Melatonin

Melatonin Protects Against Free Radicals and Promotes Healthy Aging

Melatonin boasts remarkable antioxidant properties, making it a powerful tool in fighting against premature aging and the onset of disease. In short, there is no limit to the ways that melatonin can boost your overall health and well-being. Here is what you need to know about this naturally occurring hormone and how melatonin can help protect against free radicals in the body while promoting long-term health.

Understanding Free Radicals

In its most basic definition, melatonin is a hormone produced by the body’s pineal gland. The functions of melatonin are many. While most people understand that melatonin is the driving force behind the body’s sleep and wake cycles, its importance goes far beyond the regulation of sleep. While the body naturally produces melatonin, it is also possible to take a melatonin supplement to boost its natural functions.

In order to understand how melatonin protects against free radicals, you need to know what free radicals are. Also known as reactive oxygen species (ROS), free radicals are compounds that form as a result of oxidation. These unstable chemical molecules are triggered as a reaction to pressures from the surrounding environment. Free radicals may occur as a result of the food that you eat, medications, irritants in drinking water and even the quality of the air you breathe. While it is normal and not unhealthy to see some free radicals in the body, too many of these compounds can accelerate the aging process. In turn, this premature aging will inevitably lead to a greater risk of disease and illness.

Free Radicals, Premature Aging and Disease

Many scientists promote the free radical theory of aging. This widely accepted theory explains how free radicals damage cells, leading to premature aging. During the younger years, the body employs a protective system known as the superoxide dismutase (SOD). This defense system keeps free radicals from inflicting too much damage on the body’s cells. However, as we age, these free radicals are able to infiltrate cells and kill them.

The presence of excessive free radicals has been blamed for numerous diseases and health conditions. Some of these include cancer, heart disease, arthritis, obesity, asthma and dementia. This list is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the damage that free radicals can cause.

How Melatonin Protects Against Free Radicals

In recent years, medical researchers have discovered that melatonin can protect against the infiltration of free radicals. This is due in large part to the powerful antioxidant properties of melatonin. Not only does melatonin have antioxidant properties of its own, but it also stimulates the body’s antioxidant production.

For example, the presence of melatonin and its antioxidant effects guards skeletal muscles, mitigates cellular damage, boosts total antioxidant capacity and shields the body from the overall dangers of oxidative stress By neutralizing free radicals in the body, antioxidants like melatonin can also boost overall health. This benefit makes melatonin a vital tool in your arsenal for fighting premature aging and disease.

How to Promote Optimal Melatonin Levels in the Body

The encouraging news is that there are a number of steps that you can take today to promote optimal melatonin levels in the body.

Avoid Looking at Blue Light in the Evening

One of the worst habits to come out of the digital revolution is the increase in the use of phones, tablets and computers at all hours of the day. The blue light emitted from these devices can disrupt the production of melatonin, making it important to avoid these devices for at least two hours prior to bedtime.

Seek Sun in the Morning

In order to boost production of melatonin in the evening, you need to increase the levels of serotonin in the morning. You can support serotonin production by exposing your body to sunlight in the morning.

Eat Foods Rich in Melatonin

Melatonin can also be found in many of the foods that we eat. Eating these melatonin-rich foods a few hours before going to sleep can help to support healthy sleep cycles. Good foods to add to your diet include olives, corn, asparagus, cucumbers, pomegranate, flax seed, walnuts and rolled oats.

Go the Supplement Route

Many people swear by the use of a melatonin supplement for optimal sleep and health. These non-addictive supplements can provide a host of health benefits while also helping you to fall asleep faster at night, ensuring that you get a good night’s rest.

Being diligent about supporting melatonin function in the body can have far-reaching effects on a number of profound health functions. There is simply no reason not to learn more about how supporting healthy melatonin levels can help you to live a longer and healthier life.

Melatonin Supplementation: How Long Does Melatonin Last in the Body?

Oct 16 by Ewcopywriting

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the body in response to low levels of light to initiate sleep. Due to its influence on the sleep-wake cycle, it is also a primary ingredient in many sleep aid formulas. How long does melatonin last in the body? This is an important consideration, as melatonin supplements can be formulated in a variety of ways, including immediate-release, delayed- or extended-release and pulsatile-release.

What is Melatonin?

While melatonin is the primary ingredient in many sleep formulas, it is also a hormone that’s naturally produced in the brain’s pineal gland. Melatonin is released in the evening to help regulate the sleep cycle, and its release is governed by the circadian rhythm — the body’s internal clock.

However, in the presence of an irregular sleep schedule or activities that disrupt the circadian rhythm, the release of melatonin may be disrupted. Something as simple as using a mobile device too close to bedtime can be enough to throw off your internal clock. In this case, the release of melatonin can be delayed or reduced, making it hard to fall asleep or sleep soundly through the night.

Although melatonin is best known for its role in promoting sleep, it also provides a myriad of other health benefits. For example, melatonin can be helpful for seasonal depression, which results from the reduced sunlight and shorter days of fall and winter. In this case, small doses of melatonin have helped individuals to fall asleep earlier so their circadian rhythms can adjust to the changes that the colder seasons bring about. As a result, seasonal depression can be soothed, and episodes of insomnia reduced.

Other research has found that melatonin is helpful in managing blood pressure, the immune system and stress hormone levels. For these conditions, taking smaller doses than those necessary to aid in sleep can be helpful. In general, taking 0.5–10 mg a day is beneficial in aiding sleep and providing other health benefits.

Because it’s a natural hormone, melatonin is safer than prescription drugs and causes no undesirable side effects when taken as directed. However, it should not be taken in combination with alcohol. If you’re already taking other medications, you should consult your doctor before adding a melatonin supplement to your daily routine.

How Long Does Melatonin Last in the Body?

For those looking to supplement with melatonin to help with occasional bouts of sleeplessness, it’s important to know how long does melatonin last in the body, as this will affect your choice of which type of melatonin supplement to take. Some melatonin supplements are immediate-release, meaning that they instantly release melatonin into the body. These types of melatonin formulas are designed to take effect within an hour of taking them, making it important to take the supplement close to bedtime.

Conversely, delayed- or extended-release melatonin supplements do not release melatonin immediately, but after a delay, release melatonin slowly over a period of time so the melatonin stays in the system longer. This type of melatonin supplement may be preferable for those who have a tendency to awaken in the middle of the night and have difficulty falling back to sleep. A down-side of delayed-release melatonin is that it may cause morning grogginess.

Revolutionary pulsatile-release melatonin supplements tap into the science of chronobiology, which studies the way the body uses hormones and other nutrients differently at various times of the day or night. Unlike either immediate-release or delayed/extended-release melatonin supplements, pulsatile-release melatonin supplements mimic the body’s natural nighttime melatonin release pattern. These supplements release an initial burst of melatonin to help initiate sleep, followed by additional pulses of melatonin over the next seven to eight hours. This special delivery system promotes a sound and restful sleep while allowing you to awaken feeling refreshed and energized with no morning grogginess.

How to Promote Healthy Melatonin Production Naturally

Your Diet Matters

There are two ways the foods you eat can help your brain produce and release more melatonin. First, certain fruits, such as bananas, tart cherries, pineapples and tomatoes, directly affect the production of the sleep hormone. Secondly, some foods contain an amino acid called tryptophan, which promotes the production of melatonin. Foods that provide the greatest supply of tryptophan include turkey, chicken, beans, nuts, lentils, seeds and seafood.

Take an Early Walk

It’s necessary to help your circadian rhythm to reset itself, particularly if you spend most of your day indoors. This involves going for a walk or run first thing in the morning when the sun is rising. Exposure to the sunlight soon after awakening will help to adjust your internal clock to the appropriate time of day.

Turn Off Electronic Devices Early

Just as exposing your eyes to sunlight early in the morning will help your brain adjust to the day, you should also help your brain adjust to the evening hours. The blue light that a mobile device gives off can disrupt this process, which can negatively impact the production of melatonin at night. Doctors recommend shutting off electronic devices at least one hour before bed.

Create a Bedtime Ritual

Instead of using your electronic device, create a relaxation ritual that you can do every night. This will help you train your brain to recognize the signs that it’s time for rest, while also helping you wind down. This can involve taking a warm bath, reading a good book or meditating to soft music. Any practice that you find relaxing and enjoyable can be included in your bedtime ritual.

Make Your Sleeping Quarters More Comfortable

If you can’t completely eliminate the ambient light that seeps into your bedroom, you should invest in a sleep mask that helps block out light. Similarly, background noises, such as traffic noise, can also inhibit your ability to sleep, so it may help to wear earplugs to bed. You can also improve the comfort in your bedroom by turning on the AC or a fan. It has been proven that people sleep more comfortably in cooler temperatures.

If you try these suggestions and still find it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep, consult your doctor. In some cases, a sleep disorder can be the symptom of another health condition. Your doctor can help you identify the cause of your insomnia so you will sleep better more regularly.

Do You Suffer From a Melatonin Deficiency?

Jun 26 by Ewcopywriting

It’s commonly known that healthy melatonin production is an essential to a restful sleep. As nighttime comes and we prepare for bed, our internal clock, or circadian rhythm, signals the brain that it’s time for sleep. In response, the brain releases melatonin, a hormone that’s used to regulate sleepiness and wakefulness. If you have trouble sleeping, a melatonin deficiency may be to blame. Learn how to recognize the signs and how to get more of this sleep hormone.

How Does Melatonin Benefit Human Health?

While setting the stage for slumber is one role of melatonin, it does much more than just help people fall asleep. Even after you fall asleep, melatonin acts as a powerful antioxidant, assisting the body in maintaining health and repairing damage throughout the night.

As melatonin helps regulate sleep, it also influences metabolism by telling the body when it should be active. During sleep, the body enters into a fasting period, so one of the roles melatonin plays is to slow the metabolism and make the body more insulin resistant. This helps store energy for the waking period, when that extra energy will be needed. As the individual awakens and starts their day, the brain stops releasing melatonin and, as a result, the metabolism speeds up and the body becomes hypersensitive to insulin.

As a powerful antioxidant, this sleep hormone also helps to fight free radicals in the body. In this way, sufficient melatonin levels also help protect against unhealthy cell growth throughout the body. It helps guard against heart disease by promoting better cardiovascular health and also strengthens the immune system.

Looking at the way melatonin helps to maintain a healthy immune system, researchers recently found that the hormone may also help protect people from contracting viruses like COVID-19. In addition to being a powerful antioxidant, melatonin possesses potent anti-inflammatory processes, and can help maintain healthy inflammatory processes throughout the body.

In recent studies, melatonin has been found effective in modulating the lung inflammation that results from coronavirus infection. It also has been found to limit the production of proinflammatory cytokines and to keep immune cells in the lungs from becoming infected. Some research suggests the lung tissue damage that COVID-19 causes can also be prevented by the presence of melatonin. While researchers continue to investigate the possibility of using melatonin as a possible COVID-19 treatment, there’s already enough evidence to suggest a sufficient supply of melatonin is beneficial to our overall health.

What Causes a Melatonin Deficiency?

Unfortunately, many people experience a melatonin deficiency without realizing that’s the source of their health problems. While insomnia and similar sleep disorders are one sign that the brain isn’t producing sufficient quantities of melatonin, there are other indications that you may lack a sufficient supply of this hormone.

In addition to having difficulty falling asleep, it may also be difficult to stay asleep. Even if someone with an insufficient supply of melatonin stays asleep throughout the night, they will likely experience a restless sleep. A melatonin deficiency may also cause an individual to awaken too early and find that they can’t get back to sleep.

People with insufficient melatonin levels will often experience symptoms in their waking hours as well. They may awaken feeling fatigued or they won’t feel as refreshed and energetic as they should. They may experience depressive episodes and suffer cognitive impairments, such as forgetfulness and confusion. Hypertension and increased sensitivity to stress can also be signs of insufficient melatonin levels, which can also expose them to a higher risk for heart disease.

Boosting Melatonin Production Naturally

A doctor can help confirm whether you’re suffering from a melatonin deficiency. Once you know your brain isn’t producing enough of this hormone, there are some steps you can take to resolve the problem. Here are a few suggestions.

Shut Down One Hour Before Bed

Melatonin production relies on the circadian rhythm to tell the brain when it’s night, but the blue light that the screens of electronic devices emits disrupts that process. The light tricks the brain into thinking it’s still daylight, so it won’t produce melatonin when it should. Research suggests that shutting down devices one hour before going to bed will solve this problem.

Boost Daylight Exposure

If you spend the majority of your day indoors, you may be inhibiting the way your circadian rhythm functions. By spending some time outside, where you can benefit from direct sunlight exposure, you’ll be helping your brain adjust to the 24 -hour cycle. Getting that sunlight earlier in the day will help kick start the production of melatonin earlier in the evening.

Take a Melatonin Supplement

You can also add an evening supplement to your routine. For example, Melachron is a supplement that’s engineered to help you fall asleep sooner and stay asleep throughout the night. This supplement uses chronobiology to provide a steady supply of melatonin, so you’ll be able to sleep throughout the night. The seven-hour supply of melatonin will help you sleep at night without leaving you feeling groggy or fatigued in the morning.

Darken Your Bedroom

Just as getting sunlight in the day will help you fine-tune your biological clock, keeping your bedroom dark will also help. Eliminating light as much as possible will make the melatonin response in your brain that much more powerful, so you’ll feel sleepier in your bedroom at night. A darker bedroom will help you relax better, so you’ll also have a more restful sleep throughout the night.

6 Ways to Get Better Sleep for a Strong Immune System

Apr 27 by Ewcopywriting

Even though research into the link between sleep and the immune system is still in its early phase, we have already learned that there is definitely an important correlation. While sleep will benefit your immune system, stress and other factors can still keep you from getting enough rest. These six proven tips can help you get better sleep.

How Are Sleep And Immunity Related?

Most people know that they’re more likely to get sick when they’re not well rested, but research into this area has uncovered some biological reasons for that link. In one study, researchers compared the immune system’s T cells in well-rested subjects to the T cells of subjects who were prohibited from sleeping. They found fewer T cells present in the blood of well-rested subjects, which led them to believe the resting state provides an opportunity for the T cells to be sent to the lymph nodes. Once there, the T cells are assigned to a specific immune response function to help fight off disease or infection.

Research has also found that people who do get enough rest have a higher quantity of memory T cells, which are cells that have the capability of recognizing illnesses that the individual has had previously. Since the T cells are familiar with specific illnesses, they already know how to fight and eliminate those threats to the individual’s health.

Lack of Sleep Harms Your Health in Other Ways

A lack of quality sleep leads to a number of specific health problems as well. One example is the link between insufficient sleep and an increased risk for obesity. During sleep, the body produces a hormone called leptin, which reduces hunger cravings and helps the body burn stored fat for energy. This is why people who don’t sleep well also tend to overeat and struggle with losing fat.

The risk of obesity goes hand in hand with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, because more stored fat inhibits the body’s ability to produce enough insulin to push fat to the cells. Additionally, insufficient sleep causes the body to produce cortisol, a stress hormone. One of the effects that cortisol has on the body is to make the cells more resistant to insulin, which contributes to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Research has also found that inadequate sleep can increase the risk of heart disease. In one study, a research team examined the heart health of 4,000 subjects with no previous heart conditions. The subjects who were deprived of sleep exhibited a more pronounced build-up of arterial plaque than those who were permitted to get seven hours of quality sleep each night. These results were consistent, regardless of age, gender, smoking and dietary habits.

What Can You Do to Get Better Sleep?

Many researchers believe there are more undiscovered health benefits that result when we get better sleep. While one night of poor sleep may not have a lasting impact on your health, consistently experiencing sleep difficulties will negatively impact you in a variety of ways. These tips for getting better sleep can help you resolve the difficulties you’re having, so you’ll fall asleep faster and sleep through the night.

Reduce Caffeine Intake

People expose themselves to stimulants consistently throughout the day even more so than they may realize. While you may know that caffeine is a stimulant, you may not know that it can take up to six hours to leave your system. Having your last cup of coffee, tea or soda in the early afternoon hours will provide enough time for the stimulant to dissipate so you can get the rest you need.

Shut Down Early

The screens on electronic devices give off a blue light that interferes with the brain’s circadian rhythm, or biological clock. The light tricks the brain into thinking it’s still daytime, so the release of the hormone that cause sleepiness, melatonin, is inhibited. Sleep researchers recommend shutting down computers and mobile devices at least one hour before bedtime. This will give your brain the time it needs to adjust to the transition from day into night.

Check Your Bedding

The comfort of your sleeping quarters cannot be underestimated when it comes to getting enough quality sleep. A poor mattress, scratchy blankets or worn pillows can interfere with your ability to get to sleep and stay asleep. You can cut corners in any other area of your home’s furnishings, but the bedroom is one place where you should pamper yourself. You’ll be amazed by the difference that a new mattress or softer sheets can provide.

Set the Mood

Your environment is just as important as your bedding when it comes to creating a sleep-friendly atmosphere. If you notice excess lighting spilling into your bedroom from a window or from the corridor, it may be helpful to wear a sleep mask. Similarly, wearing earplugs, or noise-canceling earmuffs, to bed can keep noises from waking you in the night.

You may also find that your room is too warm. Researchers have learned that people sleep better in cooler temperatures, so they recommend setting the thermostat at 60 to 65 degrees at night if possible.

Take Time to Relax

It can also be helpful to find a relaxing hobby to engage in just before bed. Once you power down your electronic devices, use that hour to take a relaxing bath or practice yoga. You can listen to soothing music while you engage in these activities to help your mind get into a more relaxed state. If you don’t feel relaxed by practicing yoga, you can engage in another form of exercise, or find a hobby that relaxes you, such as reading a good book. The activities you choose are up to you as long as you find them relaxing.

Take a Melatonin Supplement

If all else fails, it could be helpful to take a high-quality melatonin supplement before bedtime. Studies have shown that supplementing with melatonin can help people with insomnia to fall asleep faster. Taking a pulsatile-release melatonin formula will help you to fall asleep more quickly and promote a restful sleep throughout the night.

Studies Examine How Melatonin Boosts Immunity

Apr 02 by Ewcopywriting

If you have ever had trouble sleeping, you may know that melatonin is the primary ingredient in many sleep supplements. This is because it’s a natural hormone that’s produced in the brain to govern the sleep-wake cycle and other internal body clocks. But melatonin does more than just help you get a refreshing night’s sleep: As we face a global pandemic, new research finds that melatonin boosts immunity and could provide greater protection against infectious diseases.

What is Melatonin?

Our brain and body function on a 24-hour biological clock, known as the circadian rhythm, which regulates our sleeping and waking hours. The circadian rhythm relies on the light of the day and the darkness of night as cues to determine when we should be awake and when we should be asleep.

As the environment gets darker, the brain is triggered to release melatonin, which in turn helps us to feel sleepy. While this is melatonin’s primary role, much research has discovered that it also serves many other important functions in the body.

Melatonin has been utilized in natural sleep supplements for decades, and is also used to treat a number of different medical conditions. For instance, blind individuals frequently experience sleep disorders because the absence of light interferes with the functioning of their circadian rhythm. For the blind, administering melatonin in the evening can help the brain regulate sleeping and waking hours more effectively.

In the same way, melatonin supplements are sometimes prescribed to individuals suffering from shift work disorder. People who work evenings and nights must sleep during the daylight hours, when the brain isn’t producing melatonin. The decreased production of this hormone interferes with the sleep cycle, so a melatonin supplement can help night shift workers to sleep more easily during the day. Recently, new research has found even more ways that melatonin interacts with the body and mind, including how melatonin boosts immunity.

How Melatonin Boosts Immunity

When it comes to maintaining a healthy immune system, foods that contain antioxidants are often recommended because those antioxidants play a crucial role in protecting the body against the damage done by free radicals. Unfortunately, when there is a deficiency of antioxidants in the diet, other substances in the body must take up this protective role. For example, the hormone glutathione is normally responsible for moving energy to the cells, fueling the immune system and regulating how the immune system works. When there is an antioxidant deficiency, however, glutathione is forced to take up the role of fighting free radicals.

As glutathione is used for these extra tasks, the body’s supply gets used up rather quickly. This means there’s less fuel to bolster the immune system and that immunity can grow weaker as a result. Again, the body will compensate; it sends out melatonin to take up the role that glutathione usually performs. Using melatonin for its antioxidant properties gives the body a chance to produce more glutathione, so that these substances can all return to their normal tasks.

Melatonin becomes even more important to our health as we age, because it helps keep the immune system strong. Our immune system relies on T cells to help identify foreign invaders and to send antibodies to fight them, but the number of T cells in the body naturally diminishes over time. This means that as we age, there’s a decreased response of the immune system and the body can’t fight off disease as efficiently. Fortunately, melatonin helps to compensate for this reduction by stimulating the production of more T cells. In doing so, melatonin helps to strengthen the immune system and promotes better responses to disease.

According to research conducted at Jagiellonian University, melatonin can also act as an anti-inflammatory agent. Inflammation can be an acute immune system response to injury or illness, or it can be a chronic condition that requires an ongoing response. In either situation, the immune system’s involvement in inflammation can lead to a weakened immune response to other diseases that may affect the body. It has been shown that melatonin may help to reduce inflammation in instances where it’s not absolutely necessary, so the immune system can be freed up and reserved for more serious conditions such as infectious diseases.

Research has found that melatonin is present in several areas of the body in addition to the brain, including the retina, pineal gland, digestive tract and kidneys. Additionally, scientists have found melatonin receptors in cells throughout the body, providing further evidence that melatonin helps boost immunity. While research continues to focus on the mechanisms involved in how melatonin regulates immune system function, there’s clear evidence that this hormone does help the body fight against disease and infection.

Naturally Boost Your Body’s Melatonin Levels

There are a variety of natural ways to promote healthy melatonin levels in the body. Below are just a few.

Increase Your Exposure to the Sun

The production of melatonin relies on a healthy circadian rhythm, so exposing yourself to more sunlight during the day will help increase the production of melatonin at night. This helps your brain to observe a more pronounced difference between night and day, which will trigger a stronger sleep mode at bedtime.

Stick to a Schedule

Regardless of the hours you work, you should develop a sleep schedule and stick to it all week long. This will help you train your circadian rhythm to adjust to your lifestyle, so melatonin production will coincide with your sleeping hours.

Darken Your Sleeping Quarters

If artificial light comes into your bedroom through a window, that can be enough to disrupt the production of melatonin. You can resolve this problem by either covering your windows with a thick, dark curtain, or by wearing a sleep mask to bed.

Limiting your exposure to artificial light at night and increasing exposure to sunlight during the day are the best ways to boost melatonin production. If you still experience sleeping difficulties, or you’re worried that you’re not producing enough melatonin naturally, talk to your doctor about taking a melatonin supplement. This will help you sleep better and it may boost the strength of your immune system to boot!

Melatonin for Coronavirus: A Novel Treatment Option

Mar 20 by Ewcopywriting

As the Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, pandemic spreads across the globe, scientists all over the world are searching for a cure, while at the same time scrambling to create an effective vaccine. Research into the possibility of repurposing existing medications to treat this latest pandemic has uncovered an effective use of melatonin for this very purpose — treating and preventing coronavirus.

The Benefits of Drug Repurposing

COVID-19 has been found to be effectively combated by the immune systems of most healthy people. However, the majority of the fatalities that have resulted from COVID-19 infections to date have occurred in people who are elderly and/or already suffering from significant health conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and respiratory infections. While some of the latest research is focusing on creating new medications to prevent or treat the virus, other research is centered on repurposing existing medications that may have a positive effect in preventing the severity and the spread of the virus.

Successfully repurposing existing drugs has an important benefit: it means that they can be made publicly available in a shorter time frame. Existing drugs have also already gone through trials and government approval processes, and thus have already been proven safe for human use. Between the approval process and the time it would take to manufacture a new drug, repurposing an existing drug could save months, or even years.

Can Existing Drugs Be Used to Treat Coronavirus?

A study conducted at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology looked at how certain existing drugs, categorized as BSAAs, or broad-spectrum antiviral agents, would affect the COVID-19 virus. In the study, researchers focused their attention on this category of medication because BSAAs can attack two or more types of viruses simultaneously.

After testing 119 BSAAs, the researchers found that a couple seemed to be particularly effective in combating the COVID-19 virus. Specifically, the team found that chloroquine and remdesivir were effective in inhibiting the spread of the virus in laboratory experiments. Other medications that could potentially treat coronavirus are dalbavancin, emetine, monensin, oritavancin and teicoplanin. While it’s rare to repurpose antibiotics for use in treating viruses, it appears that the properties of these particular drugs could make them effective as antiviral agents as well.

The researchers will continue their research by pursuing the effectiveness of these drugs against COVID-19 in clinical trials. The hope is to show that broad-spectrum antiviral agents have a wide range of uses and can help improve recovery rates in the treatment in a variety of diseases.

Previous Research Supports Melatonin’s Potential

Some of the latest research is also focusing on using melatonin as a possible adjunct treatment for COVID-1 — but this isn’t the first time this hormone has been used in the fight against viral infections. Best known for its role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle and use as a sleep aid, melatonin has also been studied for its potential role in supporting virus treatment for decades.

As far back as 1988, researchers successfully used melatonin to protect laboratory rodents against viral diseases. In studies, the rats were infected with the encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), or the Semliki Forest virus (SFV), which are both fatal within a 10-day window. However, daily doses of melatonin resulted in delayed and reduced symptoms. Additionally, instances of death were reduced.

Later, the outbreak of the Ebola virus in 2014 through 2016 prompted researchers to revisit the idea of using melatonin to help fight viruses. One consequence of the Ebola virus is to inhibit immune system function. Combined with its effectiveness in modulating inflammation and reducing oxidative stress, melatonin’s ability to protect the immune system made it a promising treatment possibility for the Ebola virus.

Through laboratory research, it was found that melatonin-based adjunct treatments also helped to protect blood vessels, which are also affected by the Ebola virus. The hemorrhagic shock that could result from the damage that the virus has on blood vessels was shown to be prevented in cases where melatonin was administered. Since hemorrhagic shock is a leading cause of death attributed to the Ebola virus, the ability to reduce vascular permeability with melatonin treatments made it a desirable option. While melatonin has never been found to be effective in negating viruses entirely, it has been shown to be effective in reducing the severity of symptoms that a viral infection may cause.

Researchers Examine Using Melatonin for Coronavirus

Research into the use of melatonin as an antiviral treatment has continued to the present day, when researchers are now focusing on repurposing melatonin for the treatment of COVID-19. This is because COVID-19, like any viral infection, increases the level of oxidative stress in the body. Left unchecked, oxidative stress can cause organ damage, but melatonin’s antioxidant properties can help combats the free radicals that cause this damage.

Administering melatonin along with other treatments may help keep a viral infection, such as COVID-19, under control, so it won’t become a life-threatening condition. In the meantime, melatonin will also protect the body as the immune system grows stronger and is able to combat the virus more effectively. Specifically, melatonin targets the same protein coding genes that the human coronavirus targets, helping to reduce the likelihood that the virus will infect those genes. Melatonin also works as an anti-inflammatory agent, which helps reduce the effects that an infected gene will produce.

Currently, research into the effects that melatonin and repurposed drugs have on the COVID-19 is in the early stages. While laboratory research has produced promising results, clinical trials are needed to confirm that these repurposed medications will have the same effects on living organisms. In the meantime, people are urged to continue practicing the safety guidelines for avoiding infection. These include washing your hands frequently, keeping a distance of at least six feet from others and self-quarantining inside your home as much as possible.