How melatonin works, and benefits of supplementation (part 2)

To view the beginning of this article, please read part 1.

In order to better understand why these factors are so disruptive to normal, healthy sleep, it is helpful to have a deeper understanding of how melatonin works in your body. It may be helpful to follow along with the image posted at the bottom as a reference. As mentioned above, our bodies use light levels as a way to regulate our sleep/wake cycles, and natural melatonin production is how we evolved to translate light levels into a chemical signal to which our bodies can respond. When light hits our retinas, a signal is sent to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus. One of the hypothalamus’s functions is regulating body cycles, and it is in the SCN where melatonin production is regulated.

The SCN is the area where light exposure is interpreted by the body. It receives signals from the retina regarding light exposure, and based on this, regulates melatonin production in the pineal gland. When the SCN senses light exposure, it tells the pineal gland to stop producing melatonin. When the SCN senses less or no light exposure, it no longer inhibits this production. As melatonin is involved in regulating sleep, we can see how light exposure translates to our ability to sleep in a healthy and consistent manner. Of note, other factors can also influence melatonin production (e.g. activity level and other factors mentioned earlier), but overall levels and production are largely regulated by light exposure.

With a better understanding of how our body’s natural cycles work, as well as seeing how modern life can disrupt them, we can see why melatonin supplementation is so popular and beneficial. As our bodies are exposed to stimuli that disrupt melatonin production, it makes sense to obtain it from supplementation. Supplementing melatonin can not only help sleep, but has also been implicated in improving bone health, immune function, cognition, and many other areas of overall health.

 In order to obtain benefit from supplemental melatonin, it is important to know exactly how much you are taking. Issues arise when you consider that the FDA does not regulate levels or content of these supplements, so it is important to buy from reputable and trusted suppliers. In fact, a study that examined 31 different melatonin supplements found that actual melatonin content varied widely, from -83% to +478% of the claimed levels on the label. We thoroughly vet all of our vendors and supplements, and know that any product we offer will be exactly what is described on the label. If you are interested in learning more about why you can trust supplements that we sell, please take a look at the “Why buy from us” page that is linked at the top menu of our home page.

We offer melatonin products that are instant release, as well as those that are controlled release. We also offer different dosage levels. Considering these factors can help you find the product that is right for you. For example, for a patient that has difficulty falling asleep, but usually sleeps well once they do, an instant release formulation may be appropriate. For those that also experience difficulty staying asleep, we also offer controlled release products. Discussing these factors with your provider is the best way to determine the right product for you, and we are proud to offer a range of melatonin products so that each patient can obtain the supplement that will best address their needs.

Image source: https://www.physio-pedia.com/images/7/70/Light%2C_suprachiasmatic_nuclei_%28SCN%29%2C_and_the_pinealmelatonin_circuit.jpeg   

References for the entire article are provided at the end of part 1