[Source: Shaanxi People’s Health]
Melatonin is a hormone secreted by an organ in the brain called the pineal gland, and its concentration in plasmadecreases during the day and increases at night span>.
The pineal gland sends a “time signal” to the central nervous system through the circadian secretion cycle of melatonin, allowing the brain and body to perceive the outside world when night comes It has become the news that you can fall asleep at night, causing the body temperature, pulse, blood pressure to drop, and causing drowsiness, so melatonin is also known as the body’s natural “sleeping pill” span>.
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Melatonin not only improves sleep quality, but also It can control and affect the secretion of other hormones, and play an important role in maintaining the function of the endocrine system, improving immunity, anti-oxidation, and anti-aging.
The secretion of melatonin starts to increase after 14 hours of light stimulation in the morning and peaks about 16 hours later. That is to say, the secretion of melatonin is regulated by light, which is suppressed when it is bright, and starts to increase when it is dark.
In recent years
Melatonin has been promoted by businesses as
the “magic medicine” for insomnia span>
Loved by many
Although taking melatonin can help sleep, it can only relieve the disease, and cannot cure insomnia.
If insomnia is caused by less melatonin secretion in the body, taking melatonin to treat insomnia is very effective .
If insomnia is caused by environment, diet, mood, etc., you should adjust your diet and daily life first to develop a good living habit.
If the patient suffers from insomnia caused by a disorder such as depression, the disorder should be treated first. Therefore, melatonin is not suitable for all insomniacs
Melatonin should be taken under the guidance of a doctor. If overdose for a long time, it can cause the following harm to the human body:
Affects fertility. Melatonin has a certain ovulation-inhibiting effect, and long-term use may affect fertility.
create dependencies. Melatonin should not be supplemented for a long time, especially sinceFor people with normal melatonin secretion, excessive melatonin will inhibit the normal secretion of glands, leading to secretion dysfunction, and often dizziness and other adverse reactions.
Affects the mind. Overdose of melatonin can cause drowsiness, headache and other adverse reactions in patients.
Worse depression. Excessive supplementation of melatonin will cause patients to have symptoms such as dreaminess and easy awakening at night, and be accompanied by long-term loss of mood, which will worsen the condition of patients with depression.
Promote the body’s natural secretions with lifestyle changes. Appropriate sun exposure during the day will help the secretion of melatonin at night, which can help you fall asleep. Going to bed early is necessary for melatonin production.
Drink as little coffee as possible, caffeine will reduce the secretion of melatonin. Turn off the lights at night to sleep, because the lights can hinder the production of melatonin.
Eating bananas keeps melatonin in balance, oats, sweet corn, tomatoes, Barley is rich in melatonin, and intake of kelp, soybeans, pumpkin seeds, almonds and other foods also contributes to the synthesis of melatonin.
Source: Guangzhou Daily, China Medical News
Final review: Hao Wenjuan review: Bi Ping
< span>Preliminary review:Tie Yunli Editor: Zhang Bozhao Chen Xinyi proofreading: Yang Aying
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