Sound Sleep Guide

Archive for September, 2006

Melatonin is an all natural sleep aide. It’s secreted by the pineal gland, a small pea size gland in the center of the brain, as our eyes register the fall of darkness. At night melatonin is produced to help our bodies regulate our sleep and wake cycles. The amount of melatonin produced by our body lessens as we get older. Scientists believe this may be why young people have less of a problem sleeping than older people will. Though we create our own melatonin, this can also be bought in the form of supplements.

It is believed that melatonin supplements make it easier sleep and ease jet lag, without the hazards or side effects of prescription and over the counter sleeping pills. Melatonin may have many other uses and has been reported to make people feel better, strengthen the immune system, and reduce free radicals in the body. Currently, research is being done to also determine melatonin’s effect as an anti-oxidant. Tests are still being done now because there is much still to be learned about melatonin and its effects on the human body.

Many parents are now offering melatonin to their children who have been diagnosed with hyperactivity or autism. Some parents claim the effects of the melatonin has calmed and relaxed anxiety ridden children. While this may be true for some children, it’s not the answer for everyone. Check with your pediatrician before starting any supplement programs with your child.

According to wikipedia.com, melatonin is a powerful antioxidant that can easily cross cell membranes and the blood-brain barrier. Unlike other antioxidants, melatonin does not undergo redox cycling which is the ability of a molecule to undergo reduction and oxidation repeatedly. Redox cycling may allow other antioxidants, such as vitamin C, to act as pro-oxidants, counter intuitively promoting free radical formation. Melatonin, once oxidized, cannot be reduced to its former state because it forms several stable end-products upon reacting with free radicals. Therefore, it has been referred to as a terminal (or suicidal) antioxidant.

The only real way to test the effects of supplemental melatonin is to try it. You can buy melatonin at most drug stores, health stores, and just about any store that sells vitamins. Before purchasing any supplements, you will want to look into exactly why you feel the need for this particular supplement. Is your lack of sleep just temporary? Has this been going on for a period of time? It is best to speak to a physician about your problem with sleeping to rule out any serious problems before considering a melatonin supplement as a cure all.

Some will argue the other side of the spectrum: If you are taking, or thinking of taking, melatonin, talk to a physician, preferably one who’s not selling melatonin. Having your levels of natural melatonin measured won’t tell you anything, since levels vary from person to person and from hour to hour. Chronic use of melatonin supplements may suppress the body’s own production of the hormone. Nobody knows what might happen if you have high natural levels and take a supplement on top of that. Melatonin can interact with other hormones, which is why, in part, pregnant women and children should never take it. Such drugs as aspirin, beta blockers, and tranquilizers can affect melatonin levels. Finally, nobody knows what the best dosages are to take. Melatonin pills are not standardized. Thus, you really don’t know what you’re swallowing.

Like many herbal remedies, melatonin is not regulated by the FDA. The only way to know if it works for you is to try it. For some, it works and for others it does not. Talk to your doctor. The two of you should be able to come up with a plan to see if melatonin is right for you. If it is not, your doctor can prescribe a sleeping medication that will be right with your body chemistry.

Let’s face it, not all bodies are created equal, so no one pill will work for everyone. Talking with your doctor and experimenting with different ideas is the best way to get a great nights’ sleep. You may have to try several different things before you get it right, but you and your doctor will find what works best for you.

Melatonin is a sleep aid that falls outside the two categories aids usually fall under. Before looking at the sleep aid melatonin, one needs to explain the other two areas first so a comparison can be effectively drawn.

The first area is prescription based sleeping pills: the types of “sleep aid” that is only available by a doctor. The second area is over the counter (OTC) or those types of sleep medicines that do not require a doctor’s written prescription such as Tylenol PM.

Now, since melatonin does not require a prescription why is it not considered an over the counter medicine? Because it is considered a food supplement and not a medicine and this is the source of some slight controversy as melatonin falls outside the realm of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation. Although just because a drug has been approved by the FDA doesn’t mean that it isn’t going to harm anyone, as many cases have shown over the years.

In the human body, the pineal gland releases melatonin which effects the hormone levels in the human body so as to regulate sleep. Supplement versions of melatonin are widely available in health food and vitamin shops in the United States for use as a sleeping aid. Melatonin is, however, not legal for sale in the European Union. What is legal within some countries of the European Union is a multitude of anabolic steroids! So, using the EU as a basis for what should or shouldn’t be sold in a health shop is dubious at best.

The usual ‘line’ that pharmaceutical companies will role out on a sleep aid like melatonin is that because it is not under the radar of the FDA then it is a risky supplement, butkeep in mind, melatonin is a competing product to prescription and OTC sleeping aids. So, if one does have any serious concerns about the risks of melatonin as a sleep aid it is best to consult with one’s doctor and not rush into OTC pills as they may not be advised either. Again, always check with a doctor first.

What can be more essential for a normal, healthy life than night after night of restful sleep and comfort? Of course, one may discount an occasional night that you spend tossing and turning in your bed because of certain pressures at work or a personal problem. But on the whole, everyone needs a peaceful rest of about 6-8 hours everyday to function efficiently at work and to maintain an alertness and agility that is needed in every sphere of life. It is surprising that even though sleep is a simple physiological phenomenon that is so essential to our basic well being, it is still not fully understood by scientists or medical practitioners. What is clear is that the body needs rest for the normal functioning of the immune system & the nervous system and for a normal cell growth.

A normal cycle of rest can be divided into five stages. Stage 1 is the stage of light rest during which the muscles of the individual relax. Stage 2 is characterized by a decrease in the brain activity and also the eye movement. Stage 3 & Stage 4 are the stages of deep rest that are marked by an absence of muscle activity and eye movement. Stage 5 is the stage known as R.E.M or rapid eye movement. These stages keep repeating themselves during a single night sleep. It takes about one and a half hours to complete a single cycle from stage 1 to R.E.M.

The amount of rest needed by an individual to stay healthy depends on a number of factors, age being the most important one. Newborns and infants rest for most of the day with their average sleep hours ranging from 16-18 hours. As the child grows, the number of hours that he needs to sleep gradually decrease with a teenager sleeping for nine hours on an average. A full grown adult needs about 6-8 hours of rest every night to feel refreshed and alert in the morning. The need to rest again increases during old age with elderly people sleeping several times during the day. However, the incidence of disorders also increases in old age with a high percentage of elderly people suffering from the symptoms of one disorder or the other.

To enjoy a restful sleep, it is best that we avoid the deterrents to a peaceful rest. Avoid caffeine, especially during nighttime, as it can cause insomnia. Intake of Alcohol, anti-depressants and smoking can also result in obstructing the rapid eye movement. These substances, therefore, obstruct a restful deep sleep.