Melatonin Is More Than A Sleep Supplement

Melatonin Is More Than A Sleep Supplement

Melatonin, which most people regard as a sleep supplement, is a naturally-produced hormone secreted from your pineal gland. Melatonin is critical for sleep, but it is also a powerful antioxidant that can help the body fight many diseases including cancer.

Studies have shown that melatonin increases the levels of several antioxidant enzymes in the brain and possibly other parts of the body. Recent studies have shown that fluoride, mono sodium glutamate (MSG), and the sweetener aspartame shut off the production of melatonin. Since fluoride is common in public water systems and diets are filled with MSG and aspartame,this could explain the proliferation of insomnia in the U.S. Chronic insomnia leads to stress, which boosts the risk of cancer and other diseases.

Melatonin is recommended as a beneficial supplement for the following:

• Sleep. Melatonin is known to help promote restful sleep. To use as a sleep aid, take 30 minutes before bedtime and increase as necessary. It will induce dreaming. Do not use it during the day, or you will become sleepy.

• Glaucoma. All antioxidants help protect the retina from glaucoma. A new study found that melatonin not only reduced free radicals in the retina, but also dramatically reduced the glutamate level in the retina (excitotoxin level) and did so at dosage amounts usually taken for sleep 1 to 3 mg.

• Brain health. Melatonin actually increases the amount of antioxidant enzymes in the brain which protect it against damage by free radicals seen in all degenerative brain diseases. Recent studies have shown that these protective enzymes are low in people who develop Alzheimer's dementia and Parkinson's disease.

• Puberty. Melatonin regulates the onset of puberty in both boys and girls, and young girls who live in cities with fluoride in the water (fluoride lowers the production of melatonin) have been known to begin menstruating several months sooner than their counterparts in nonfluoridated locations.

The amount of melatonin begins to decline with aging, and is one of the reasons for the high frequency of insomnia in the elderly. If you notice you no longer dream, your melatonin levels are probably low.

Certain drugs (beta-blockers, ibuprofen, steroids, sleep aids, and Prozac), caffeine, alcohol, and fluoride can lower melatonin secretion.

With the widespread fluoridation of water, use of certain medications (such as ibuprofen, Prozac), and increasing fluoride in foods, melatonin deficiencies are becoming more common and occurring earlier in life.

Article courtesy of Vitamin Power Inc.