Melatonin is often mentioned when sleep disorders are discussed, but what is it? Melatonin is a hormone that comes from the pineal gland in the brain. The level of melatonin helps the body’s inner clock or the circadian rhythm to regulate when you sleep and when you are awake. The melatonin level is the highest at night and it goes down in the morning.
Some say that melatonin is affected by day light or lack of it causing more melatonin to be produced in the shorter days of the winter.
Melatonin is also found in animals as well as humans it also regulates their sleeping and waking. This is considered natural melatonin. Man-made melatonin is the synthetic form used as sleep aid supplements. Care has to be taken with this type of supplement because it may cause drowsiness. Always check with your doctor before taking any supplement.
You can’t get melatonin directly from food but there are foods like turkey that help the body produce more of it.
Melatonin is also an antioxidant that has been considered in treating other diseases and disorders.
