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While most people associate melatonin with sleep, it also is a powerful antioxidant. The brain secretes the melatonin and it's what makes you sleepy, hence the nickname, the sleep hormone. Since it does this at regularly occurring intervals, you tend to fall asleep about the same time every night. The Harvard Woman's Health Watch notes that sleep aids the brain in remembering new knowledge, aids in maintaining weight, improves mood, is beneficial for cardiovascular health and maintains the functioning of the autoimmune system. Without sleep, you set yourself up for some potentially lethal results. These are all important benefits of sleep and of course, the melatonin, which makes it happen.
However, the antioxidant effects of melatonin are also quite impressive. One study on mice artificially aged in the lab and then treated with melatonin, showed lowered markers of cerebral aging, oxidative stress and neurodengeneration. The anti-oxidant properties of the sleep hormone help protect the brain from free radicals and therefore slow aging of the brain.
Effects of Low levels of Melatonin
Those who have inadequate amounts of this sleep hormone show a decreased immune function, blood pressure problems, a higher risk for cancer, increased amounts of brain plaque-often found in Alzheimer's and a higher risk of osteoporosis.
Women in their reproductive years require melatonin for the release of reproductive hormones. This sleep hormone actually determines not only when the woman will start her period but also how frequently and how long she will have it. It also determines when menopause starts.
One method of keeping your melatonin production aligned is a regular bedtime. It sets up your biological clock to produce the melatonin. Another method is to sleep in a dark room. Falling asleep in front of the television, when a boring program is on, may be easy, but it's not good for your health. A dark room prevents the body from becoming confused and ceasing the melatonin production. The lack of light in a completely dark room reaches the SCN, the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus - the part of the hypothalamus that controls the biological clock. The total darkness triggers the production of the melatonin and initiates other processes that indicate sleep, such as a lower body temperature.
Besides light in the room, there are other reasons for low amounts of melatonin. As people age, the production of melatonin naturally slows. Exercise before bedtime reduces the amount of melatonin in the body. Some prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs such as aspirin, NSAIDS, ibuprofen, anti-depressants, blood pressure medications, excessive doses of vitamin B-12, certain steroids and anti-anxiety medications also decrease melatonin.
Benefits
Besides the obvious use for sleep-deprived individuals, there are other benefits for increased melatonin. The treatment of SADD, a form of depression caused by lack of sunlight is one of them. Some studies indicate that there's a link to low levels of melatonin and breast and prostate cancer. In fact, in one small study, women given melatonin showed a small amount of tumor shrinkage. ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism may improve with additional amounts of melatonin. The same is true from fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, epilepsy and pulmonary sarcoidosis.
