Sleep
Medical Studies on Melatonin – Sleep
Modern science recognises more than 100 diseases related to sleep, because sleep disorders that are left undiagnosed or untreated can result in drastic consequences for health. Experts estimate that roughly one in ten suffers from some kind of sleep disorder. This proportion is even higher among older people, with around 60 to 70 per cent of people over the age of 65 suffering from sleep disorders to differing extents. A sleep disorder is defined as such if a person sleeps for less than six hours a night in three out of seven nights over a period of six months.
Sleep deprivation and its health consequences
Studies have been finding for years that people who sleep too little or have to sleep at the wrong times, for example, suffer from flu-like infections four times as often, as their immune system is weakened as a result of the sleep deprivation. People who have been working shifts for more than 10 years are at particular risk; the WHO (World Health Organisation) has classified night shift work as carcinogenic. The risk of breast cancer can increase by up to 65 per cent, while the risk of intestinal and prostate cancer also rises drastically.
Other effects
The likelihood of digestive system disorders, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, vascular diseases, and also cancer, dementia and obesity is also increased many times over. A lack of sleep can also result in impaired memory, lack of drive and mood swings. In the worst cases, this may result in hallucinations or depression.
Melatonin as a key hormone
The benefits of melatonin in regulating and optimising the sleep/wake cycle have long been proven. Especially as a chronotherapeutic drug, its value has been very successfully proven, providing support in mitigating the risk of one of the aforementioned diseases. And it has also been demonstrated that melatonin is highly tolerable over a longer period time, even at higher dosages. There is also no risk of addiction and/or dependency.
Medical Studies on Melatonin – Sleep
2019-04-14
Successful pregnancy requires adaptation in maternal physiology. During intrauterine life the mother’s circadian timing system supports successful birth and postnatal development. Maternal melatonin is important to transmit circadian timing and day length to the fetus.
2019-03-20
The effects of circadian misalignment and work shift on oxidative stress profile of shift workers have not been explored in the literature. The present study aimed to evaluate the role of shift work (day and night) and social jetlag – a measure of circadian misalignment – with oxidative stress markers.
2019-03-04
Disruption of circadian rhythmicity induced by prolonged light exposure, altered sleep patterns and shift work is associated with the development of obesity and related metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
2019-02-08
Previous research has identified insomnia as a predictor for the onset of depression. The aim of this meta-analysis is to investigate whether insomnia also predicts the onset of other mental disorders.
2014-12-13
Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the enigmatic pineal gland in response to darkness, hence the name hormone of darkness. It has generated a great deal of interest as a therapeutic modality for various diseases particularly sleep disorders.
2010-12-19
During the last 20 years, numerous clinical trials have examined the therapeutic usefulness of melatonin in different fields of medicine. The objective of this article is to review, in depth, the science regarding clinical trials performed to date.
2009-09-12
Objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of prolonged-release melatonin 2 mg (PRM) on sleep and subsequent daytime psychomotor performance in patients aged > or =55 years with primary insomnia, as defined by fourth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association.
2009-03-05
Melatonin, a widespread hormone in the animal kingdom, is produced by several organs and tissues besides the pineal gland. Whilst extrapineal melatonin behaves as a cytoprotective molecule, the pineal produces the hormone in a rhythmic manner. The discovery of melatonin in 1958, and the characterization of its synthesis somewhat later, let to the description of its photoperiodic regulation and its relationship with the biological rhythms such as the sleep/wake rhythm.
2009-01-11
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of exogenous melatonin on sleep-wake rhythm in haemodialysis patients.
2008-06-23
Sleep duration has been hypothesized to be inversely associated with breast cancer risk, possibly due to greater overall melatonin production in longer sleepers. However, data are inconclusive from the three studies conducted in Western populations on sleep duration and breast cancer risk.
2007-12-16
The circadian rhythm of pineal melatonin secretion, which is controlled by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), is reflective of mechanisms that are involved in the control of the sleep/wake cycle. Melatonin can influence sleep-promoting and sleep/wake rhythm-regulating actions through the specific activation of MT(1) (melatonin 1a) and MT(2) (melatonin 1b) receptors, the two major melatonin receptor subtypes found in mammals.
2007-12-04
The circadian release of the hormone melatonin is regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which feeds back into the nucleus to modulate sleep and circadian phase through activation of the MT(1) and/or MT(2) melatonin receptors.
2007-11-26
To determine the effects of sleep and sleep deprivation on plasma melatonin concentrations in humans and whether these effects are age-dependent.
2006-02-13
To determine if melatonin improves tinnitus and if this improvement is related to improvement in sleep.
2005-10-13
Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) is a circadian-rhythm sleep disorder characterized by abnormally late sleep and wake times. Melatonin, taken in the evening, advances sleep and circadian phase in patients with DSPS. However, little is known about the most effective dose or time of administration. In the present study, we tested the effectiveness of melatonin to advance the timing of sleep and circadian phase in individuals with DSPS.
2005-02-07
This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study in epileptic children, aged 3 to 12 years, evaluated the effect of add-on melatonin on the sleep behavior of these children on sodium valproate monotherapy using a parental questionnaire.
2004-01-11
Recent data suggest that melatonin may influence human physiology, including the sleep-wake cycle, in a time-dependent manner via the body’s internal clock.
2003-08-01
Previously, we reported that morning bright light therapy improved sleep time and cognitive function in Alzheimer type of dementia.
2000-11-19
The objective of the present study was to assess the toxicology of melatonin (10 mg), administered for 28 days to 40 volunteers randomly assigned to groups receiving either melatonin (N = 30) or placebo (N = 10) in a double-blind fashion.
1999-11-07
Benzodiazepines are the most frequently used drug for the treatment of insomnia. Prolonged use of benzodiazepine therapy is not recommended. However, many patients, particularly older patients, have difficulties discontinuing therapy. Melatonin, a hormone that is produced at night by the pineal gland, promotes normal sleep in humans and augments sleep induction by benzodiazepine therapy.