At night you need to sleep. This immutable truth is known to everyone, but not everyone will immediately find the answer to the question "why". Meanwhile, doctors do not cause such a problem: in the dark, our bodies produce a sleep hormone. It is called melatonin and is responsible not only for our ability to fall asleep and wake up, but also for resistance to stress, blood pressure level, aging processes and much more.
Unique functions of the hormone responsible for sleep
Now that you know what the sleep hormone is called, it's time to talk about how it was discovered and how it affects our body. The sleep hormone, melatonin, was first discovered not so long ago - in 1958. But since then, scientists have had time to fully study all of its functions, and, as it turned out, they are many:
- regulation of the brain cells;
- normalization of the level of pressure;
- regulation of the functions of the digestive system;
- maintenance of a normal hormonal background ;
- determining the frequency of sleep;
- slowing down the aging process;
- strengthening the immune system;
- adaptation to the change of time zones;
- antioxidant processes.
Melatonin is produced by the brain department called epiphysis, which is responsible for our ability to withstand stress, emotional reactions and other important processes for our body. The most interesting thing is that scientists have discovered a sleep hormone not only in humans, but also in mammals, reptiles and even some plants.
Melatonin preparations and their effect on humans
The level of melatonin in the blood at night is 70% higher than in the daytime. This means that our body should comply with the regime. The hormone is produced during sleep only in the dark, so if you belong to those who prefer to fall asleep closer to the morning, make sure that the windows are covered with thick curtains or blinds. If these conditions are not met, the unpleasant consequences for the organism will make themselves felt very soon:
- there will be insomnia;
- irritability will increase;
- there will be a threat of development of oncological diseases;
- the body and all its internal organs will begin to age rapidly;
- disrupted the endocrine system and, as a result, reproductive functions.
This is not a complete list of what the hormone responsible for sleep is prone to ignore. Unfortunately, with age, the production of melatonin by the body decreases. In order to normalize the state of health, you should start taking synthetic analogues of this hormone.
Pharmaceutical preparations of melatonin are produced by different countries, finding them in a pharmacy is not a problem. However, before starting treatment, consult your doctor about possible contraindications.
Sleep hormone in tablets is not recommended for people who are addicted to allergic and autoimmune diseases. Also melatonin is contraindicated in:
- chronic renal failure;
- leukemia;
- some other types of cancer.
With caution, the drug for normalizing sleep melanin is prescribed for epileptics and diabetics.
Unlike other sleeping pills in tablets, melatonin is not addictive and does not have withdrawal symptoms. But do not consider this medicine ideal - it is not used in pregnancy and lactation, as well as in the treatment of children under 12 years.
Many patients who have tried synthetic analogues of the sleep hormone complain that the drug makes them sleepy and lethargic even during the day. In addition, the negative effect of the drug on processes requiring high concentration was noted. When treating melanin, it is not recommended to sit behind the wheel and engage in calculations that require high accuracy.