Health Coach Phillippa Quigley takes a look at Melatonin and asks the question – how long does melatonin last? She answers that, and a lot more about the sleep inducing hormone below…
Melatonin is naturally produced within our body. It helps with our sleep wake cycle. In this article we will discuss how we get melatonin, it’s benefits and how supplementation could be beneficial.
But first, let’s look at how long Melatonin lasts.
Melatonin will stay in your body from four to eight hours. However, this will range from individual to individual and it is important that we fully understand melatonin to answer the question in detail…
What Is Melatonin?
Melatonin is a hormone that your brain naturally produces in response to darkness. The pineal gland is the exact location within the brain, where it is made. Melatonin helps regulate the timing of your circadian rhythm.
The circadian rhythm is your body’s internal clock. It helps carry out cycles of sleepiness and alertness, which respond to changes within light around us. Your circadian rhythm is basically what tells your body to sleep and be awake over a 24 hour period.
Melatonin is produced naturally from an amino acid called Tryptophan. Levels of melatonin in our body are at a peak at night time. Our eyes detect night time via the retina and optic nerve, through less light entering in to them. Once melatonin has been produced, signals are sent to organs around our body, this is done by its secretion into the blood stream and spinal cord.
With the change in seasons of the year, and daylight hours in a day. Melatonin levels vary depending on the time of year; with higher levels in Autumn and Winter, and lower levels in Spring and Summer.
In animals, Melatonin plays a slightly different role. The release of melatonin from the Pineal Gland helps an animal’s body regulate it’s biology in response to the season. With the change of the day length, it impacts their reproduction, coat growth and behavior.
The Effects Of Melatonin On Our Body
When it gets dark, the process of melatonin and sleep begins. Once our pineal gland starts to secrete melatonin, our body starts to prepare to sleep. Our blood pressure lowers, as does our stress response. Our body temperature begins to lower and our alertness levels reduce. This is the time where you’ll notice you feel sleepy.
Going to bed during this process is what will result in you having good quality, restorative sleep. You will find it easier to fall asleep quicker. It is also what helps keep our circadian rhythm regulated.
Low Levels Of Melatonin
Some people can struggle with their levels of melatonin. If you don’t produce enough it won’t be able to prepare your body for sleep. This would then affect your ability to fall asleep as well as the quality of sleep you will have.
What can cause low levels of Melatonin in your body?
- Alcohol
- Working shifts
- Smoking
- High caffeine consumption in a day
- Age
- Diseases such as; Alzheimer’s, dementia, type 2 diabetes etc.
High Levels Of Melatonin
You can also suffer from having too much melatonin in your body.
When the days are shorter in the fall and winter, you can end up not getting enough exposure to daylight. This will signal to the brain to over-produce melatonin. When we have too much it results in Season Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is when a person experiences symptoms of depression but only in the winter.
Treatment for this would be ensuring you get outside, especially in the morning that to help regulate your circadian rhythm.
How Can We Naturally Make Melatonin?
We know that the melatonin is produced in the brain. However, how much you make as an individual can be different based on certain factors, such as;
- Genetics
- Gender
- Age
- Lifestyle
Therefore if you are looking to boost your level of melatonin, consider some of this advice.
Reduce Artificial Light
Getting ready for bed should be a relaxing and calming process, however, most people still do not value this time as an important part of their health.
As mentioned before, our circadian rhythm works best when we expose ourselves to natural light in the morning, and then darkness later in the day. If we then sit on an electronic device for a long period of time in the evening, it will no doubt interfere with our body’s Melatonin production.
If you sit on your phone reading (which I think many of us will be guilty of), you can cause your circadian rhythm to be come misaligned which will affect your sleep-wake cycle, as well as negatively impacting your quality of sleep.
Morning Sunlight
To counter the need to reduce artificial light at night time, it is key to also get outside into natural light as soon as you can in the morning.
When we get sunlight, we produce the neurotransmitter Serotonin. Serotonin is the precursor to Melatonin, therefore we need one to get the other.
Bedtime Routine
If you’re a parent, you’ll know just how much you will obsess over your baby’s bedtime routine. The routine will be a point of discussion with your spouse, fellow parents and just about anyone who asks you the dreaded question ‘Do they sleep well?’
When you can finally answer ‘yes’, you feel triumphant!
The point being; bedtime routine is absolutely key to any baby – and adult!
Why?
The production of Melatonin. Follow the tips to below to ensure a good bedtime routine.
Have a Bath
Bath and bed with a child works wonders, and it will for an adult as well. During the day our body will go through metabolic changes. When melatonin is produced, your core temperature drops as your body prepares you for sleep.
If you take a warm bath before bed, it will help create the dropping of the core temperature once you step out of the bath. This will help in making your body feel tired and relaxed.
Meditation
Having a lot of things on your mind at bedtime can often stifle the relaxing state we are trying to acquire when falling asleep. Meditation is a good practice to introduce. It helps you manage your thoughts and feelings better, and become more mindful.
Being able to meditate and clear your mind before bed will definitely improve your quality of sleep. There are plenty of free guided mediations available online for you to try.
Reading
Read a book, not your phone. Reading without the blue light from your phone or tablet, is really beneficial in creating a relax