What is Melatonin?

by David Sjostedt

	With five books written about it ("The Melatonin Miracle" even hit the N. Y. Times bestseller list) and stories in Time, Newsweek and other national magazines, melatonin is the hottest topic in the world of self-help drugs. But I didn't realize just how widely known it was until I heard a couple of palookas at the local off-track betting facility discussing it while in line to place a bet on the 5th race at Bay Meadows. While most betting conversation involves who to bet in the exacta, these men were exchanging melatonin anecdotes. One claimed it cured his wife's lifelong insomnia while the other talked about using it for jet lag. Strictly speaking, melatonin is not really a drug but a naturally occurring bodily hormone manufactured by the pineal gland. The body's output increases in the evening when melatonin induces sleep and decreases during the day. Its role as a sleep regulator was its first discovered use. Researchers now try to discover what other functions it performs. Areas of interest include human longevity, immune system regulation, and the relation of bodily melatonin levels to the incidence of heart disease and cancer. As we grow older our pineal glands produce less melatonin. One half of Americans older than 65 complain of some form of sleep disorder, and an under-production of melatonin is the major cause. Studies have consistently shown that people who take melatonin for insomnia fall asleep more than twice as fast as those who receive placebos, and sleep longer without waking up. They also experience normal REM patterns. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is when we dream. And while several theories purport to explain its importance, numerous studies have detailed the negative affects of REM sleep deprivation: anxiety, irritability, fluctuations in appetite, and difficulty in concentrating. While conventional "sleeping pills" do put people to sleep, nearly all of them also prevent the user from dreaming. Melatonin not only doesn't prevent dreaming, it tends to restore natural REM cycles. And unlike other sleeping medications, melatonin has no side effects for most people. Those who take too much may feel groggy in the morning. Cutting back the dose until they sleep well and wake without grogginess solves this problem. Equally important is the time of use. Since bodily melatonin levels rise at night to produce sleep, it must be taken about an hour before bedtime. Some early studies on melatonin's effectiveness in improving concentration administered the drug during the day. When the study's participants reported feeling tired, the researchers concluded that melatonin decreased attention. Melatonin is usually sold in 2.5 or 3 mg. tablets. Most people find that one or two tablets taken an hour before bedtime improves sleep. But reactions to drug use vary widely and some people need only 1 mg while others have to take as much as 20.

With five books written about it ("The Melatonin Miracle" even hit the N. Y. Times bestseller list) and stories in Time, Newsweek and other national magazines, melatonin is the hottest topic in the world of self-help drugs. But I didn't realize just how widely known it was until I heard a couple of palookas at the local off-track betting facility discussing it while in line to place a bet on the 5th race at Bay Meadows. While most betting conversation involves who to bet in the exacta, these men were exchanging melatonin anecdotes. One claimed it cured his wife's lifelong insomnia while the other talked about using it for jet lag.

Strictly speaking, melatonin is not really a drug but a naturally occurring bodily hormone manufactured by the pineal gland. The body's output increases in the evening when melatonin induces sleep and decreases during the day. Its role as a sleep regulator was its first discovered use. Researchers now try to discover what other functions it performs. Areas of interest include human longevity, immune system regulation, and the relation of bodily melatonin levels to the incidence of heart disease and cancer.

As we grow older our pineal glands produce less melatonin. One half of Americans older than 65 complain of some form of sleep disorder, and an under-production of melatonin is the major cause. Studies have consistently shown that people who take melatonin for insomnia fall asleep more than twice as fast as those who receive placebos, and sleep longer without waking up.

They also experience normal REM patterns. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is when we dream. And while several theories purport to explain its importance, numerous studies have detailed the negative affects of REM sleep deprivation: anxiety, irritability, fluctuations in appetite, and difficulty in concentrating.

While conventional "sleeping pills" do put people to sleep, nearly all of them also prevent the user from dreaming. Melatonin not only doesn't prevent dreaming, it tends to restore natural REM cycles. And unlike other sleeping medications, melatonin has no side effects for most people. Those who take too much may feel groggy in the morning. Cutting back the dose until they sleep well and wake without grogginess solves this problem.

Equally important is the time of use. Since bodily melatonin levels rise at night to produce sleep, it must be taken about an hour before bedtime. Some early studies on melatonin's effectiveness in improving concentration administered the drug during the day. When the study's participants reported feeling tired, the researchers concluded that melatonin decreased attention.

Melatonin is usually sold in 2.5 or 3 mg. tablets. Most people find that one or two tablets taken an hour before bedtime improves sleep. But reactions to drug use vary widely and some people need only 1 mg while others have to take as much as 20.

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Albion Monitor May 27, 1996 (http://www.monitor.net/monitor)

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What is Melatonin?

by David Sjostedt

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