Melatonin

Lack of melatonin leads to sleep disturbance, provokes insomnia, reduces the body's adaptation to changing time zones. Deficiency of this hormone of the pineal gland can be compensated by taking special drugs. They not only normalize sleep, but also have additional positive effects. In order for the tool to bring maximum benefits, you must first familiarize yourself with the rules of admission, indications for use, possible side effects.

Content

  • 1 What is melatonin "> 2 Characteristic features of the hormone
  • 3 Why and when is it necessary to take “sleep hormone”?
  • 4 Effects and beneficial properties
    • 4.1 Importance in sports
    • 4.2 Effects on libido
    • 4.3 Effect on testosterone concentration
    • 4.4 Relationship with prolactin
    • 4.5 Effect on growth hormone
    • 4.6 The benefits of losing weight
  • 5 Indications and contraindications
  • 6 Instructions for use
    • 6.1 Recommended dosages
    • 6.2 Course Duration
  • 7 In what form is the drug produced?
    • 7.1 Drugs with melatonin
    • 7.2 Sports Nutrition
  • 8 Melatonin in food
  • 9 Melatonin during pregnancy
  • 10 Interactions with other drugs
  • 11 Side effects, risks and harm
  • 12 Terms of sale and storage
  • 13 Melatonin analogue

What is melatonin?

Melatonin is the hormone responsible for regulating the circadian rhythm of living organisms, that is, for wakefulness and sleep. The compound helps to get rid of insomnia that occurs against the background of overwork, irritability from a sharp change in time zone. Due to such features, it is often called "sleep hormone". Melatonin is a derivative of serotonin produced by tryptophan.

The latter is the essential amino acid L-tryptophan. The highest concentration of the hormone in the blood occurs at night, namely from midnight to five in the morning. The highest peak is reached at 2 in the morning. During the day, melatonin levels decrease. In other words, when a person is awake, melatonin lowers and rises during sleep.

The characteristic features of the hormone

Melatonin production is directly related to circadian rhythm. In the light, that is, during the day, the production of the hormone decreases sharply. In the dark, its concentration on the contrary begins to increase. In summer, when daylight hours rise, the synthesis of melatonin is significantly reduced, and in winter, on the contrary, increases. Age also plays an important role.

The older a person becomes, the less melatonin is produced. This causes worsening of falling asleep. A person is often tormented by insomnia, which negatively affects the phase of deep sleep. He becomes more irritable. His systems and organs cease to be properly restored. Melatonin leads to a decrease in systolic pressure.

Why and when is it necessary to take "sleep hormone"?

Melatonin is required for people to take in the following situations:

  1. The hormone is necessary for those who suffer from insomnia, have difficulty falling asleep due to severe overwork and prolonged wakefulness. If you increase the concentration of melatonin, sleep problems will be significantly reduced. This substance has a sedative effect and a calming effect on the nervous system.
  2. Connection is required for every person who experiences increased irritability, either due to a change in time zone or work schedule. The hormone is also useful for those involved in physical activity, leading to muscle fatigue. The substance helps to relax and recover better in a dream.

The substance helps to cope with fatigue after training and overwork.

Effects and Benefits

The main function of the hormone is to improve the quality of sleep. The compound is actively involved in the normalization of the processes of the endocrine system. Melatonin reduces emotional and physical activity, but only during the period when wakefulness becomes an obstacle to normal biorhythms.

The hormone also has positive side effects. It has anti-stress, antioxidant, immunostimulating, antitumor effects. In addition, it reduces the rate of aging processes. Along with general properties, the compound also has a specific effect, depending on the specific physical activity.

Value in sports

Athletes take melatonin, primarily to improve sleep. Such an effect directly depends on the speed of the body's regenerative processes after playing sports. The higher the intensity of the training, the more irritated the nervous system. This effect negatively affects the state of the body.

The quality of sleep after severe physical activity becomes much worse, and recovery takes much longer. If a person experiences insomnia, then the athlete will not have enough strength to perform specific tasks. Sleep allows the muscles to relax, and the internal organs and nervous system recover. The better the athlete sleeps, the faster he recovers, and athletic performance is greatly improved.

Libido Effects

A huge amount of research has been conducted on this topic. They showed that there is no direct correlation between the concentration of melatonin and libido. Taking drugs that increase the level of this substance does not directly affect the anabolic hormones that are responsible for Yomuzhsky libido.

Effect on testosterone concentration

The level of male hormone has a positive effect on anabolic processes, sexual desire, sexual function. Melatonin, as revealed in the course of research, directly affects the production and does not inhibit the synthesis of testosterone. A female hormone called prolactin has a negative effect on male hormone. Such an indirect effect is possible only at certain dosages.

Relationship with prolactin

There are no specific definite results regarding the relationship between melatonin and prolactin. Some studies have shown the absence of any effect on the female hormone, but no clarification regarding the duration and period of exposure has been specified.

Young people who took five milligrams per day for thirty days showed an increase in prolactin levels. An increase in female hormone was recorded daily. An increase in prolactin concentration was observed not at daytime, but at night, when the level of melatonin reached the highest concentration.

Effect on Growth Hormone

Growth hormone (growth hormone) is dependent on melatonin. "Sleep hormone" has a positive effect on GR, the peak concentration of which occurs at night. Both compounds are produced during the rest period. Their concentration decreases with problems with sleep and insomnia, which leads to a decrease in the production of both melatonin and somatotropin.

GH positively affects cell growth not only in children but also in adults. It has a catabolic and anabolic effect, is involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, and increases the absorption of calcium in bone tissue. Growth hormone is required not only in adolescence, but also for those who are actively involved in sports. The main property of melatonin is that it has a positive effect on sleep quality and recovery. This hormone has a good effect on the production of growth hormone.

The benefits of losing weight

A lot of research is devoted to how melatonin affects a person’s weight. The hormone stimulates the absorption of glucose and the accumulation of glycogen in muscle tissue. The substance stimulates an increase in the production of creatine phosphate and energy, that is, ATP. This effect allows you to increase energy during physical exertion. This helps to increase the duration of the training, which, in turn, contributes to a greater burning of subcutaneous fat. The effect of fat burning on insulin and glucose levels helps to reduce weight loss.

Indications and contraindications

Melatonin is recommended for sleep quality problems. If a person suffers from insomnia, he becomes irritable and begins to experience stress, which provokes insomnia.

You can not take the drug with melatonin for those who suffer from diabetes mellitus, autoimmune diseases, myeloma, lymphoma, leukemia, epileptic seizures. The hormone is contraindicated in children who have not reached the age of twelve. For adolescents, drugs should be prescribed only by a specialist.

Instructions for use

The hormone is designed to be taken in the evening. It is best to take the drug thirty minutes before going to bed. The active substance begins to act after 45-60 minutes. When taking the hormone, direct contact with bright light should be avoided. It suppresses the effect after taking the drug. The tablets are washed down with plenty of water.

Recommended Dosages

The instruction and the optimal daily dosage of the drug completely depend on which dietary supplement or pharmaceutical drug is taken. It is necessary to carefully study how much melatonin is contained in one tablet. The daily optimal and safe norm of the active substance is up to three milligrams. In the early days, it is recommended to take one to two milligrams, and then increase the dosage. The maximum dosage is 6 mg. Deterioration of well-being - a signal that it is necessary to refuse to take the supplement.

Course duration

Melatonin is recommended to be taken within a month. A longer course (up to two months) is possible only as directed by a doctor. Further, be sure to take a break equal to weeks. If necessary, then after a week pause, the course is repeated again. From three months to six months, the drug can be prescribed to older people who are undergoing treatment to normalize blood pressure.

In what form is the drug produced?

The supplement is sold in the form of white tablets, which are then washed down with water. Some manufacturers produce the drug in the form of chewable pills.

Melatonin preparations

The hormone is contained in the following supplements:

  1. Vita-melatonin, each tablet of which contains up to three milligrams of the active substance. Available in the USA. One package contains 30 tablets.
  2. Melarithm containing a similar amount of melatonin as an American drug. The Russian additive is produced in packs of 24 tablets.
  3. Circadian, a Swiss drug. One pill contains two milligrams of the hormone.
  4. Melaxen. Another American supplement. Each tablet contains three milligrams of the substance.

These drugs have established themselves as the most effective and time-tested.

Sports nutrition

People who are actively involved in sports are advised not to take pharmaceutical preparations, but dietary supplements. Manufacturers of sports nutrition develop and produce their own supplements that positively affect recovery processes after training during the sleep phase. They have a positive anti-catabolic effect when a person experiences emotional, physical stress. This effect has made these drugs popular among leading active lifestyles.

It is recommended to take dietary supplements with melatonin at night (half an hour before going to bed). In addition, they are recommended for use when flying, if the time zone changes. Before the flight, you should drink the supplement for an hour. You should not drink the drug before training. Inhibition of physical activity with disorientation leads to a decrease in the effectiveness of the lesson. It is not recommended to drink the drug in the morning and during the day.

Top manufacturers and sports supplements

  • Optimum Nutrition with 100 tablets of 3 mg.
  • NOW Foods with 60 capsules of 3 mg.
  • Ultimate Nutrition with 60 tablets of 3 mg each.
  • Scitec Nutrition with 90 tablets, 1 mg each .
  • Universal Nutrition with 60 pills, 5 mg each.

If we compare pharmaceutical preparations and sports supplements with the active substance, the latter are much more profitable. The content of melatonin in each individual capsule is the same, but the number of tablets in dietary supplements is greater, but at the same time they have a lower cost.

Melatonin in food

Most of the substance is in rice. The amount of hormone that enters the body with food is quite small. This does not allow to receive a sufficient dosage, which would help to obtain positive effects in terms of improving sleep quality. Much more beneficial is the use of foods with L-tryptophan, which promotes the production of melatonin. To strengthen the result, it is necessary to supplement taking the hormone in the amount of 1-6 milligrams per day. It is simply impossible to obtain such dosages from ordinary food.

Melatonin during pregnancy

The supplement is contraindicated for women during pregnancy and lactation. In addition, it is not recommended to use the drug for those women who plan to become pregnant, since the hormone has a contraceptive property.

Interaction with other drugs

Taking the drug with drugs that block beta-adrenergic receptors leads to a decrease in hormone production. Supplements with melatonin go well with sleeping pills, which have a synergistic effect. The hormone increases the effectiveness of tamoxifen, which has an antitumor effect. It enhances the antibacterial effect of isoniazid.

Side effects, risks and harm

Melatonin is considered safe for use. Some people may have an individual intolerance, expressed in loss of coordination, severe dryness, vomiting, and nausea. In the morning hours, some people may feel increased tiredness and poor health. Some pharmacy drugs cause irritability, palpitations and irritability, headache, dizziness, night sweats, loss of concentration, blurred vision, migraine.

After taking "sleep hormone" is not recommended to drive a vehicle. This is due to the fact that melatonin has an effect on decreased attention and concentration. You can not give the drug to children, since no studies on how it affects them are known. It can slow sexual development. An overdose also affects the body if they take more than 30 milligrams, when disorientation occurs, memory is lost, and the duration of sleep decreases.

Terms of sale and storage

Drugs are dispensed without a prescription, even in pharmacies. Sports supplements are available for sale. The funds must be stored in the purchase packaging, in a place where the temperature does not exceed 25 degrees, protected from direct sunlight. Usually, the shelf life of the drug is up to three years, but only under the correct storage conditions.

Melatonin analog

Tryptophan is a dietary supplement, the intake of which in a daily dosage of 500 mg promotes the synthesis of serotonin. At night, this hormone of joy is converted to melatonin. In addition, this preparation contains vitamins B5, B6.

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