What Is Melatonin, & What Does It Do?

Melatonin is a natural sleep aid that offers a wide variety of health benefits. The brain produces melatonin as a response to darkness. The hormone helps with the timing of the circadian rhythm – the …

What Is Melatonin, & What Does It Do

Melatonin is a natural sleep aid that offers a wide variety of health benefits. The brain produces melatonin as a response to darkness. The hormone helps with the timing of the circadian rhythm – the 24-hour internal body clock – as well as sleep. This article provides information on what melatonin is, and what it does.

Numerous studies reveal the many health benefits of melatonin, which include support for eye health, immune health, and gastric health. But the most common benefit revolves around its effect on sleep. Even though melatonin could be synthetically prepared, people can also get it from:

. Animal-based sources such as milk, fish, and eggs

. Plant-based foods such as seeds, mushrooms, legumes, and more. There are also natural herbal sources of melatonin.

What Factors Cause Melatonin to Decrease in the Body?

The latest studies reveal that melatonin can decrease with age. On the other hand, obesity, disrupted light-dark cycles, and night shifts are also linked to a decrease in melatonin in your body.

What is Melatonin Good For?

Melatonin helps improve your sleep quality. Here is how melatonin can help your consumers to sleep better:

. The latest studies show that melatonin helps reduce the time you need to fall asleep. People who took melatonin slept approximately 22-32 minutes sooner than people who took a placebo.

. Melatonin helps improve sleep efficiency. Sleep efficiency is the ratio of TST (total sleep time) to TIB (time in bed). In fact, people who took melatonin have been able to sleep longer and have better sleep efficiency over time.

. Melatonin assists with a better sleep-wake cycle. It helps balance the sleep-wake cycle which is also known as the circadian rhythm or the sleep pattern of an individual in a regular 24-hour period.

Melatonin for Jet Lag

Jet lag is a result of an individual traveling across time zones. The individual’s body’s internal clock is set to his or her departure location at least for a few days post-traveling. It can lead to the person feeling stress and lack of energy at times. Jet lag can hamper a person’s focus for many days after traveling. Studies show that melatonin can help reduce the symptoms of jet lag. On the other hand, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends the use of melatonin in order to lower the symptoms of jet lag and aid in quality sleep after traveling across more than one time zone.

Melatonin for Shift-Workers

The sleep-promoting hormone or melatonin is produced by the human body in the evenings – in keeping with the light-dark cycle or circadian rhythm. A person working in a non-standard shift could benefit from this supplement when they take it during other times of the day. The American Academy of Sleep recommends melatonin for night shift workers to fall asleep during the day.

What Are the Other Health Benefits of Melatonin?

Other than being a sleep aid, what are Unwind melatonin gummies really good for? Keep on reading the article to find out:

Health Benefits of Melatonin

. Helps support the immune system – The hormone can switch on the T-cells in your white blood cells to aid in a good immune response

. Acts as an antioxidant – Melatonin works as an antioxidant to help protect cells from oxidative stress and damage. It doesn’t trigger free radicals in the process.

. Helps protect mitochondria in the cells – Mitochondria gives the cells the power required to function optimally. Melatonin enhances mitochondrial function due to its antioxidant properties.

. Helps with Seasonal Affective Depression (SAD) – Light affects the body’s circadian rhythm. It can cause sleep-related problems for people in regions where seasonally, days are getting shorter and nights are getting longer. In fact, melatonin helps manage the condition of – seasonal affective depression or SAD.

. Helps maintain eye health – Melatonin has antioxidants to reduce cell damage and maintain eye health over time – especially for older adults.

Why Do Melatonin Supplements Have Market Potential?

Today’s hectic lifestyle, family responsibilities, demanding jobs, and other social factors make it difficult for people to catch up on their sleep schedules. They go to retail shops to find support in the form of dietary supplements and natural sleep aids.

The 2019 annual conference of the Council for Responsible Nutrition – CRN – in Washington DC highlighted the growing popularity of the sleep and mood category. The latest market research reveals that melatonin supplements are projected to grow with a CAGR of over 10% between 2016 and 2026.

With the increasing awareness of quality sleep and its benefits, more people are searching for drug-free alternatives to sleep better at night. It has contributed to the vast growth of natural sleep aids such as melatonin.