Melatonin/Sleep
So, what is Melatonin and how does it effect your sleep?
Well Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland (This is a pea-sized gland located just above the middle of the brain. During the day the pineal is inactive. When the sun goes down and darkness occurs, the pineal is "turned on" by the SCN and begins to actively produce melatonin, which is released into the blood). Melatonin helps control your sleep and wake cycles. Very small amounts of it are found in foods such as meats, grains, fruits, and vegetables.
How it works:
Your body has its own internal clock that controls your natural cycle of sleeping and waking hours. In part, your body clock controls how much melatonin your body makes. Tissues expressing proteins called receptors specific for melatonin are able to detect the peak in circulating melatonin at night and this signals to the body that it is night-time. Normally, melatonin levels begin to rise in the mid- to late evening, remain high for most of the night, and then drop in the early morning hours. Light affects how much melatonin your body produces. During the shorter days of the winter months, your body may produce melatonin either earlier or later in the day than usual. This change can lead to symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or winter depression. Natural melatonin levels slowly drop with age. Some older adults make very small amounts of it or none at all. Melatonin supplements are sometimes used to treat jet lag or sleep problems. Scientists are also looking at other good uses for melatonin, such as:
In most cases, melatonin supplements are safe in low doses for short-term and long-term use. Melatonin does have side effects. But they will go away when you stop taking the supplement. Side effects may include:
Melatonin Molecular Formula: C13H16N2O2
Molecular Weight: 232.283 g/mol
Well Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland (This is a pea-sized gland located just above the middle of the brain. During the day the pineal is inactive. When the sun goes down and darkness occurs, the pineal is "turned on" by the SCN and begins to actively produce melatonin, which is released into the blood). Melatonin helps control your sleep and wake cycles. Very small amounts of it are found in foods such as meats, grains, fruits, and vegetables.
How it works:
Your body has its own internal clock that controls your natural cycle of sleeping and waking hours. In part, your body clock controls how much melatonin your body makes. Tissues expressing proteins called receptors specific for melatonin are able to detect the peak in circulating melatonin at night and this signals to the body that it is night-time. Normally, melatonin levels begin to rise in the mid- to late evening, remain high for most of the night, and then drop in the early morning hours. Light affects how much melatonin your body produces. During the shorter days of the winter months, your body may produce melatonin either earlier or later in the day than usual. This change can lead to symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or winter depression. Natural melatonin levels slowly drop with age. Some older adults make very small amounts of it or none at all. Melatonin supplements are sometimes used to treat jet lag or sleep problems. Scientists are also looking at other good uses for melatonin, such as:
- Treating seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
- Helping to control sleep patterns for people who work night shifts.
- Preventing or reducing problems with sleeping and confusion after surgery.
- Reducing severe headaches
In most cases, melatonin supplements are safe in low doses for short-term and long-term use. Melatonin does have side effects. But they will go away when you stop taking the supplement. Side effects may include:
- Sleepiness.
- Lower body temperature.
- Vivid dreams.
- Morning grogginess.
- Small changes in blood pressure.
Melatonin Molecular Formula: C13H16N2O2
Molecular Weight: 232.283 g/mol
Melatonin in and out of Equilibrium and Le Chatelier's Principle:
Melatonin is thrown out of equilibrium when lots of it is released, which is usually in the late evening. It is also out of equilibrium in the early early morning as it begins to decrease. This follows through with Le Chatelier's principle, which states that when there are changes to an equilibrium system it will result in a predictable shift that will counteract the change). One major factor to throw off melatonin equilibrium is the amount of light. Melatonin is in equilibrium from the morning to afternoon (Daytime). This is because none of it is being increased or decreased during this time. Usually, this occurs around 9 pm. As a result, melatonin levels in the blood rise sharply and you begin to feel less alert. Sleep becomes more inviting. Melatonin levels in the blood stay elevated for about 12 hours, all through the night, before the light of a new day when they fall back to low daytime levels by about 9 am. Daytime levels of melatonin are barely detectable.
Appropriate Doses:
Chances are good that you have seen melatonin in health food stores or in an advertisement or article. Because melatonin is contained naturally in some foods, the U.S. Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 allows it to be sold as a dietary supplement (e.g., vitamins and minerals). Listed doses may not be controlled or accurate, meaning the amount of melatonin in a pill you take may not be the amount listed on the package. For melatonin to be helpful, the correct dosage, method and time of day it is taken must be for a major sleep problem. Taking it at the "wrong" time of day may reset your biological clock in an undesirable direction. There have been no cases of overdose from Melatonin.
Melatonin is thrown out of equilibrium when lots of it is released, which is usually in the late evening. It is also out of equilibrium in the early early morning as it begins to decrease. This follows through with Le Chatelier's principle, which states that when there are changes to an equilibrium system it will result in a predictable shift that will counteract the change). One major factor to throw off melatonin equilibrium is the amount of light. Melatonin is in equilibrium from the morning to afternoon (Daytime). This is because none of it is being increased or decreased during this time. Usually, this occurs around 9 pm. As a result, melatonin levels in the blood rise sharply and you begin to feel less alert. Sleep becomes more inviting. Melatonin levels in the blood stay elevated for about 12 hours, all through the night, before the light of a new day when they fall back to low daytime levels by about 9 am. Daytime levels of melatonin are barely detectable.
Appropriate Doses:
Chances are good that you have seen melatonin in health food stores or in an advertisement or article. Because melatonin is contained naturally in some foods, the U.S. Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 allows it to be sold as a dietary supplement (e.g., vitamins and minerals). Listed doses may not be controlled or accurate, meaning the amount of melatonin in a pill you take may not be the amount listed on the package. For melatonin to be helpful, the correct dosage, method and time of day it is taken must be for a major sleep problem. Taking it at the "wrong" time of day may reset your biological clock in an undesirable direction. There have been no cases of overdose from Melatonin.