If you’re anything like me, you think melatonin is something you take to help you sleep.
But, like me, you may be surprised at what I’ve learned and what I’m about to tell you.
Melatonin could possibly be one of the best little-known secrets of anti-aging.
And it’s not all about beauty sleep.
So what exactly is melatonin?
Melatonin is a hormone that is secreted by a pea-sized gland in your brain called the pineal gland.
Melatonin is responsible for regulating sleep. And it’s often referred to as the hormone of darkness1 because it starts to be released as night falls. It’s also known as the sleep hormone because it keeps your body telling time. But, like most hormones, melatonin declines with age.
What you may not know is that melatonin is one of the most powerful antioxidants2,3,4. It also supports other antioxidants5 so they can do their job.
The research is so amazing that I promise it won’t put you to sleep.
Melatonin has been found to:
•Reverse age-related changes in the brain6. Melatonin is an antioxidant and can break the blood-brain barrier, which means it can reach the brain and fight off the free radicals. Free-radical damage causes oxidation in the brain and melatonin has been found to be a very effective neuroprotectant. Studies also show that people with Alzheimer’s have very low melatonin levels7.
•Restore thyroid function in perimenopausal and menopausal women. You see, all the hormones are tied into your biological clock and melatonin is the mechanism that keeps your body telling time. A major complaint of perimenopausal women with thyroid problems is that they aren’t sleeping properly. Some women have even reported having their periods returning to normal after two months of taking 3mgs of melatonin, 30 minutes before going to bed.
•Stimulate the release of human-growth hormone8. You lose muscle tone with declining growth hormone. It’s a major reason why so many menopausal women have unexplained weight gain.
•Help bone repair, assisting the “development of the hard tissues9,10”, making bones harder and denser for age-related bone loss11. Studies have also shown that melatonin can speed up the healing process after a fracture.
•Aid in wound healing, protect your telomeres12 and stimulate cell growth when applied topically. Its antioxidant properties are a guard against oxidative stress and free-radical damage13.
Now that’s a lot for one little hormone!
Melatonin may also be used topically. But whether you choose to take a capsule (3mgs), a cream, or both, it’s an important hormone to add to your anti-aging arsenal.
References
1Hardeland R., Melatonin, hormone of darkness and more: occurrence, control mechanisms, actions and bioactive metabolites, Cell Mol Life Sci. 2008 Jul;65(13):2001-18. doi: 10.1007/s00018-008-8001-x.
2Ward Dean, MD., Melatonin: Unique, Potent Nutrient Anti-Aging Supplement Review and Update Part 3
3Poeggeler B, Melatonin, aging, and age-related diseases: perspectives for prevention, intervention, and therapy.
Endocrine. 2005 Jul;27(2):201-12.
4Zhang HM, Zhang Y, J Pineal Res, Melatonin: a well-documented antioxidant with conditional pro-oxidant actions. 2014 Jul 25. doi: 10.1111/jpi.12162. [Epub ahead of print]
5Ahmet Korkmaz,et al, Melatonin: An Established Antioxidant Worthy of Use in Clinical Trials, Mol Med. 2009 Jan-Feb; 15(1-2): 43–50
6Manda K., Bhatia A.L. Melatonin-induced reduction in age-related accumulation of oxidative damage in mice. Biogerontology 2003 4(3):133-9
7 Daniel P Cardinali, Analía M Furio,and Luis I Brusco, Clinical Aspects of Melatonin Intervention in Alzheimer’s Disease Progression. Curr Neuropharmacol. Sep 2010; 8(3): 218–227
8Valcavi R1, Zini M, Maestroni GJ, Conti A, Portioli I, Melatonin stimulates growth hormone secretion through pathways other than the growth hormone-releasing hormone. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1993 Aug;39(2):193-9.
9Jie Liu,Fang Huang, and Hong-Wen He, Melatonin Effects on Hard Tissues: Bone and Tooth, Int J Mol Sci. May 013; 14(5): 10063–10074.
10 Calvo-Guirado JL, Gómez-Moreno G, Maté-Sánchez JE, López-Marí L, Delgado-Ruiz R, Romanos GE, New bone formation in bone defects after melatonin and porcine bone grafts: experimental study in rabbits. Clin Oral Implants Res. 2014 Mar 6. doi: 10.1111/clr.12364. [Epub ahead of print]
11Isabel F Tresguerres, Faleh Tamimi, Hazem Eimar, Jake Barralet, Santiago Prieto, Jesus Torres, Jose Luis Calvo-Guirado, Jesús Angel Fernández-Tresguerres. Melatonin dietary supplement as an anti-aging therapy for age-related bone loss. Rejuvenation Research, 2014; 140311120122003 DOI:10.1089/rej.2013.1542.
12Hardeland R. Melatonin and the theories of aging: a critical appraisal of melatonin’s role in antiaging mechanisms. J Pineal Res. 2013 Nov;55(4):325-56. doi: 10.1111/jpi.12090. Epub 2013 Sep 23.
13Scheuer C, Pommergaard HC, Rosenberg J, Gögenur I. Melatonin’s protective effect against UV radiation: a systematic review of clinical and experimental studies. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 2014 Aug;30(4):180-8. doi: 10.1111/phpp.12080.
