The role of Melatonin in Sleep and habits that can harm its production
Introduction
It is an open secret that work stress is one of the major reasons for insomnia or sleeplessness. It is a vicious cycle. Rising competition leads to more work stress, work stress leads to trauma and depression, and depression leads to sleep problems. Every human being acknowledges that quality sleep leads to a better quality of life. However, with every passing day, getting quality sleep is becoming more of a luxury than a necessity. This blog discusses everything you need to know about how the hormone melatonin helps in the sleep cycle and habits that inhibit its natural production.
What Is Melatonin?
Let’s imagine you sleep at 11 PM every night. If there is an exception one day, you would still feel sleepy at 11 PM. This happens because of the melatonin hormone, which controls the sleep and wake cycle. The pineal gland in the human brain is responsible for the production of melatonin hormone. Melatonin is not unique to human beings. Animals, plants, and foods also have melatonin. Medicine manufacturers use melatonin in drugs and supplements to treat people suffering from insomnia.
In addition to aiding the sleep cycle, melatonin also has a few other benefits. Since it is an antioxidant, it improves eye health, reduces tinnitus symptoms, cures stomach ulcers, controls body temperature and blood pressure, and improves growth hormone in humans, especially men.
How Does Melatonin Aid The Sleep Cycle?
Melatonin interacts with the human body’s circadian rhythm to send sleep and wake signals to the body. Circadian rhythm refers to the regular oscillation of mental and physical processes in a 24-hour cycle. It is because of the circadian rhythm that you tend to feel like doing the same activity at the same time every day.
Melatonin levels rise during the evening and keep increasing as the night progresses. Rising melatonin levels send sleep signals to the body. Similarly, melatonin levels rise during the morning and keep decreasing as the day progresses. Falling melatonin levels send wake signals to the body.
Insomnia refers to a situation where the melatonin production is erratic and opposite to the way it should be in normal conditions.
What Are The Other Health Benefits Of Melatonin?
Other than aiding the sleep cycle, melatonin has several other health benefits. They are:
1. It Improves Eye Health
When we sleep, our eyes get rest. Due to its antioxidant properties, melatonin helps improve eye health. It also lowers the risk of eye diseases like Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Uveitis. If untreated, Uveitis can lead to permanent loss of vision, inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, and even cancer. A paper published in the American Journal of Pathology stated that melatonin cures Uveitis and AMD.
2. It Helps Treat Gastric And Duodenal Ulcers
A research report published in the National Medicine Journal found that melatonin cures stomach ulcers. For the study, the researchers identified 100 patients suffering from duodenal ulcers, 30 chronic non-atrophic gastritis patients, 30 chronic atrophic gastritis patients. They then divided the patients into two groups. The first group was given generic medicines, while the second group was given melatonin, in addition to generic medicines. On completion of the research, they found that the patients who were given melatonin showed better results.
3. It Helps Treat Seasonal Depression
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, targets approximately 10% of people around the world every year. This happens during the onset of winter, due to changes in the circadian rhythm led by seasonal changes in light. Because melatonin aids proper functioning of the circadian rhythm, its usage may reduce the symptoms of SAD.
4. It Increases The Secretion Of Growth Hormone
Naturally produced in the pituitary gland, the Human Growth Hormone, or HGH, plays a key role in metabolism, growth, and cell repair. It also increases strength by enhancing muscle growth. A high level of growth hormone makes it easy to recover from injury and aches. Research shows that there is a direct relation between melatonin and Human Growth Hormone. An increase in melatonin level also increases the human growth hormone.
Habits That Harm The Production Of Melatonin
There are various reasons that inhibit or reduce the normal production of melatonin. They are :
1. Staying Awake Till Late Night
Our bodies start producing melatonin from 7 PM every evening and produce aggressively from 9 PM onwards. Those who do not sleep when the body gives signals do irreparable damage to the brain. To avoid the harmful effects, try to select the best time to fall asleep. After selecting the time, make sure you sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning.
2. Excessive Stress
Excessive stress wreaks havoc on the sleep cycle. Stress may arise due to several reasons, within or beyond our control. But if you carry daytime stress to the bed, it will make the production of melatonin even worse.
3. Less Exposure To Light During Daytime
Just as darkness is important at night, natural light is important during the day. People who do not get adequate exposure to natural light are more prone to low levels of melatonin. Since light and darkness mix with our body’s circadian rhythm to send sleep signals, both are equally important.
4. A 24x7 Work Cycle
Because of a 24x7 work cycle, professionals engaged with BPOs, KPOs, Police, Defence, hospitals, and other essential services are more vulnerable to less sleep during the night. It is difficult for the body’s circadian rhythm to adjust with rotational shifts. As a result, melatonin production takes a hit.
5. Jet Lag
People who travel across various time zones within a short time suffer from the temporary sleep problem of jet lag. If you are one of those whose work, in normal times, involves a lot of foreign travel, try to take short naps to soothe your nerves.
6. Parents With Infants
If you have an infant at your home, there is a high chance that you are not getting enough sleep at night. This can disrupt the melatonin production, and if the problem recurs, you may end up disturbing your normal sleep cycle that would invite other sleep problems like insomnia and depression.
7. Nutrient Deficiency
Research suggests that nutrients like magnesium, omega-3, potassium, tryptophan, vitamin B6, and vitamin D aid the production of hormones like melatonin and serotonin. Try to consume plenty of almonds, pumpkin seeds, and cashews to get magnesium. Eggs, walnuts, and sardines supply you with Omega-3. You may get potassium from sweet potatoes, bananas, and avocados. Cheese and spinach give you tryptophan. From rice, bananas, and sesame seeds, you get Vitamin B6; and mushrooms, turkey, and milk give you Vitamin D.
Are Melatonin Supplements Safe?
An ideal situation is when the body can produce melatonin naturally. But, there are situations when your body is unable to produce melatonin naturally. In such situations, doctors or nutritionists advise the consumption of melatonin supplements.
There are no major side-effects if you consume melatonin supplements for a short duration. However, long-term consumption may aid habit-formation. People who are undergoing treatment for epilepsy and blood-thinning should stay away from melatonin supplements. Some minor side effects of melatonin consumption include drowsiness, increased urination, dizziness, and headache.
How To Increase Melatonin Level Naturally?
Follow the steps mentioned below to get a peaceful sleep without spending a penny on melatonin supplements.
1. Stick to a routine and respect it every day. Fix the time to sleep and waking up. Make sure you can follow it every day.
2. Try to meditate 10 minutes before going to bed. Meditation or yoga soothes the nerves and helps the secretion of melatonin hormone.
3. Eat melatonin-boosting food high on magnesium and tryptophan before going to bed.
4. Switch off all lights 10 minutes before the sleeping time. This would signal your brain to produce melatonin and aid sleep.
Conclusion
Modern-day sleep problems like insomnia affect both old and young. To lead a healthy lifestyle, you should sleep well. And to sleep well, your brain must produce sufficient melatonin. If, after following all the steps mentioned above, you are still unable to sleep properly, consider changing your mattress. In 90% of the cases, that solves a majority of the sleep problem people face.
