The peneal gland located in a person’s brain produces a natural hormone called Melatonin. Once darkness or nighttime befalls us, the eyes will send a signal to the brain to produce this substance. This substance induces natural drowsiness which greatly affects the sleeping and wake cycles of a person. Today, modern technology has found out the many benefits of melatonin intake for the body. It is now a widely famous sleeping aid used by adults who have sleeping problems like insomnia. Although common, there are still concerns about prolonged exposure to melatonin sleep aid.
Melatonin is a hormone commonly found among biological organisms and has been named scientifically as 5-methoxy-N-acetyltryptamine. The amount of it contained in an organism’s body depends on how much amount of lighting the body has received. Natural melatonin production is at its peak during 2am to 4am everyday. About 5 to 25 micrograms of melatonin are produced by young adults and middle aged adults once nighttime falls. As a person grows older, the amount produced by the pineal gland is greatly reduced. For this reason, younger people have less sleeping troubles than older people have. Melatonin sleep aids could help with having trouble sleeping.
To date, melatonin has been harnessed by man as a natural sleeping aid. It comes in the form of herbal capsules widely popular for people with sleeping disorders. It can be consumed before nighttime in order to increase the blood level of melatonin as it produces natural drowsiness and helps a person go to sleep even when it is daytime. When blended together with vitamin C and E, melatonin greatly displays its protective property. As such, it may also be used as a natural protection from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.
Melatonin is also commonly used today for cancer protection especially for women. Modern studies have found out that women having breast cancer have greatly lower amounts of melatonin when compared with cancer free women. This is because melatonin helps in preventing and stopping the growth of different kinds of breast cancer cells. It can also boost the effectiveness of some widely used chemotherapy drugs.
People who suffer from anxiety, panic and other kinds of depressions and seasonal affective disorders or SAD tend to have low levels of melatonin. Experiments that have been conducted show that melatonin intake increases the serotonin levels of a person’s body. Once the serotonin level rises, it helps in eliminating the different kinds of symptoms of the most common depressions and anxieties.
The body’s immune system is also greatly affected by Melatonin. Studies show that there are some cases where it has been useful in fighting off infectious diseases such as viral and bacterial infections. When combined with calcium, it acts as an immunostimulator that helps in boosting up one’s immune system thus preventing harmful elements from invading the body. It is also used for treating cardiovascular diseases, circardian rhythm disorders and sexual dysfunctions.
