What is melatonin?Melatonin(MT)is one of the hormones secreted by the pineal gland of the brain.Melatonin belongs to the indole heterocyclic compound,and its chemical name is N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine.Melatonin is synthesized and stored in the pineal body.Sympathetic nerve excitation innervates pineal somatic cell to release melatonin.The secretion of melatonin has an obvious circadian rhythm,which is inhibited during the day and active at night.
Can melatonin help with sleep?Here we briefly introduce two reasons for insomnia.One is the disorder of the brain nervous system.There is a part of the central nervous system in the brain to control brain activity.If there is a problem in this part,it will lead to sleeplessness,dreaminess and neurasthenia;Another type is insufficient secretion of melatonin,which is a signaling hormone for sleep signals throughout the body,resulting in inability to sleep.
Here are two currently defined effects of melatonin that are most likely to be effective:
1.Shorten the duration of falling asleep
A study conducted by American scientists analyzed 19 studies involving 1683 subjects,and found that melatonin has a significant effect on reducing sleep latency and increasing total sleep time.The average data showed a 7 minute reduction in sleep time and an 8 minute extension in sleep time.If you take melatonin for a longer time or increase the dosage of melatonin,the effect is better.The overall sleep quality of patients taking melatonin has significantly improved.
2.Sleep rhythm disorder
A study conducted in 2002 on the effect of melatonin on time difference regulation conducted a randomized trial of oral melatonin on airline passengers,airline staff,or military personnel,comparing the melatonin group with the placebo group.The results showed that 9 out of 10 experiments showed that even when pilots crossed 5 or more time zones,they could still maintain the bedtime in the designated area(from 10pm to 12pm).The analysis also found that doses of 0.5-5mg were equally effective,but there was a relative difference in effectiveness.The incidence of other side effects is relatively low.
Of course,some studies have shown that melatonin can help reduce other sleep problems such as excessive dreaming,easy awakening,and neurasthenia.However,in terms of principle and current research progress,the above two effects are relatively reliable.
The definition of melatonin lies between health products(dietary supplements)and drugs,and the policies of each country are different.In the United States,both drugs and health products can be used,while in China,it is a health product(also the main component of brain platinum).
Explanation:The potential efficacy and applications mentioned in this article are all from publicly available literature.
Post time: Jun-01-2023