Melatonin - the hormone of sleep

Melatonin is a natural hormone made by your body's pineal gland - a pea-sized gland located just above the middle of the brain. During the day the pineal is inactive. When the sun goes down and darkness occurs, the pineal is "turned on" and begins to actively produce melatonin, which is released into the blood. Usually, this occurs around 9 p.m. As a result, melatonin levels in the blood rise sharply and you begin to feel less alert. Sleep becomes more inviting. Melatonin levels in the blood stay elevated for about 12 hours - all through the night - before the light of a new day when they fall back to low daytime levels by about 9 a.m. Daytime levels of melatonin are barely detectable.

Besides adjusting the timing of the clock, bright light has another effect. It directly inhibits the release of melatonin. That is why melatonin is sometimes called the "Dracula of hormones" - it only comes out in the dark. Even if the pineal gland is switched "on" by the clock, it will not produce melatonin unless the person is in a dimly lit environment. In addition to sunlight, artificial indoor lighting can be bright enough to prevent the release of melatonin.

The amount of melatonin released at night varies among individuals, but it is somewhat related to age. Children on average secrete more melatonin than adults, which decreases further with age. However, research has shown that older people with sleep problems do not always have lower melatonin levels than people who experience normal sleep.

The pattern of waking during the day when it is light and sleeping at night when it is dark is a natural part of human life. Only recently have scientists begun to understand the alternating cycle of sleep and waking, and how it is related to daylight and darkness.

A key factor in how human sleep is regulated is exposure to light or to darkness. Exposure to light stimulates a nerve pathway from the retina in the eye to an area in the brain called the hypothalamus. There, a special center called the supra-chiasmatic nucleus initiates signals to other parts of the brain that control hormones, body temperature and other functions that play a role in making us feel sleepy or wide awake.

The SCN works like a clock that sets off a regulated pattern of activities that affect the entire body. Once exposed to the first light each day, the clock in the SCN begins performing functions like raising body temperature and releasing stimulating hormones like cortisol. The SCN also delays the release of other hormones like melatonin, which is associated with sleep onset, until many hours later when darkness arrives.

Melatonin is the major neuroendocrine modulator of circadian bio-rhythms. The ebb and flow rhythm of melatonin is synchronized with light-dark cycles and is strongly affected by day length, artificial light, electromagnetic energy, exercise and other factors. Melatonin not only has a pivotal role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle, but also has a far-reaching biological influence over many functions in your body.

When levels of melatonin are too low or there is inadequate melatonin throughout the night, sleep can become a challenge.

Some of the causes of low melatonin include:

• Excess exposure to light during evening hours. Mother Nature brings dusk for a reason!
• Use of certain prescription and over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen, aspirin and other NSAIDs, anti-anxiety and anti-depressants, blood pressure medications and steroids such as prednisone.
• Evening exercise, which decreases melatonin up to 3 hours post-workout.
• Excess intake of vitamin B12 (doses over 3,000 mcg may inhibit melatonin production).
  Some studies show promise for the use of melatonin in shortening the time it takes to fall asleep and reducing the number of awakenings.
  
  Melatonin might help shift workers on irregular shifts who need to adjust their schedules. When taken in low doses at the appropriate time, melatonin can help advance or delay the sleep-wake cycle. The effect can last for six hours.