See also: Circadin ®, a melatonin medicine - Melatonin supplements
What is Melatonin
Melatonin was discovered about 50 years ago and more precisely in 1958 by Aaron Lerner, a dermatologist who isolated this hormone in the pineal gland of cows.
At the moment the research is still working to gather data on the use, dosages and times of use. New possible applications of melatonin in the field of degenerative diseases and in the treatment of aging have also been hypothesized.
Synthesis and Secretion
Melatonin is a hormone mainly, but not exclusively, secreted by a small gland in the brain called the pineal gland or epiphysis.
The production of melatonin is minimal in the first months of life, it increases in juvenile age and then returns to decline in late adulthood and old age.
Functions
Melatonin is a very important hormone that regulates the body's circadian rhythm. Its secretion is regulated by light: when the luminous stimulus reaches the retina, a signal is transmitted to the epiphysis where its secretion is inhibited. The dark, on the contrary, stimulates its release.
For this reason melatonin has a peak at night and much lower values (nadir) during the day.
Since melatonin has a sedative effect, the brain uses it as a sort of signal to inform the body that it is dark and that it is therefore time to sleep and rest.
Melatonin for short
Melatonin is a lipo-water-soluble hormone produced mainly by the Epiphysis, a small gland present in the brain.
It is secreted during the night in response to the lack of stimulation of retinal photoreceptors by daylight.
Melatonin is very low during the first three months of life and without significant differences between night and day levels. From 4-6 months, melatonin levels gradually increase with a peak at 3 years
Its production decreases with age due to the calcification of the Epiphysis
Melatonin and sleep disorders
Sleep disorders can be divided into two main categories: on the one hand we find all those people who find it very difficult to fall asleep but who when they fall asleep complete their rest; on the other hand, there are subjects who fall asleep easily but who wake up in the middle of the night or early in the morning without being able to go back to sleep.
Melatonin has proven effective especially in the first case where it acts going to restore the body's natural biological rhythms. In fact, some sleep disorders depend above all on the phase shift of the melatonin secretion cycle while a quantitative deficit is quite rare.
The efficacy of melatonin in the treatment of jat-lag has been widely documented. It is in fact the most studied field of application and in which melatonin has proved most effective.
Jet lag is nothing but the so-called time zone syndrome that affects those who travel frequently from one part of the world to another. Typical of hostesses of intercontinental flights, to cite an example, this syndrome is characterized by sleep disturbances, lack of appetite, digestive difficulties, nervousness and irritability. An integration of melatonin intervenes in these cases to regularize the internal clock, disrupted by the time zone.
Other functions
A few years ago, some studies conducted in the United States on laboratory mice highlighted melatonin, depicting it as a supplement that can make people younger, more vital and even improve their sexual activity. After the release of these studies, expertly confirmed by the companies that produce supplements, a real malatonin boom exploded, especially in the United Nations.
In Italy melatonin is also known thanks to its presumed therapeutic role in the treatment of Professor Di Bella.
In fact there are several studies in the literature that highlight the potential antioxidant and antitumor role of melatonin. In particular, according to recent acquisitions, melatonin would be able to considerably reduce the side effects of certain drugs used in cancer therapy.
Side effects
There are still no scientific studies showing the absence of side effects resulting from a chronic intake of melatonin. Also for this reason the continued use of melatonin as an anti-aging agent is controversial (some studies report a possible depressive effect in predisposed subjects).
Melatonin, on the other hand, is practically free from contraindications when it is taken only for short periods.
When we talk about melatonin the word supplement is a must; according to the FDA, this substance is not yet considered a drug and as such the chemical freedoms of production and trade are very different. Melatonin can in fact be sold with some freedom in pharmacies as a counter product but also in herbalists and authorized supermarkets.
Intake doses
Usually melatonin is taken in the form of tablets that contain from 1 to 5 mg.
In fact, one or two milligrams of melatonin are sufficient to boost the blood values of this hormone (up to 100 times higher than the physiological ones). Only after 4, 6, 8 hours these values return to normal; it must in fact be remembered that there are supplements in rapid form that determine an immediate peak of melatonin and others with slow release (slow-release) that give lower peaks but prolonged over time.
Only the doctor, through an accurate anamnesis of the patient, will be able to direct him towards the assumption of a determined formula, allowing to obtain the maximum result in the maximum safety.
Until a few years ago, doses of 3 mg of melatonin were recommended for the male (greater body weight) and only one milligram for the woman. Currently, the research is instead focusing on much lower doses (in the order of 0.1-0.3 mg) which still seem to be equally effective.
