The Key Items You Should Understand About Melatonin
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. Its primary function is the regulation of one’s body clock, in other words one’s sleeping and waking up cycles. 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 side effects.
Melatonin is a hormone commonly found among biological organisms and has been named scientifically as 5-methoxy-N-acetyltryptamine. Depending on the light that an organism receives is the amount of melatonin stored in a person’s body. Natural melatonin production is at its peak during 2am to 4am everyday. The young and middle-aged men and women produce melatonin ranging from 5 to 25 micrograms daily. As a person grows older, the amount produced by the pineal gland is greatly reduced. Because of this, older people have trouble sleeping that younger people. Melatonin sleep aids could help with sleeping problems.
To date, melatonin has been harnessed by man as a natural sleeping aid. It now comes in dietary supplements famous in helping cure 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. It can also be combined with vitamins C and E and as such it showcases different protective properties. It can be used as a natural sunscreen in order to protect the skin from the sun.
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. The reason for this is because melatonin prevents the growth and maturity of certain 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. This serotonin helps in eliminating the various types of symptoms of the most usual depressions and anxieties a person may experience.
The body’s immune system is also greatly affected by Melatonin. Infectious diseases such as viral and bacterial infections have been prevented in studies conducted by scientists studying melatonin. The body’s immune system is greatly strengthened especially if melatonin is combined with calcium because the combination acts as an immunostimulator. It is also used for treating cardiovascular diseases, circardian rhythm disorders and sexual dysfunctions.
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