Melatonin: when can the sleep hormone be used?
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Quick question: Have you ever heard of melatonin? Do you know what it means?
It's very likely that you don't know what this word is, but since 2021 melatonin has been gaining more and more prominence and importance.
So much so that many have nicknamed melatonin the “sleep hormone”.
But what is the relationship between melatonin and our sleep cycle? In this content you will find out!
In today's text, the central theme is melatonin.
Throughout the text you will discover what it is, what it is used for and the main aspects of this substance.
What is melatonin?
First of all, let's explain what the protagonist of our text today is: melatonin.
Melatonin is a hormone that is naturally produced by our own body.
Melatonin also promotes the proper functioning of the body and acts as a natural antioxidant.
And, despite being a hormone that is naturally produced by our body, it is also possible to obtain melatonin through options such as medications and supplements.
Both are generally found in traditional and compounding pharmacies, as ideally this type of substance should only be consumed under medical supervision.
What is the relationship between melatonin and sleep?
But after all, what is the relationship between this hormone and our sleep?
Like all other hormones produced by our body, melatonin is also produced by a gland called the pineal gland.
Located in our brain – more precisely in the central part of the brain, more or less at the height of the eyebrows – the pineal gland is also called the 'third eye' because of its position.
And the pineal gland is only activated when there are no more light stimuli nearby. This means that melatonin production only occurs during the night, inducing us to sleep.
Therefore, in order to have a good night's sleep, it is recommended to avoid any type of visual stimuli – such as lights on, televisions, computers and cell phones.
All of these items directly contribute to the decrease in melatonin production and, consequently, disrupt our sleep cycle.
As the years go by, it is common for our body's production of melatonin to decrease.
Therefore, it is quite common to find reports of adults and elderly people who frequently suffer from sleep disorders.
And it is these types of disorders that have caused melatonin to become involved in controversy in recent times.
The controversy surrounding the use of melatonin
Although melatonin supplements can be used to treat migraines and even insomnia, the increasing use without guidance has been attracting attention.
This has made melatonin and the way it is consumed the center of controversy.
As already mentioned in the text, there are medications and supplements available on the market to help replace or make up for the deficit in melatonin production in our brain.
However, like all medicines in the world, it should only be consumed under the guidance of a responsible doctor.
It turns out that, under the false impression that melatonin supplementation will help, many people have been seeking the medication as an alternative to help combat insomnia.
Some experts believe that the increase in demand and consumption of this type of medication, even when there is no medical indication, is due to the negative impact on our sleep caused by the pandemic, since this increase could only be observed in the last 2 years.
Melatonin in Brazil
Despite having issued authorization to sell the substance in the form of a food supplement, Anvisa – the National Health Surveillance Agency – took some measures to try to inhibit the unbridled consumption of the medicine.
These measures include: the restriction of use exclusively for people over 19 years of age, limited the recommended daily consumption to a maximum of 0.21 mg.
Furthermore, the agency also determined that the packaging of products containing the substance must always contain a warning that they should not be consumed by pregnant women, nursing mothers and children.
The difficulty in controlling the use of melatonin
As much as Anvisa is committed to the mission of inhibiting the unnecessary use of this type of medication, this mission is proving to be increasingly difficult to achieve.
One of the factors that makes this task difficult comes from outside Brazil.
Although Anvisa has limited daily use to a quantity that closely resembles what is naturally produced by our body, it is not difficult to find imported products that have dosages ranging from 5 mg to 10 mg.
This is quite worrying, given that the maximum dosage approved here in Brazil is 0.21 mg, a value much lower than imported products.
The unnecessary and excessive use of melatonin has already been associated with some side effects ranging from headaches, nausea, dizziness and cramps to disorientation, irritability, anxiety and depression.
It is worth noting that these are short-term effects. The long-term effects of this type of self-medication are still unknown, but one thing is certain: they are not good at all.
Exercising your brain for bedtime
For those who have difficulty sleeping, there are a series of measures that can be taken instead of resorting to a medication that has negative effects on your health.
One of them is to avoid contact with lights and other types of external light distractions at bedtime – this includes using laptops and cell phones.
By following this tip, you will be getting your brain used to the ideal conditions for sleeping, making the process of falling asleep easier.
Conclusion
As you can see, this hormone is extremely important for maintaining our health.
However, even though the use of medicines that contain this substance in their composition may seem to be the ideal path for certain cases, it is always important to remember that, just like any other medicine, it is necessary to seek medical advice before consuming them.
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