Hormonal melatonin is attributed to almost magical abilities to improve sleep and prevent osteoporosis, arthritis and other disorders associated with aging. Can melatonin perform all these wonderful feats? Melatonin has a direct effect on sleep, of course, but most of the other benefits are due to serotonin, from which melatonin is formed.
Should we take melatonin supplements?
No Most people already have enough melatonin in their bodies.
Melatonin is a hormone produced by a small gland located near the center of the brain called the pineal gland. One of the main functions of melatonin for anxiety dosage is to control the “circadian rhythm”, which provides a body clock throughout the day, which controls when we feel drowsy by the way.
In particular, shift workers have a raw deal. They should sleep during the day, when melatonin levels are low and they should wake up and work at night, practically working against their natural circadian rhythms.
A similar problem is observed in frequent travelers. Changing time zones can often completely confuse the body clock and can have a chronic effect on sleep patterns.
Women who experience menopause may experience hormonal fluctuations and, consequently, damaged body watches (I am speaking here from personal experience!). Older people may lack melatonin side effects anxiety, since the production of this hormone decreases with age.
Even light illuminated at night can affect the release of melatonin. Our ancestors went to bed when the darkness fell and they woke up with the sunrise, this is a sure bet that these guys never suffered from insomnia!
How do you know when your body’s clock is tiring? You will simply need an age to get up in the morning and at night you will not be sleepy. You will probably feel half alive during the day, waking up very well at bedtime!
Can we reset our body’s clock by taking melatonin?
Some people had good results if they took melatonin directly, others did not notice any benefit (including myself!) If you are an older person or a shift worker, melatonin may be the way. For young people, I would say probably not, (there’s no harm in it)
If you are considering taking melatonin, start with a low dose (1 mg) and work up to 3 mg. If it does not work, it probably means that there is no melatonin, this is not a problem, and it is better to try something else.
What is better than taking melatonin?
It would be better to stimulate the release of melatonin naturally, using foods rich in tryptophan (turkey, bananas, milk, eggs …). They form serotonin in the body. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter and a precursor of melatonin. For the proper functioning of melatonin, the presence of serotonin is necessary.
This is how it works
Tryptophan forms serotonin, which turns into melatonin. Tryptophan is available for free in some countries and prescription in others. This may be an option if you can not eat dairy or vegetarian products.