ALPHA-LIPOIC ACID
COENZYME Q10
COENZYME A
CURCUMIN
GARLIC
GLUTATHIONE
GRAPE SEED EXTRACT
GREEN TEA
LYCOPENE
MELATONIN
NADH
SILYMARIN
SUPEROXIDE
DISMUTASE (SOD)
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MELATONIN
Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone, produced by the pineal gland in the center of the brain from the amino acid tryptophan, inhibited by light and permitted by darkness. Melatonin is used to enhance natural sleep patterns, establish new sleep patterns, combat insomnia and other sleep disorders and prevent jet lag. Anywhere from 2.5 to 10mg taken one hour prior to bedtime is usually effective. Circulating melatonin levels vary our daily circadian (24-hr cycle) rhythms, playing a role in the regulation of several biological functions and making it the “synchronizer of the biological clock”. It is thought that melatonin may have immune-enhancing, anti-inflammatory, and even cancerous-cell-killing effects in the body. Melatonin supplements may lessen the unpleasant side effects of chemotherapy, including nerve injury, mouth sores, wasting, and platelet count drops. It is not directly available from foods but the precursor of melatonin, tryptophan, is.
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FACTS ABOUT
ANTIOXIDANTS
Many supplemental melatonin users have reported an increase in the vividness or frequency of dreams. Extremely high doses of melatonin (50mg) dramatically increased REM (rapid eye movement) sleep time and dream activity in both narcoleptics and those without narcolepsy. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may have lower than normal levels of melatonin. A 2008 study found that unaffected parents of individuals with ASD also have lower melatonin levels, and that the deficits were associated with low activity of the ASMT gene, which encodes the last enzyme of melatonin synthesis.
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CAUTIONS
A few individuals have reported adverse reactions to melatonin supplements, such as excessive fatigue and nightmares. People taking blood thinners, anti-seizure drugs, blood pressure medications, diabetes medications, or hormone replacement therapy should avoid melatonin supplements, as they may interfere with the effectiveness of these medications.
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