Sleep Health

- 3 min read

How does Melatonin Influence Your Body's Internal Clock?

The hormone of darkness - Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain that helps you fall asleep by triggering feelings of drowsiness. Melatonin levels rise in reaction to darkness, coordinating with the circadian rhythm (a 24-hour cycle that governs physical activities) to prepare your body for the first stage of sleep, awake. Sleep quality can be harmed by low melatonin synthesis, making it difficult to fall asleep. Night shift workers, those with sleep disorders, and frequent travellers may have sleep disruptions and poor sleep quality, which can be connected to melatonin deficiency.

What regulates melatonin production?

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the brain's hypothalamus regulates melatonin release by coordinating the timing of biological activities. The SCN, which is located above the optic nerves that connect your brain to your eyes, determines however much melatonin it secretes based on the amount of light entering your eyes. When it gets darker outside, your body produces more melatonin, which makes you sleepy. If your circadian clock is out of whack, your body may produce irregular melatonin throughout the day, causing sleep-wake cycles to be disrupted or sleep disorders to develop.

The consequences of melatonin deficiency in the human body

Poor sleep quality

When it comes to enhancing your performance and concentration, sleep is one of the most significant components. Melatonin, the sleep hormone, plays an important role in your sleep. Restlessness, a poor stress reaction, sleeplessness, and waking up too early in the morning can all be indicators of a deficit.

Stress & anxiety

Cortisol (a stress hormone) levels are at their lowest around midnight, according to research. They will begin to rise two to three hours after you go to bed and will continue to rise throughout the night as you wake up. This demonstrates an inverse relationship between melatonin production and release and cortisol:

The levels of cortisol in the body decrease as the levels of melatonin in the body rise.
As the body's melatonin levels fall, the body's cortisol levels rise.

Thus, a person with a low melatonin level will tend to have a higher stress response & have a risk of an anxiety incidence.

Besides that, Melatonin also aids in the physiological stress response. During the stress response, the body's temperature, blood pressure, and hormone levels all rise. Melatonin is important in the regulation of these physiological factors, which assists the body in relieving stress.

Weaker Immune

Melatonin sends signals to the immune system, and the immune system "talks" back, according to researchers. This "cross-talk" helps to fine-tune and coordinate healthy immunity. It strengthens innate defences against a wide range of pathogens, including viruses and cancer cells.

Melatonin enhances the body's immunity in several ways:

Improving the responses of antibodies that "tag" specific viruses, bacteria, and other invaders to be attacked by various immune system components,
Reducing chronic inflammation, which is the root cause of nearly all age-related chronic diseases
Increasing T cell activity, which aids in the more efficient destruction of pathogens.

Accelerated ageing process

Melatonin aids in the slowing of the ageing process in tissues such as the brain. It protects all tissues in the body because of its' powerful antioxidant property.

Is a synthetic melatonin supplement your preferred option?

Melatonin supplements are not authorised for sale over the counter in countries like the UK, Ireland and also in Malaysia. Melatonin is a prescription-only medicine in these countries with the fact that melatonin is a hormone. Even though in some other countries it is available to buy in health food shops or online.

When you supplement a hormone (melatonin), you are interfering with your own body's biosynthesis process, which many people cannot tolerate, resulting in a lot of dreams and dizziness in the morning. The common side effects of synthetic melatonin include:

feeling sleepy or tired in the daytime
headache
stomach ache or feeling sick (nausea)
feeling dizzy
feeling irritable or restless
dry mouth
dry or itchy skin
pains in your arms or legs
strange dreams or night sweats

Maize-derived ingredient, a safer alternative to synthetic melatonin

Maizinol, a natural ingredient derived from corn leaves (Zea mays), acts via the melatonin pathway. Its active compound structurally similar to melatonin, bind with the receptors and boosts the body's own melatonin biosynthesis, without having adverse effects like synthetic melatonin.

Maizinol was found to assist with sleep & stress-related symptoms. A clinical study showed the ingredient significantly increased deep-sleep time by 30 minutes when taken before bed. It has also shown a significant reduction (~30%) in cortisol levels in the early morning.

Maizinol is marketed under the brand The PrimAGE ReszGuard in Malaysia.

Learn more

Zzz...Why you should always put sleep first!

We all know that not getting enough sleep makes us tired and angry, but there are more advantages to getting enough sleep than just having more energy.

Sleep is a major predictor of health and well-being, just like nutrition and physical activity. Sleep is essential for the health and development of an infant, child, or adolescent. Sleep deprivation and untreated sleep problems harm family health and interpersonal connections. Fatigue and sleepiness can limit productivity and raise the risk of mishaps like medical blunders and automobile or industrial accidents.

A sufficient amount of sleep is required to:

Defend yourself from illness
To avoid diabetes, promote sugar metabolism.
Do well in school.
Work efficiently while remaining safe.

Sleep time and length have an impact on a variety of endocrine, metabolic, and neurological activities that are important for maintaining one's health. Sleep disorders and chronic shortness of sleep, if left untreated, are linked to an increased risk of:

Coronary artery disease
Blood pressure that is too high
Obesity
All-cause mortality in diabetics

It's now clear that a solid night's sleep is essential for long and healthy life.

How much sleep do we need?

To function properly, most of us require roughly 7-8 hours of good-quality sleep per night — but some of us require more, while others require less. What matters is that you figure out how much sleep you require and then attempt to meet that requirement.

As a general rule, if you wake up tired and spend the rest of the day wishing for a nap, you're probably not getting enough sleep.

Poor sleep can be caused by a range of circumstances, including medical illnesses such as sleep apnea. However, in the majority of cases, it is linked to poor sleeping habits.

How might getting a good night's sleep to benefit your health?

1. Sleep improves your immune system

If you tend to catch every cold and virus going around, it's possible that your bedtime is to blame. Sleep deprivation can cause your immune system to malfunction, making you less able to fight off viruses.

2. Sleep improves mental health

Given how a single sleepless night may leave you angry and grumpy the next day, it's no surprise that persistent sleep debt in adults can lead to long-term mood disorders such as clinical depression and generalised anxiety disorder.

When people suffering from anxiety or depression were polled about their sleeping habits, it was discovered that the majority of them slept for less than 6 hours per night.

3. Sleep helps to keep diabetes at bay

According to studies, persons who sleep less than 6 hours every night have a higher risk of acquiring diabetes.

It appears that not getting enough deep sleep might cause type 2 diabetes by altering how the body processes glucose, which it utilises for energy.

4. Sleep can slim you

If you sleep less, you may gain weight! According to studies, those who sleep fewer than 7 hours a day gain more weight and are more likely to become obese than those who sleep 7 hours.

It's thought to be because sleep-deprived persons have lower amounts of leptin (the hormone that makes you feel full) and higher levels of ghrelin (the hormone that makes you hungry) (the hunger-stimulating hormone).

5. Sleep boosts sex desire

According to a study, men and women who don't get enough good sleep lose their libido (sex drive) and have less desire for sex.

Men with sleep apnoea, a condition in which breathing difficulties cause sleep interruptions, have reduced testosterone levels, which can affect libido.

6. Sleep wards off heart disease

Long-term sleep deprivation has been related to an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of specific chemicals connected to inflammation, all of which may place additional strain on your heart.

7. Sleep boosts fertility

One of the impacts of sleep deprivation has been suggested to be difficulty conceiving a child in both men and women. Regular sleep interruptions appear to promote infertility by lowering reproductive hormone release.

How can you make up for missing sleep?

If you're sleep-deprived, the only way to make up for it is to get more sleep. Unfortunately, it is not possible to make it up in one night. Recovery could take several weeks if you've experienced months of poor sleep. Make time for adequate sleep while planning your day, week, or month to maintain strong health.