The Role Of Melatonin In Finding An Insomnia Cure

Probably the most studied and best understood natural sleep remedy for insomnia, Melatonin (5-methoxy-N-acetyltryptamine) can be particularly useful if you suffer from initial insomnia – difficulty falling asleep.

A hormone that occurs naturally in the human body, a tiny pea-sized organ at the center of your brain called the pineal gland, secretes melatonin at night to help your body regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin helps to control the body's circadian rhythm - your internal 24-hour time-keeping system, or body clock, which plays an important role in controlling when you fall asleep and when you wake up.

Darkness stimulates the release of melatonin and light suppresses its activity in your nervous system. While your pineal gland is capable of producing melatonin throughout your life, scientists have observed evidence which suggests that melatonin production slows down as you get older.

Scientists believe that this explains why many younger people find less difficulty in sleeping than older people and reinforces the view that melatonin can be particularly useful as a sleeping aid for older people.

In addition to occurring naturally in the body, laboratory synthesized melatonin, available as a supplement without a prescription in health food and drug stores in the United States for several years, can be purchased in a range of different strengths.

You should note however that melatonin is not regulated by any government agency.

Because it 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, which does not need to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or controlled in the same way as drugs. However, since melatonin products have not been approved by the FDA, their safety, purity and effectiveness can't be guaranteed.

Natural melatonin, made from the pineal gland of animals, can also be purchased but this is not recommended. Screening of these products often falls short of the standards we expect today and some of these natural products can contain viruses.

The proper dosage varies greatly from person to person. Pills are available in a range of doses (commonly from 1mg to 3mg). It is typically suggested that you should begin with a small dose (around 1mg) and work your way up to larger doses if necessary. I would certainly endorse this view and would caution against taking a higher dose than you need to produce the desired effect. Indeed, some recent studies suggest that a starting dose of around 0.3mg produces the greatest benefit for many users.

Melatonin should normally only be taken at nighttime and not during the day. It is often most effective when taken about thirty minutes prior to going to sleep.

However, some studies show that certain individual may be better served, increasing their overall sleep time, by taking melatonin earlier in the evening. You'll need to experiment to see what suits you best.

If you are traveling across multiple time zones and wish to use melatonin to counteract the effects of jet lag, you may want to take a small dosage prior to getting on your flight and a higher dosage before to going to bed once you arrive at your destination.

Melatonin may also be helpful in the case of people without sight. A study carried out in 2000 suggests that melatonin may assist those without sight in retaining their normal circadian rhythm and thus to sleep at normal hours. This study, however, suggests that high initial doses (up to 10mg) may be required to make the adjustment, with the dosage being gradually tapered off.

If this is something that you would like to consider then I would strongly advise you to discuss it with your doctor.

Melatonin may also be helpful when it comes time to wean yourself off those long overused sleeping pill. Giving up your sleeping pills will often add to your sleeping problems in the short term (although the benefits in the long-term will be considerable) and melatonin may well help you to maintain a good quality of sleep.

When thinking about using melatonin as a sleep aid there are several issues that you should be aware of.

First, although available over the counter and used for several years without any reported instances of severe side effects, it still lacks approval for its safe use from the relevant regulatory bodies.

Second, there is very little information regarding it's interaction with other medications. If you do wish to use melatonin and currently take any form of medication you should proceed with care and, to be safe, consult your doctor first.

Finally, melatonin should only be taken by adults and should not be given to children or teenagers. In this context, pregnant or lactating women should not take melatonin either. If you have an auto-immune disease, diabetes, a depressive disorder, epilepsy, leukemia or a lymphoproliferative disorder, or are taking an MAO inhibitor, consult a physician before taking this product.

Some reports indicate that melatonin may help children with chronic insomnia and one small study suggests that it may specifically assist children with Asperger's syndrome. It would be unwise however to rely on such scant information and my advice is simple – do not give melatonin to children or teenagers.

One final note: Some newspaper and magazine articles claim that melatonin can slow down the aging process and prolong life. Nice though this would be, there is no scientific evidence to support these claims.