Our sleep is precious time that allows our bodies to heal and rejuvenate, and without enough sleep, our health suffers. That means we must find ways to get proper rest. You’ve probably heard that taking a supplement containing melatonin can help you sleep. But the hormone melatonin is involved in many more processes than just sleep. Melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland, a tiny but very important gland tucked deep in a groove between the two halves of the brain.
Together both the pineal gland and melatonin help to run the body’s internal clock, allowing the body to know what time of day it is and what time of year as well. Both the pineal gland and melatonin help to regulate the circadian rhythms and the all-important “sleep cycle.” Melatonin has an influence on almost every cell in the body and is seen in cell membranes, the mitochondria, and other areas of the cell as well.
Lack of sleep is one major way that melatonin becomes depleted in the body. The biggest concentrations of melatonin are produced at night and in total darkness; it will increase just before “normal” bedtime and slow down just before waking up.
Here are some things you may not know about melatonin.
Your Immune System
Melatonin plays a huge role in immune system regulation and the majority of the immune system is located in the upper gastro-intestinal (GI) tract. So it’s not surprising that some amount of melatonin is produced in the GI tract. Melatonin is an immune-stimulant, is anti-inflammatory, and is a “buffer” for inflammatory reactions. Melatonin can help prevent complications caused by infection, vaccines, autoimmune responses, and weakening of the immune system as one ages. In addition Melatonin is a natural antioxidant. Antioxidants are a power tool for maintaining optimum health.
Multiple studies suggest that melatonin has heart-protective properties. Specifically, research shows that when it comes to cardiovascular health, melatonin has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Studies show it may also be helpful in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. It seems to have cardioprotective properties as well due its direct free radical scavenger activity.
The Effects of EMFs on Melatonin Production
EMF stands for “electro-magnetic field.” EMFs themselves are neither bad nor good. They are all around us, even though we cannot see them. Naturally occurring EMFs are part of the planet, the weather, the oceans, and our bodies and they help everything to flourish.
Humans, like all life, are electrical beings. We need to be in “resonance” with the earth for optimal health. The earth, and our bodies, resonate at a frequency that has been around 7.8 Hz for thousands of years. Man-made devices emit a frequency on the EMF scale as well. Constant exposure to man-made EMFs can cause us to be off-balance because it disrupts our natural frequency. For some, man-made EMFs can severely impact their health.
According to a study conducted at the University of California, Berkeley, 12 mG (milligause) or 60 Hz of EMF exposure can block melatonin from being produced in the body (60 Hz is what is normally emitted from a computer). In relation to melatonin production in particular, high exposure to EMFs – and especially the “blue light” produced by cell phone and computer screens – can create a vicious cycle because EMFs shut off melatonin production. In turn, this affects sleep. The result of less quality sleep is less melatonin production. Less production means less quality sleep, and so on. Before you know it, you are caught up in a stressful cycle that can severely affect your health,
Melatonin and Cancer
Low melatonin levels have been connected to a variety of chronic health conditions. For example, a study of close to 750 women conducted in part by Harvard School of Public Health found that the lower the melatonin levels, the higher the possibility of developing Type 2 diabetes.
A 2015 study published in the journal Endocrine-Related Cancer took a look at people who worked at night and were exposed to artificial lights. The researchers wanted to know how this situation affected melatonin production and breast cancer. Their data indicated high numbers of breast cancer in this population. This is partly because melatonin helps to regulate estrogen metabolizing enzymes.
Renowned cancer researcher Dr. David E. Blask found that melatonin has the ability to suppress breast cancer growth by actually putting cancer cells to “sleep.” He discovered that night time melatonin levels in the blood can slow breast cancer growth by 70%!
“Nighttime Melatonin is a relevant anticancer signal to human Breast Cancers. 90% of human Breast Cancers have specific receptors for this signal,” says Dr. Blask. Without proper cellular melatonin signaling, cancer cells will continue to grow.
The Effect of Stress
When we are functioning properly, our cortisol levels generally are higher during the day. At night, cortisol is meant to go practically dormant as melatonin takes over. Low levels of melatonin in general, however, can spell trouble since it can lead to a correlated higher level of cortisol at night. One way to keep cortisol lower at night is to avoid stressful situations before bed. Deep breathing and meditation in the evening can help release healing hormones, including melatonin.
Melatonin and Reproductive Health
Melatonin is also crucial to female reproductive health as it plays a role in controlling the timing and release of female reproductive hormones. It helps decide when a woman starts to menstruate, the frequency and length of menstrual cycles, as well as when a woman stops menstruating completely (menopause).
Once a woman is in menopause, it is not uncommon for her to have sleep problems. Melatonin supplements have been shown to improve the sleep problems experienced during menopause. In a study of perimenopausal and menopausal women ages 42 to 62, within six months of a daily melatonin dosage, most of the women reported a general improvement of mood and a significant mitigation of depression.
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