Essay On Melatonin

Humans have a natural rhythm of 25 hours of sleep and wakefulness, in order to reset this the brain plays an important role with the suprachiasmatic nucleus which is a cluster of neurons in the medial hypothalamus of the brain. The SCN

Universal to every human from birth to death, sleep is a necessary function to survival, productivity, and happiness. While most fall asleep at night with ease, it is estimated that 50-70 million Americans battle sleep or wakefulness disorders. Although sleep disorders do not immediately present with a threat comparable to other common disorders such as depression, bipolar, or schizophrenia, sleep disorders prove very disruptive to one’s quality of life. Insufficient sleep may result in difficulty concentrating, difficulty with memory, trouble with personal care such as hygiene, driving, or managing finances, and poor performance in the workplace. While there is a wide array of sleep related illnesses that may plague any given individual,

Circadian rhythm disorder is related with people's biological clock. It means you people find difficulty falling asleep or often keep awake at the sleep time. Actually, you have some problems about sleep disorder.

In another study involving twelve adult participants between the ages of 18-59 who had a diagnosis of Seasonal Affective Disorder, light therapy was found to help correct the natural melatonin secretion cycle (Rice, Mayor, Tucker, & Bielski, 1995). Melatonin is a hormone secreted at nighttime by the pineal gland, and plays a role in human sleep and wake cycles by aiding the process of sleep.

This hormone is produced at peak levels during night-time (1). The secretion of melatonin is a signal to tell the body that it is bedtime. Therefore, melatonin also has a nickname “the hormone of darkness.” The synthetic reaction in producing melatonin starts with tryptophan. First, tryptophan is converted into the neurotransmitter serotonin which acts between nerve cells only (2). Serotonin is a precursor of melatonin. That is, the release of serotonin causes the production of melatonin in the pineal gland (2). Melatonin is then released into the bloodstream and target many other cells in the

Not many courses introduce the idea of sleep, so it had only been a side interest. I was unaware of the seriousness of the problem and only wanted to understand sleep disorders because I’ve dealt with insomnia myself. Not until college did it occur to me that sleep was serious enough that studying sleep was a profession. However, school has only taught me the minimal basics of sleep. I wanted to understand the mechanism, the consequences, and the treatments for sleep. Unable to get a better idea of sleep, I aimed to learn more about sleep research. Eventually through graduate research, I would like to focus on understanding sleep and its application in improving health.

Conversely, people with diabetes might have trouble sleeping at night. A recent study revealed taking prolonged-release melatonin can improve sleep and A1c levels for those with diabetes and insomnia. Additionally, a recent JAMA study has shown type 2 diabetes might be linked to the amount of melatonin a person secretes. Those who secrete lower amounts of melatonin into the bloodstream during sleep have a significantly increased risk of developing diabetes. Melatonin is a hormone that helps to control other hormones and help people develop regular sleep patterns. Another recent study showed the less sleep teens get, the higher the possibility of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Taking melatonin supplements may help people to get better sleep and reduce some of the risks associated with type 2 diabetes. Talk to your doctor about it to determine if it would offer benefits to

Investigating Melatonin’s Chemical Properties and Significance in Health Introduction The purpose of this report is to analyse and discuss the chemical properties of Melatonin, an important organic molecule in the human body. This report will examine Melatonin at a molecular level as it undergoes five organic reactions; substitution, addition, hydrolysis, oxidation and decarboxylation, in addition to the enzymes that catalyze them. Furthermore, this report will dive into the importance of Melatonin in health, expanding on the benefits and risks associated with its use as a supplement. N-[2-(5-methoxy-1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl] (Melatonin, n.d.), more often referred to as Melatonin, is an organic molecule that is both naturally produced in the the body and

Sleep is commonly referred to as a global state, one which engages the entire nervous system. The states of sleep and wakefulness are highly interconnected and share common physiological mechanisms; however, there are distinct differences in the neurochemical pathways that underlie them. The notion that sleep is a global state is supported by evidence that the interrelated states of sleep and wakefulness engage a multitude of neuronal pathways and components. These networks of neuronal transmitters and receptors extend throughout the brain; from the brainstem to the basal forebrain, thalamus, hypothalamus, and cerebral cortex. The onset of sleep and wakefulness is known

It is almost essential for an individual to have a goodnight sleep at least for 6 hours in order to keep the body and brain function at their highest capacity. Unfortunately, everyone is not blessed with the standard sleeping pattern on the contrary a huge majority of mass is suffering from sleeping disorders or insomnia. Thus, for such people who can’t naturally enjoy

This is a very interesting subject. Melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland, which is what makes us sleepy. Melatonin is produced when it is dark. In the dark, eggs are protected in women that are fertile and ovulating. The eggs are better preserved and healthier. Women who are already pregnant who do not get enough sleep and have enough time in the dark, are likelier to have children born with ADHD and other behavioral problems. At least 8 hours is recommended for women, especially in the final trimester, to help produce sufficient melatonin. This helps the fetus receive sufficient melatonin which helps his/her biological clock as well as helps the fetus brain.

Many individuals in our society struggle from lack of sleep from various different problems. In order to understand the reason why this is a problem I examined the circadian clock and how Melatonin fits in the natural “day/night” cycle and affects human sleeping patterns. Various studies using individuals with either insomnia, stressed college students or a history of sleep disorders measured the initial sleep disturbance patterns. The researchers performed double blind studies with both placebo and Melatonin in order to determine whether an external source of Melatonin helped with sleeping patterns to follow

Melatonin is a regulator of sleep wake cycles in all organisms. Furthermore, it is synthesised in the pineal gland and begins as an amino acid tryptophan. This amino acid is converted to serotonin and then metabolized into melatonin by the N-acetylation of 5-HT preceded with the addition of a methyl group at the hydroxyl position of the molecule via two enzymes called hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase (HIOMT) and N-acetyltransferase (AANAT) (Foulkes et al. 1997; Schomerus and Korf 2005). After those steps melatonin has been synthesised and will begin to affect the sleep wake cycle of the species.

Sleep is one of the unavoidable daily-living activities and it is one of the most important factors contributing to a person’s health. A quality sleep is essential for the physical, cognitive and psychological well-being of a person. Learning, memory processing and maintenance of the brain are among the most important functions of sleep. In addition to maintaining the brain, sleep has important roles in controlling the

 There are five stages of sleep, REM and NREM stages 1, 2, 3, & 4.