If you often have to move from one time zone to another, if you have sleep disturbances, and your immunity is noticeably weakened, then the Melatonin medicine will come to your aid. It will help to adapt in a new time zone and to avoid undesirable effects that usually give conventional sleeping pills, for example, lethargy and drowsiness during the day.
We will talk about how to correctly take the aforementioned remedy, how to correctly establish its dosage and in what cases it is worth resorting to such treatment, in this article. It will also be possible to get acquainted with the preparations containing melatonin produced in Russia, Ukraine and abroad: Melatonin Plus, Melaxen, Vita-Melatonin. Reviews of patients and specialists about them will help you in choosing.
What is melatonin?
First of all, let's look at what substance we are talking about and why our body needs it.
Melatonin is the so-called sleep hormone that produces the pineal gland the size of a pea, located at the base of the brain. From ancient times, by the way, it was considered an organ of clairvoyance - the "third eye" of man. Perhaps that is why a lot of mysterious and not fully understood is still associated with this hormone.
Melatonin (reviews of drugs containing it, you will read here) in modern medicine is considered a regulator of the circadian rhythm of the body. So, its especially high level is observed at night - peak production occurs between 12 a.m. and 4 a.m. That is, melatonin is a kind of natural sleeping pill.
But, in addition, this hormone is also a powerful antioxidant, with the help of which the body is saved from cancer and premature aging. Melatonin is able to penetrate into any cell and exert its protective effect on its nucleus, which contains DNA, and this allows the damaged cell to recover.
Studies in laboratory animals have established that a lack of melatonin in the body of highly organized mammals leads to its rapid aging, early menopause, a decrease in sensitivity to insulin, and the development of obesity and cancer.
The drug "Melatonin": application
But the amount of the mentioned hormone produced by the pineal gland (pineal gland) is not always enough to ensure the full variety of biological effects. For this, a preparation containing synthetic melatonin is used.
Preparations with melatonin contribute well to the onset of sleep, since the hormone is able to regulate the sleep-awakening cycle (which is especially necessary for forced time zones), the work of the gastrointestinal tract, endocrine system and brain cells. This hormone also stabilizes blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
The described agent is produced in tablets. It begins its action an hour or two after ingestion.
The drug "Melatonin": analogues
According to numerous reviews, synthetic melatonin is considered the least toxic among known substances. For him, the so-called LD-50 was never found (we are talking about the dose of the drug at which half of the experimental animals die).
In the USA, where it was discovered in the 50s of the last century, synthetic hormone is generally referred to as nutritional supplement. In Russia, this is a drug, which, incidentally, is also available in sports nutrition stores called Melatonin ("Melatonin").
Analogs of this drug sold in pharmacies are called: “Vita-Melatonin”, “Melaxen”, “Melaton”, “Melapur”, “Circadin”, “Yukalin”. They are deservedly popular in cases where it is necessary to increase physical and mental performance, reduce the impact of stressful situations and improve sleep quality.
In what cases are melatonin tablets used?
Accompanying almost every remedy containing melatonin, the instructions for use indicate that it is prescribed for sleep disorders, problems with the human immune system, as well as for the relief of premenstrual conditions in women. By the way, the described hormone is 9 times more effective than the familiar vitamin C, enhancing immunity and saving our body in the fall and winter from colds and infections.
In addition, melatonin markedly improves memory, learning ability and ability to concentrate. It can be used as part of complex therapy in neurotic patients, as well as in depressive states. Melatonin also significantly reduces the energy costs of the myocardium, translating it into a more economical mode.
The drug also showed excellent results in the treatment of patients with eczema.
Melatonin and longevity
It is impossible not to draw the reader's attention to the amazing feature of the hormone to influence the aging processes in the body.
As it turned out during the research, the level of melatonin in the blood of a person by the age of forty-five is only half the amount produced in his youth. This is due to the fact that in the pineal gland, where hormone production occurs, by adulthood, as a rule, morphological changes with the degeneration of cell elements and their death are already detected.
Interestingly, in rats, which were transplanted pineal gland from young donors, significantly increased life expectancy. And this allows us to conclude that the amount of melatonin in the body directly affects how many years will still remain youthful.
Due to what melatonin prolongs life
And although serious studies on this subject have not yet been carried out, experts already confirm that if melatonin helps to live healthier and longer, this happens due to:
- reduce damage to cells by free radicals;
- slowing down the aging of the immune system;
- high protection of the cardiovascular system;
- and also due to the maintenance of a normal circadian rhythm and stimulation of the production of growth hormone.
What other possibilities are hidden in the hormone
According to scientists who conducted research on volunteers for five years in Norway, the seasonal intake of melatonin does not have any side effect. Moreover, addiction to it practically does not develop in the body, and the production of its own hormone does not decrease.
Recent studies suggest that melatonin is very useful for patients with cardiac ischemia, hypertension and an ulcer of the stomach or duodenum. But the hormone mentioned gives the most promising effect in the fight against breast cancer associated with an increase in the level of female hormones estrogen.
Does melatonin cause drowsiness as a sleeping pill?
The undoubted advantages of the synthetic hormone include those available on all drugs containing melatonin, reviews that emphasize that these funds do not give the effect of drowsiness and stupidity, characteristic of hypnotic and sedative drugs, in the morning or during the day. If a similar reaction to it is still present, it is enough to reduce the dosage to one that will not cause it.
Unlike sleeping pills, the hormone in the doses recommended by specialists gives rise to a natural sleep, improves its quality. Melatonin for sleep is not addictive, addictive and need to increase the amount of substance taken.
All patients taking hormone pills noted a sense of vigor and energy after a sound sleep, if the dosage was correctly selected.
Features of taking melatonin
Despite the reviews already available on preparations containing melatonin, consumers should not forget that this hormone still conceals many secrets and mysteries. It continues to be actively studied throughout the world.
As already mentioned, the level of production of “sleep hormone” in the body noticeably changes with age. It is best and most produced in children, so they do not need to take melatonin.
There are still situations in which you need to refrain from taking melatonin:
- due to the unknown effect of the drug on the fetus, it is worth giving up on pregnant and lactating women;
- you can not take melatonin in patients with epilepsy, autoimmune and allergic diseases, as well as women seeking to conceive a child (since the drug has some contraceptive effect);
- in addition, it was found that the drug negatively interacts with substances containing, for example, acetylsalicylic acid and ibuprofen.
From which it follows that before taking any funds with melatonin, you must always consult a doctor!
In addition to the foregoing, it should be remembered that taking Melatonin tablets, instructions which are now being considered, stands in courses, giving a respite to the body.
When and how best to take drugs?
Experts advise taking these funds only immediately before bedtime, somewhere in half an hour. On long trips, it is better to take a tablet (1.5 mg) before going to bed. Often, the drug is prescribed 3-4 days before the trip in order to synchronize the biological cycles and rhythms of our body. The tablet is not bitten and washed down with water.
When asking yourself “How to take melatonin?”, Remember that this should only be done in accordance with the usual rhythm of sleep and wakefulness. So, if you sleep at night, then you should not take the drug in the daytime, because it is the indicated hormone that is responsible for the clarity of the biorhythms of our body. In addition, it is proved that in the daylight the hormone is destroyed, and this once again confirms the need to take it only in the evening.
Do drugs with melatonin have side effects?
Adverse reactions during the administration of synthetic hormone were extremely rare. As a rule, they were expressed by discomfort in the stomach, headache, drowsiness or a “heavy head”, and depression.
Specialists remind you that all instructions for adverse reactions, even those not indicated by the application for any medication containing melatonin, should be reported to the doctor!
If melatonin was taken less than six hours before going to work, then the patient, by the way, may show a decrease in concentration and coordination of movements.
The state of an overdose of the drug in patients was not noted. Only the reviews available for Vita-Melatonin tablets noted this condition after taking 30 mg of the substance simultaneously. This provoked disorientation, loss of memory on previous events and prolonged sleep.
Reception of melatonin excludes the use of alcohol and smoking. Attention! Be sure to consult your doctor before using the drugs!
Indications for use of preparations containing melatonin
Once again, I want to remind you in which cases you need to take drugs containing melatonin. Reviews about them probably convinced the reader of the usefulness of this hormone. So, the described tools are recommended primarily:
- persons with sleep disorders
- with frequent stressful situations,
- suffering from neurological disorders, depression and phobias;
- patients with endocrine disorders;
- with menopause disorders;
- with some cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerosis;
- with immune disorders;
- older people (this hormone helps to resist polymorbidity - a condition in which a person has several diseases at the same time).
What are the signs of melatonin deficiency?
If you have swelling under the eyes, you have a tired look, look older than your age, your hair turns gray prematurely, and irritability and anxiety are more often noticed in your behavior, then, possibly, the production of melatonin in your body is reduced.
No less striking signal about this is a superficial dream, without dreams, as well as gloomy thoughts that overcome you before falling asleep. If it seems to you that you never get enough sleep, you can’t tolerate the transition to summer or winter time and you are harassed by a state of tension and anxiety - obviously, it's time to seek the advice of a doctor so that he picks up the necessary dose of a drug containing melatonin for you.
Be healthy!