5 reasons Why is Melatonin is an important hormone and how it promotes sleep

• Melatonin is the main regulator of the circadian rhythm in all living organisms. It is a hormone released by the brain that regulates our sleep and wake up cycles. 

Research suggests that Melatonin’s function is not limited to the circadian rhythm only but is involved in other processes as well.

Melatonin – a sleep hormone

Melatonin has often been referred to as a ‘sleep hormone’; although it is not essential for human sleep, we sleep better during the time that melatonin is secreted. Night-time levels of melatonin are at least 10-fold higher than daytime concentrations since its secretion is stimulated by darkness and its level reduces when exposed to light.

Night-time melatonin secretion is suppressed by a relatively dim light when pupils are dilated. This has been suggested as the main way through which prolonged use of devices such as laptops and smartphones before bedtime can have a negative impact on melatonin secretion, circadian rhythms and sleep.

In addition to its circadian rhythm, melatonin levels also have a seasonal (or circannual) rhythm, with higher levels in the autumn and winter, when nights are longer, and lower levels in the spring and summer.

Other benefits of Melatonin include – 

1. Treatment of eye diseases – melatonin is a good antioxidant. It protects the eye from age related macular degeneration (ARMD). It reduces inflammation and has a protective effect on the eyes.
2. Melatonin & autism – Research has shown that autistic people do not make sufficient melatonin. A 2014 review study found that melatonin supplementation helped autistic people fall asleep sooner. They also slept longer and more soundly. For some autistic people, improved sleep helped improve their daytime functioning and behavior.
3. Jet lag – Jet lag happens when you travel across time zones and your body’s circadian rhythm gets disrupted. In fact, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine supports using melatonin to reduce jet lag and sleep better when you’ve been traveling across more than one time zone.
4. Melatonin for Tinnitus – Tinnitus is a chronic condition that causes you to hear ringing in your ears when there is no external sound. Tinnitus has no cure, but melatonin has been looked at as a possible treatment. In a small study, 61 patients with tinnitus were given 3 mg of melatonin at bedtime. After a month, the researchers found the melatonin supplement seemed to reduce inner ear noise and improve sleep quality for people with tinnitus.

Since Melatonin is synthesized from tryptophan (an amino acid), taking food with a good amount of tryptophan may help in improving sleep at night. This is probably the reason why our grandmothers used to give us turmeric milk at night – one reason could be that milk is a good source of tryptophan and secondly turmeric is anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory in nature