With Melatonin You Really Can Enjoy A Sound Night’s Sleep
Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland at night to regulate our circadian rhythm (sometimes called the sleep wake cycle). As we age the amount of melatonin we produce reduces resulting in many older people sleeping less and having a lower quality of sleep.
What Does Melatonin Do?
Melatonin is vital to protect our hormonal system, regulate immunity and repair our body’s cells. It is commonly used by shift workers and also to treat jet lag and age related sleep disorders, but its abilities go far beyond simply its sleep inducing properties.
The Antioxidant Effects of Melatonin
Melatonin is an extremely effective antioxidant, in fact on a molecule to molecule basis, melatonin has proved to be significantly more efficient in neutralizing the toxic hydroxyl radical than the two well-known free radical scavengers, glutathione and mannitol. Likewise, melatonin is roughly twice as effective as vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) at scavenging the peroxyl radical which is generated during lipid peroxidation.
Melatonin’s Effects on Longevity
Melatonin’s effect on longevity is well documented; in fact laboratory tests on rats and mice have demonstrated that melatonin increased their lifespans by 20%. Experts believe melatonin is a vital anti-aging product because of its positive effect on the aging immune system, its protection of the cardiovascular system, its ability to increase growth hormone production and above all its capacity to limit free radical damage.
A recent 24 month study (published in Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 1057:384-392) with 100 patients showed that after 6 months, patients taking 3mg of Melatonin Zn Se daily had halted the progression of their age related macular degeneration and at 12 months showed reversal of their AMD which continued until the trial ended at 24-months.