MELATONIN

What exactly is Melatonin?

"Melatonin is the all-natural nightcap. It's secreted by the pineal gland, a pea-size structure at 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-wake cycles. The amount of melatonin produced by our body seems to lessen as we get older. Scientists believe this may be why young people have less problem sleeping than older people.

Why take it?

"Studies suggest that... supplements can hasten sleep and ease jet lag, without the hazards or side effects of prescription 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. Current research is underway to determine melatonin's effect as an anti-oxidant, immuno-modulator in cancer, delayed sleep-phase disorders, and jet lag. Tests are still under way so there is much to still be learned about melatonin and its effects on the human body.

What additional benefits are there?

"In test-tube and animal experiments, researchers have found that it protects cells, strengthens the immune system and slows the growth of some tumors." Tests with laboratory mice suggest that melatonin might also reduce the effects of aging . Even one milligram, the smallest commercially available dose, is at least three times higher than the normal amount in the body.'"

Should certain people avoid it?

Yes. "Those include women who are pregnant or nursing (since no one knows how excessive exposure to the hormone might affect a fetus or infant); people with severe allergies or autoimmune diseases (melatonin could exacerbate such conditions by stimulating the immune system); people with immune-system cancers such as lymphoma or leukemia (for the same reason), and healthy children (who already produce it in abundance). Women trying to conceive should also think twice about taking the hormone, since high doses can act as a contraceptive."

Will melatonin extend my lifespan?

There are no human studies to support this contention. In tests on both rats and mice melatonin caused a significant 20% increase in their lifespan. If melatonin does allow you to live longer and healthier it could do so because melatonin may reduce free radical damage; stimulate an aging immune system; protect the cardiovascular system; preserve a youthful circadian rhythm; stimulate the production of growth hormone.

Will melatonin enhance my sex life?

There is no evidence to support this claim as it relates to humans. However, a 1995 rodent study suggests that taking small amounts of melatonin on a regular basis may prevent the age-related decline in testosterone levels, allowing men to be more active sexually in their later years.

Is melatonin safe?

Melatonin is one of the least toxic substances known. People have taken as much as 6 grams (600 to 3000 times the normal dosage) of the substance in carefully monitored studies with no sign of toxicity. The only consistent side effect of high doses has been drowsiness and a slower reaction time. In the most extensive clinical trial to date a high dose of 75 milligrams of melatonin per day was given to 1400 women in the Netherlands for up to four years with no ill effects. The FDA reports that in the more than two years melatonin has been available for sale over-the-counter in the United States, no alarming side effects have been reported.

When should the dosage be administered?

Melatonin should only be taken at nighttime, usually about thirty minutes prior to going to bed. If you are traveling on a long trip you may want to take a dosage prior to getting on your flight and a higher dosage pill prior to going to bed. If you commonly sleep during the night, melatonin should not normally be taken during the day - and vice versa - because melatonin plays a role in setting the body's daily clock.

Does melatonin have that morning-after hangover effect of sleeping pills?

No. You should normally wake up well refreshed and full of energy. If you wake up feeling a little tired you should reduce your dosage until you wake up feeling well refreshed. You will not have the hangover effect you may experience with over the counter or prescription sleeping pills.

One of the most common and most troubling times we experience is when we or our children cannot fall asleep effectively. Autistic children appear to be especially prone to this problem, and in has been estimated that more than half exhibit some disturbance in sleep patterns. This suggests some form of deficit in the brain systems that normally promote sleep. During the past decade there has been great progress in understanding the normal brain mechanisms which sustain restful sleep. Since a great number of sleep promoting substances exist in the brain and body, any of them might be deficient in neurological condition we call autism. Here we will focus on one of the major factors, melatonin, which is presently proving to be a remarkably effective natural sleeping aid not only for restless autistic children but also their often bedraggled parents.

As many parents have already discovered, this natural sleep molecule is presently available over-the-counter at many health food stores and distributors (although the ever present danger exists that special-interests will succeed in coaxing the FDA into taking this safe and effective aid off the shelves, as has already been done for several other important supplements, most notably tryptophan). Of course, as with any powerful and effective substance, there are certain guidelines that one should follow to maximize benefits and avoid problems. Although there are sound theoretical reasons for believing that autistic children may be manufacturing either too much melatonin or too little, our own viewpoint has been that many kids do not secrete enough.

Unfortunately, there presently is simply not enough good data to decide which viewpoint is correct. However, the fact that melatonin can stabilize and promote normal sleep and daily bodily rhythms is presently certain. However, it is important to learn how to use this remarkably safe and powerful substance wisely. After briefly summarizing how melatonin works in the brain, we will share some important advice in the proper use of melatonin (including when it should be given, how much should be given, and what to do if melatonin stops working, as sometimes does happen). The first thing that is important to know is that our brains contain a wonderful clock-like mechanisms that normally keeps time with about a 24 Hr. period, but its accuracy is controlled by many factors such as light (i.e.,.., day-night cycles) and various brain chemicals, especially melatonin. This clock-like control center is situated in two small clusters of neurons at the base of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) which, as the name implies, are situated directly above the optic chiasm, the place where half the nerves from each of our eyes cross over to the opposite halves of our brains. The many output pathways from the SCN control practically all behavioral rhythms that have been studied, from feeding to sleep. When both nuclei are destroyed, animals scatter their behavior haphazardly throughout the day instead of maintaining a well-patterned routine of daily activities. Our own natural melatonin secretions, which normally occur during the early morning hours when we have our deepest sleep, coordinates the accuracy of the SCN clock. People who have lost their sight, and hence are unable to coordinate their bodily clock via the influence of natural day-night cycles, are able to stabilize their rhythms by taking small amounts of melatonin at exactly the same time each day. And that is really the secret to proper melatonin use--it should be given only once a day in small amounts, and the proper time is about half an hour before one's normal sleep-time.

Within our bodies, melatonin is naturally produced within the pineal gland, a glandular organ nestled between the cerebral hemispheres, that the great French philosopher Descartes once proposed to be the "seat of the soul." In that gland, melatonin is synthesized in two steps from the precursor neurotransmitter serotonin. Pineal stores of melatonin are typically released into the circulation when illumination diminishes, and may help explain why most of us sleep better when the lights are off. During those morning hours when melatonin levels begin to diminish, birds begin to sing and we also tend to wake up, restored, to start our daily activities. It is easy to understand why lack of sleep might increase behavioral and psychological problems during the day. In addition, melatonin does a remarkable number of beneficial tasks in the body: Not only is it a powerful inducer of sleep, but it also regulates a variety of other bodily processes ranging from brain maturation to the vigor of our immune responses. It has been found to retard the growth of some cancers, and quite independently of that beneficial effect, it can also alleviate certain forms of anxiety and depression. Most remarkably, given in the drinking water, it has increased life-span in various experimental animals by about 20%. It also helps control the onset of puberty during adolescence.

In short, melatonin exerts many beneficial effect on the brain and body, but parents are well advised to follow certain guidelines in its use as a sleep-promoting agent:

1. Although we do know that melatonin and sleep have many bodily benefits, we do not have adequate evidence about the many "hows and whys." Our knowledge of such matters has not progressed much beyond Shakespeare's speculation that the function of sleep is "to knit up the raveled sleeve of care" even though modern thinkers are more likely to suggest that "sleep restores brain neurochemistries and other bodily resources that have been depleted by waking activities." Melatonin appears to be a prime guardian of such restorative processes, and without it, our lives become raveled indeed. It is likely that the for presently unknown reasons, the brains of some autistic children are deficient in this important chemistry. If so, early supplementation with this hormone may be essential for normalizing development.