Pituitary gland. Related Endocrine Conditions. Delayed puberty Precocious puberty Jet lag Circadian rhythm sleep disorders View all Endocrine conditions. Related Hormones. Human chorionic gonadotrophin Melatonin View all Hormones. Related Glands.
Hypothalamus View all Glands. Related Glossary Supplements. Search Search. You and Your Hormones. Students Teachers Patients Browse. Human body. Home Hormones Melatonin. Melatonin Melatonin is mainly produced by the pineal gland and, although it appears not to be essential for human physiology, it is known to have a range of different effects when taken as a medication.
Alternative names for melatonin N-acetylmethoxytryptamine pineal gland in the brain. Melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Related Endocrine Conditions. Jet lag Circadian rhythm sleep disorders View all Endocrine conditions.
Related Glands. Pineal gland View all Glands. Some research suggests that there may be a connection between impaired pineal gland function and cancer risk. A recent study on rats found evidence that lowering pineal gland function through overexposure to light led to cellular damage and increased risk for colon cancer. Another study found evidence that, when used with traditional treatments, melatonin may improve the outlook for people with cancer. This may be especially true in people with more advanced tumors.
More research is needed to determine how melatonin affects the production and blocking of tumors. If the pineal gland is impaired, it can lead to a hormone imbalance, which can affect other systems in your body. For example, sleep patterns are often disrupted if the pineal gland is impaired. This can show up in disorders such as jet lag and insomnia. Additionally, because melatonin interacts with female hormones, complications may affect the menstrual cycle and fertility.
The pineal gland is located near many other important structures, and it interacts heavily with blood and other fluids. If you develop a pineal gland tumor, it may affect many other things in your body. Some early symptoms of a tumor include:. Talk to your doctor if you have a sleep disorder, or if you want to know more about taking melatonin supplements.
We know melatonin plays a role in setting sleep patterns with day-night cycles. Other research suggests that it helps in other ways, such as in regulating the menstrual cycle.
Melatonin supplements may be helpful in managing sleep disorders, such as jet lag, and in helping you to fall asleep. Remember to speak with your doctor before using melatonin, especially if you take certain drugs. Go to sleep earlier. Aim for hours of sleep each night. If you know it takes you a while to fall asleep, start winding down earlier, and get into bed before you want to fall asleep.
Consider setting an alarm to remind you to get ready for bed by a certain time. Avoid the snooze button. Try to avoid using the snooze button on your alarm. Sleep between snoozes is of lower quality. Another sleep disorder is seen in shift workers , who often find it difficult to adjust to working at night and sleeping during the day.
The utility of melatonin therapy to aleviate this problem is equivocal and appears not to be as effective as phototherapy. Still another condition involving disruption of circadian rhythms is jet lag. In this case, it has repeatedly been demonstrated that taking melatonin close to the target bedtime of the destination can alleviate symptoms; it has the greatest beneficial effect when jet lag is predicted to be worst e. In various species, including humans, administration of melatonin has been shown to decrease motor activity, induce fatigue and lower body temperature, particularly at high doses.
The effect on body temperature may play a significant role in melatonin's ability to entrain sleep-wake cycles, as in patients with jet lag. One of the first experiments conducted to elucidate the function of the pineal, extracts of pineal glands from cattle were added to water containing tadpoles.
Interestingly, the tadpoles responded by becoming very light in color or almost transparent due to alterations in melanin pigment distribution. Although such cutaneous effects of melatonin are seen in a variety of "lower species", the hormone does not have such effects in mammals or birds.
Melatonin is readily absorbed after consumption and dietary supplements containing melatonin are useful in some circumstances, including adult sleep disorders and jet lag.
Additionally, there is increasing evidence that melatonin protects against a variety of cardiovascular diseases and that supplementation, especially in the elderly, who have decreased endogenous synthesis, may be useful as a cardioprotective. Some caution is required - there have been instances of children becoming ill after consumption of melatonin gummies candy.
Other Endocrine Tissues and Hormones. Updated November ; Send comments to Richard. Bowen colostate.
0コメント