What is Melatonin?
First identified in 1958, this naturally occurring hormone is manufactured by the pineal gland, a pea-size organ deep within the brain. All humans and most animals secrete melatonin throughout their lives, with the highest levels occurring during childhood. As we age, however, the production of melatonin declines, leading some researchers to theorise that melatonin supplementation might benefit all older people. Interestingly, natural melatonin levels vary widely. about 1% of the population have very low levels, and another 1% have levels 500 times above normal. There's no correlation, however, between these amounts and specific health concerns or sleep patterns.
What it does.
One of the main functions of melatonin is to regulate cycles of sleep and wakefulness. it does so by helping to set the brain's internal clock, creating what are known as circadian rhythms - the body's daily biorhythms that govern everything from sleeping and waking times to digestive functions and the release of a variety of hormones linked to reproduction and other body processes. In order to produce melatonin, the body responds to light cues, making more when it's dark outside (production begins each evening around dusk and peaks between 2 am and 4 am)and less during the day. this daily cyclical melatonin secretion is what tells the body when to sleep and when to awaken.
What is the relationship between serotonin and melatonin? The brain (as well as the retinas, bone marrow, and certain white blood cells) make melatonin from serotonin. Melatonin is also a powerful antioxidant that can slow the progression of Parkinson's disease and ovarian cancer, but once it has quenched a free radical reaction to protect a cell, it is used up, and cannot be recharged. Once serotonin has been transformed into melatonin, there is no further serotonin and melatonin reaction, since there are no serotonin vs melatonin reactions and melatonin is not turned back into serotonin.
There are many supplements, such as 5-HTP, that can help your brain make serotonin.
What is 5-HTP?
The nutrient 5-HTP, short for 5-hydroxytryptophan, is a derivative of the amino acid, which is found in such high-protein foods as beef, chicken, fish, and dairy products. The body makes 5-HTP from the tryptophan present in our diets. It's also in the seeds of an African plant called Griffonia simplicifolia which is the source of the 5-HTP supplements sold in health-food stores.
The focus of much recent interest, 5-HTP acts on the brain, helping to elevate mood, promote sleep and weight loss, and relieve migraines, among other uses. Unlike many other supplements, (and drugs) that contain substances with molecules too large to pass from the blood stream into the brain, 5-HTP is small enough to enter the brain. Once there, it is converted into a vital nervous system chemical, or neurotransmitter, called serotonin. Although it affects many parts of the body, serotonin's most important actions take place in the brain, where it influences everything from mood to appetite to sleep.
But if you taking a supplement or a medication for depression, do you also need to take melatonin?
It all depends on whether or not you have trouble sleeping. If you are already on a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), ask your doctor if you might not be treated with a drug called agomelatine, which is sold under the trade names Melitor, Thymanax, and Valdoxan. This drug is not a reuptake inhibitor, but it keeps the brain from recycling 5-HTP, keeping serotonin levels higher, while it also helps the brain make more melatonin. Especially if you have obsessive-compulsive disorder with moderate to severe depression, this medication may be better for you than any supplement. Only your doctor will know for sure.
Deep Sleep
If you don't need this medication, then you might consider adding melatonin to your supplement program. The thing to remember about melatonin is that it induces sleep-so you want to take it at bedtime, not when you need to be waking up to go to work!
Also, start with a smaller dose. Melatonin is non-toxic even in large doses, but you should only take enough to get to sleep. This is usually 1 to 3 mg, taken 1 hour before the desired bedtime. It also helps to sleep in the dark, so your brain can make its own melatonin. The slightest exposure to blue light, even if your eyelids are closed, interrupts the brain's production of melatonin.
Montmorency tart cherries
Only one food delivers melatonin in a dosage that makes a difference to your health; Montmorency tart cherries. If you like cherries, eat them every day. You may find that they help both depression and insomnia. (More about anxiety and insomnia).
