepiness the following day.
However, since rats are nocturnal creatures, we can’t make too
many assumptions about humans and melatonin based on rat studies, and I don’t
advise taking high doses.
Melatonin vs. carcinogens. In research by melatonin expert Russel J.
Reiter, animals were given a dose of a poison called safrole. Safrole does serious damage to
the DNA of liver cells, predisposing them to cancer. When a tiny amount of
melatonin was given as well, only 41 percent of the damage was seen compared to
animals given no melatonin. With a larger dose, only one
percent of the
damage was seen. Other research by Dr. Reiter found that when supplemental
melatonin was given to one group of animals exposed to normally lethal doses of
radiation, only half the number of animals died compared to the group that
didn’t get melatonin.
Dozens of studies showing melatonin’s anti-carcinogenic effects
have been published. Melatonin appears to forestall cancer growth, and some
studies in humans have shown that late-stage cancer patients benefit from
high-dose (5 to 10 mg a day) melatonin. Mainstream scientists protest that it
hasn’t been sufficiently studied as a cancer treatment, but I’d venture to say
that it’s been studied as much as or more than a lot of the chemotherapy
agents.
The antioxidant power of melatonin. Melatonin helps protect cells against free
radical attack, on a par with vitamin E and glutathione. It stimulates
production of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase.
Melatonin and zinc. Research
has shown that when melatonin is supplemented in people with low levels of the
mineral zinc, their zinc levels normalize. This has led some scientists to
believe that the presence of melatonin in the GI tract may have something to do
with efficient mineral absorption.
Melatonin and depression. Melatonin levels have been found to be low in
some forms of chronic depression, bipolar disorder (manic-depression), and in
chronic schizophrenia. In people with seasonal depression—caused by short days
and long nights—melatonin at night and bright light in the daytime has been
shown to effectively improve symptoms.
Melatonin for headache. Studies have found that melatonin is low in
migraine headache sufferers, and that administering melatonin during migraine
attacks relieved pain and decreased headache recurrence.
Melatonin and immunity. Melatonin promotes the health of the
thymusgland, an important component of the immune system that tends to
deteriorate with age. Studies by Italian researchers show that melatonin
supplements can improve immunity in the face of advancing age and stress.
Melatonin for autistic or developmentally
disabled children.Kids with autism, Down syndrome or other
developmental disabilities seem to benefit from melatonin supplementation. Many
of these children have severe sleep problems, and regulating their sleep
patterns helps them (and their parents!) to function better during the day.
Melatonin and intestinal health. Several studies have shown that melatonin
supplementation helps to prevent the erosion of the intestinal walls that can
happen with the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Melatonin and jet lag. Although
studies on melatonin and jet lag have produced varying results, I know plenty
of frequent travelers who swear by it, including myself. Simply take one
milligram a half-hour before you go to bed in your new time zone.
The following doses have been studied in
scientific research:
BY MOUTH:
·
For insomnia:
o 0.3-5 mg at bedtime is a typical dose.
o In children with insomnia due to delayed sleep onset, melatonin 5
mg at 6:00 PM daily.
o In children with developmental disorders (including cerebral
palsy, autism, and intellectual disabilities), melatonin 5 mg at 8:00 PM daily.
Both immediate-release and sustained-release preparations have been used.
·
For jet lag: 0.5-5 mg at
bedtime is commonly taken on the arrival day at the destination, continuing for
2-5 days. Low doses of 0.5-3 mg are often used to avoid the hypnotic properties
of the higher 4-5 mg doses.
·
For tardive dyskinesia
(TD): 10 mg daily of a controlled-release formulation.
·
As treatment for solid tumors
in combination with conventional therapy: 10-50 mg along with radiotherapy,
chemotherapy, or interleukin 2 (IL-2). Melatonin is typically started 7 days
before the start of chemotherapy and continued throughout full treatment
course.
·
For treatment of
prostate cancer that has spread to other sites (metastatic cancer) and is
resistant to triptorelin used alone: 20 mg taken daily has been used in
combination with 3.75 mg of triptorelin injected into the muscle every 28 days.
·
For prevention and
treatment of lowered clot-forming cells (thrombocytopenia) associated with
cancer chemotherapy: 20 mg each evening.
·
For benzodiazepine
withdrawal in elderly people with insomnia: 2 mg of controlled-release
melatonin taken at bedtime for 6 weeks (the benzodiazepine dosage is reduced
50% during the second week, 75% during weeks 3 and 4, and stopped during weeks
5 and 6) and continued up to 6 months.
·
For prevention of
cluster headache: an evening dose of 10 mg.
·
For reducing anxiety
before surgery in adults: 0.05 mg/kg under the tongue.
·
For reducing nicotine
withdrawal symptoms: 0.3 mg orally 3.5 hours after stopping smoking.
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