What is Melatonin?
Melatonin is a hormone that is manufactured by your pineal gland, to regulate sleeping and waking cycles. Our bodies make abundant melatonin when we are young, and production decreases as we get older. Melatonin production is stimulated by darkness, and reduced by exposure to light.
Most people make plenty of melatonin on their own.
If it is difficult to go to sleep, it could be that you are interfering with your own melatonin production by exposing yourself to a lot of light when your body wants darkness and sleep. Melatonin production typically begins increasing at about 9:00 p.m. This is the time to dim the lights and turn off the electronics! Ramping down light consumption is usually enough for most people. It is also important to start your day with plenty of morning light. This will wake you up naturally by reminding your body that melatonin production can stop now.
People with inconsistent body clocks can benefit from melatonin.
Pilots, shift workers, and travelers can use melatonin supplements to help regulate their sleep cycles. Taking a low dose melatonin supplement before bed and turning down the lights can help people adjust to whatever sleep schedule they are on. It can be especially helpful for preventing jet lag. Most supplements come in 2-3 milligrams, but that may be more than you need. Trader Joe’s makes a 500 microgram chewable supplement which is probably plenty for most people. Remember, your body is programmed to make this anyway. Long term use of melatonin has not been studied extensively, so there may be side effects that we don’t know about yet. For this reason it makes sense to stick with the lowest dose that will do the job.
For cancer patients and survivors, melatonin may provide a significant benefit.
Some recent studies are showing benefits to large doses of melatonin in conjunction with chemotherapy. There is evidence that some people who are diagnosed with cancer have developed an insufficiency in melatonin production by the time they are diagnosed. Doses as high as 40 milligrams have been used in conjunction with chemotherapy, given during the darkest part of the night. 10-40 milligrams of melatonin has been shown to positively impact survival. Many people who have been through standard cancer treatment have trouble sleeping. A significant dose of melatonin at night can provide a double benefit by helping them get to sleep and potentially contributing to sustained remission. Cancer patients should be sure to discuss supplements with their oncologist.
Most people do not need to take supplemental melatonin. For those who do, melatonin can provide significant benefits.
More from Elizabeth Danu:
The Right Medicine for a Good Night’s Sleep
Feeling Stressed? Settle Into Your Root Chakra and Feel Better
Holistic Strategies to Beat Cold and Flu Season