What Is Melatonin?

What is Melatonin?

Melatonin is a natural hormone made by your body's pineal (pih-knee-uhl) gland. This is a pea-sized gland located just above the middle of the brain.
During the day the pineal is inactive. When the sun goes down and darkness occurs, the pineal is "turned on" by the SCN and begins to actively produce melatonin,
which is released into the blood. Usually, this occurs around 9 pm. As a result, melatonin levels in the blood rise sharply and you begin to feel less alert. Sleep becomes more inviting.
Melatonin levels in the blood stay elevated for about 12 hours – all through the night – before the light of a new day when they fall back to low daytime levels by about 9 am.
Daytime levels of melatonin are barely detectable.

People use melatonin to adjust the body's internal clock. It is used for jet lag, for adjusting sleep-wake cycles in people whose daily work schedule changes (shift-work disorder),
and for helping blind people establish a day and night cycle.

Melatonin is also used for the inability to fall asleep (insomnia); delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS); rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD); insomnia associated with

Sometimes people apply melatonin to the skin to protect against sunburn.
Melatonin may also be injected into the muscle to help treat cancer.

How does it work?

Melatonin's main job in the body is to regulate night and day cycles or sleep-wake cycles. Darkness causes the body to produce more melatonin, which signals the body to prepare for sleep. Light decreases melatonin production and signals the body to prepare for being awake. Some people who have trouble sleeping have low levels of melatonin. It is thought that adding melatonin from supplements might help them sleep.

EFFECTIVE for:

· Sleep disorders in blind people.

· Trouble falling asleep (delayed sleep phase syndrome).

· Sleeping problems in people with sleep-wake cycle disturbances.

Product name: Melatonin

CAS Number.: 73-31-4; 8041-44-9

Molecular formula: C13H16N2O2

Assay: 99%

Appearance: white powder

Recommended dose

For sleep disorders in blind people: 0.5 mg to 5 mg of melatonin taken daily before bedtime for up to 6 years has been used. A high dose of 10 mg taken an hour before bedtime for up to 9 weeks has also been used. 3 mg of a specific product has also been taken daily for 12 months.