Health Benefits Of Melatonin: Beyond Sleep

If you have ever looked into natural solutions to help you sleep, you’ve probably heard about melatonin.

Melatonin is available in the form of supplements but have you ever asked yourself what exactly it is?

Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that is produced by the body.

It is produced by the small, pea-sized pineal gland in the brain but it’s also found in other parts of the body such as the eyes, bone marrow, and the gut.

As a Toronto naturopath I know that hormonal issues can wreak havoc on your life, and that includes melatonin imbalances.

Let’s take a look at melatonin and the positive effects it can have on your body.

Melatonin Can Help You Sleep

Have you ever wondered why you get tired at night and are awake during the day?

It has to do with light and your circadian rhythm, otherwise known as your internal clock.

Melatonin works with your body’s circadian rhythm to help it know when to go to sleep and when to wake up.

For most people, as the day winds down, their melatonin levels increase.

By morning, the melatonin levels start to decrease so that your body will start to get the signal that it’s time to wake up.

Melatonin also binds to certain receptors in the body so that you know it’s time for rest.

For example, in the eyes melatonin reduces dopamine levels, which is a hormone that keeps you awake.

Clearly melatonin plays a huge role in helping our bodies get to sleep and stay asleep.

Studies have shown repeatedly that melatonin has a sedative like effect on the body and that melatonin supplements can help people with sleep issues get some rest.

What Else Can Melatonin Do?

Sure melatonin is useful for sleep but it would be a mistake to think that its benefits stop there.

Here are some other ways that melatonin can be beneficial.

1. It’s An Antioxidant

Melatonin doesn’t just help your body wind down at night, it’s also a great antioxidant.

Melatonin is like a free radical scavenger with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

It finds reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and releases antioxidant defenses.

By stimulating the release of antioxidant enzymes, melatonin helps to protect the body from oxidative stress and free radical damage.

2. It May Reduce Symptoms of Tinnitus

If you’ve ever dealt with tinnitus or ringing in your ears, you know how frustrating it can be.

Thankfully melatonin could play a big role in bringing you relief from the constant ringing.

In a study of 61 subjects, taking 3mg of melatonin nightly significantly decreased the tinnitus that they were suffering from and allowed them to get a better night’s sleep.

This was true not only in the scientific testing that was done but also in how the subjects reported on their self-rated tinnitus.

3. It May Help With Seasonal Affective Disorder

If you’ve ever dealt with seasonal affective disorder, you know just how disruptive those “winter blues” can feel.

SAD lamps are a great way to help combat seasonal affective disorder especially if they are used in conjunction with melatonin.

As I explained above, melatonin plays a large part in the body’s internal clock.

One aspect of seasonal affective disorder is how our body responds to the decreased amount of daylight in the winter.

Melatonin can help regulate how your body responds to the shortened daylight and thus help you to get through those dark winter months.

4. It May Help With Digestive Disorders

Most of us are no stranger to the occasional digestive issue but some studies have shown that melatonin can be very effective in helping with certain digestive disorders.

Gastro-esophageal reflux disorder, otherwise known as GERD, is a condition where the reflux of stomach contents causes bothersome symptoms.

As explained earlier, melatonin is an antioxidant.

In the case of GERD, it protects the esophageal mucosa from oxidative damage caused by reactive oxygen species.

In one study researchers found that test subjects given melatonin with or without other medications had a decrease in their GERD symptoms.

The researchers concluded that melatonin is a promising therapeutic agent for GERD treatment.

In another study people with chronic gastro duodenal ulcers were treated with melatonin to see if it might behelpful in healing the effects of the ulcers.

After just three weeks, the people who had been treated with melatonin were found to have had their ulcers completely healed.

This is great news for anyone who deals with painful digestive disorders as it means that there could finally be an effective way to help heal ulcers and treat GERD symptoms.

Book An Appointment With Dr. Sheila

As you can see, melatonin has far more uses beyond helping you get some shut eye.

If you have questions about your body and how it is affected by various hormones, book an appointment with me, Dr. Sheila.

Together we can figure out the best naturopathic treatments for your problems and help get you on the road to good health.