melatonin 411

Melatonin and Pregnancy: How the “Sleep” Hormone Helps During Pregnancy, Labor and Beyond

Healthy pregnancies are essential to the survival of our species. However, due to a lack of willingness to experiment on pregnant women, there is very little research on exactly what it takes to sustain a healthy pregnancy. According to a growing body of knowledge, the pineal gland hormone melatonin, generally associated with sleep, may be essential to having a healthy pregnancy.

Melatonin and Pregnancy

Because pregnancy is so common — after all, it is how we all got here — we forget that it is a complex physiological process that relies on an intricate cascade of hormones and growth factors. According to some studies, melatonin appears to play an important role. Fetuses begin to make melatonin very late in the pregnancy, and even then will not make sufficient amounts until several months after birth. Instead, they rely on melatonin made by their mothers, which appears to cross the placental barrier easily.

Once in the bloodstream of a fetus, melatonin has a variety of important effects. Melatonin increases the viability of both the placenta and the fetus, appearing to work with other hormones to support good pregnancy health. The absence of melatonin, on the other hand, appears to have a negative effect on the neurological development and health of offspring.

Melatonin appears to be especially important in pregnancies that are higher risk. It has been found to be protective in pre-eclampsia, which is one of the most common causes of death in pregnancy among both mothers and babies. According to one study, it even has potential in treating pre-eclampsia.

Melatonin’s antioxidant effects also can protect a fetus from injury when they are exposed to chemicals, either in the environment or from the substance abuse of the mother. Melatonin can also help to prevent the bone damage seen in babies whose mothers used nicotine products while pregnant. It even can protect against some of the prenatal effects of alcohol, which can produce severe physical and cognitive disabilities.

Melatonin’s Role in Labor

The most important hormone in labor and childbirth is oxytocin. This hormone, which is responsible for the feeling of love and other “warm fuzzy” emotions, causes the uterine contractions that compel a fetus into the world. Melatonin appears to have a synergistic effect on oxytocin, encouraging its release and also enhancing its effects.

The effects of melatonin on placental insufficiency also likely has a positive effect on labor and delivery. Placental complications in delivery are rare but remain feared by obstetricians and mothers alike. The placenta is necessary to keep the baby alive but can cause serious hemorrhage during the birth process if it detaches too early or too late. Melatonin’s role in stabilizing the placenta may be crucial in helping mothers through the difficult and painful process of birth. Once the baby is born and the placenta delivered, melatonin continues to play an important role.

Infancy and Beyond

The entire goal of a pregnancy is to give birth to a healthy baby and, ultimately, healthy child. Any hormone that supports a healthy pregnancy and birth will contribute to healthier babies. Melatonin is no exception. It has neuroprotective effects that may protect against autism. According to one study, it can even be protective against high blood pressure much further on in the child’s life.

Many of the studies looking at the long term effects of melatonin were performed on mice, rats and other animals due to the understandable restrictions on experimenting on human infants and fetuses. However, melatonin appears to act in the same manner in all mammals, suggesting that it may have similar effects on human babies. Because melatonin has relatively few side effects, supplementation may be a safe way to give a pregnancy the best possible chance.

Developmental Changes in Circadian Rhythm

A fetus’s circadian rhythm appears to be extremely important to their health and well-being. This does not change as they grow older. Newborns do not make sufficient melatonin on their own but instead get it from their mothers in breast milk, allowing their circadian rhythm to begin mirroring that of their caregivers. As children grow older, having a stable circadian rhythm has been linked to better health, better cognitive function and overall better lifelong health.

Although melatonin supplements can be helpful, the best approach to optimizing melatonin levels is to strive to maintain a healthy circadian rhythm. Most people make enough of this hormone to support good sleep habits and good health when they practice good sleep hygiene and get plenty of sleep.

Melatonin is not just for sleep, although this remains its best-known and likely most important role in human health. This hormone is made by our bodies for a variety of purposes, from cell repair to antioxidant activities. Although we associate it most with the circadian rhythm, it is an important part of life from conception through old age.

The Little-Known Connection Between Melatonin and Fertility

Nov 26 by Ewcopywriting

Many people associate melatonin with sleep — with good reason. Helping to regulate and maintain the circadian rhythm appears to be the most important and best-known role of this pineal gland hormone. However, melatonin also plays a variety of other important roles in the human body. According to recent studies on melatonin and fertility, it may play a very important role in helping couples to conceive.

Infertility: A Growing Modern Problem

For reasons that doctors and scientists do not fully understand, an increasing number of people are struggling with infertility. Only one in six couples trying to conceive will be able to do so in a reasonable amount of time, generally defined as around a year.

Infertility has classically been seen as a female problem, but men are contributing increasingly to low pregnancy rates. Causes that can be attributed to the male are now behind around 30 percent of infertility cases. For reasons that are not completely understood, sperm counts around the world have dropped dramatically and are continuing to fall. An increasing number of couples are seeking IVF and other fertility treatments, making reproductive technology one of the fastest growing fields of medicine. Despite this medical assistance, birth rates in the developed world are below replacement rates and continuing to fall.

What is causing this decline in fertility? There are several hypotheses, including estrogens in the water supply, increased pollution of water and air, radiation from smart devices and a general inclination to wait until later in life to conceive. Regardless of the cause, several studies suggest that melatonin may be part of the answer.

Could Melatonin Affect Egg Quality?

The rise in in-vitro fertilization has allowed scientists to study in depth what factors make an egg healthier and more likely to successfully become an embryo. The life cycle of an egg is complex and extremely important to fertilization, making it a popular avenue of study in the fertility world. Eggs, or oocytes, spend most of a woman’s life dormant in her ovary. When stimulated, a single egg begins to mature and resumes cell division. It matures in a follicle until it is released. From here, it travels down the fallopian tube to the uterus, where it is hopefully fertilized. If a couple is undergoing IVF, the egg is instead harvested.

Melatonin fluids in follicular fluid have been found to predict the health of the future egg. Melatonin also appears to protect eggs from oxidative stress during the collection and fertilization process, which in turn improves the chances of successful fertilization and implantation.

Simply giving melatonin to women trying to conceive has been found to improve egg quality as well as increase the chances of a successful pregnancy. Although these are all small studies, they definitely suggest that melatonin is crucial to conceiving and carrying a pregnancy, especially for women struggling with infertility.

Melatonin and Fertility in Males

Melatonin is important to the fertility of women, but it also appears to play a role in the fertility of men. High melatonin levels have been linked to sperm quality in both living men and in storage for insemination. This appears to be partly due to melatonin’s role as an antioxidant, preventing damage to DNA in semen.

However, melatonin may play another role as well, one that is increasingly important in the modern world: protecting sperm from damage due to pollutants. For men who live in areas where water and air quality are affecting fertility rates, this could be an immense advantage.

Although melatonin alone cannot cure male infertility (that we know of, at least), it appears to have an important role in male fertility. Men who are on the borderline between infertility and conception may especially benefit from taking a nightly supplement or from taking care to keep their natural production of melatonin high.

Links Between Circadian Rhythm and Fertility

Many of these studies have been performed in-vitro, on eggs that are fertilized in dishes for use in IVF and other reproductive technologies. However, the findings also likely apply to conceptions that occur the natural way. Because melatonin is a natural antioxidant and free radical scavenger, it can prevent cells from getting damaged from respiration and other activities. This is likely part of the reason that both eggs and sperm fare better when exposed to melatonin.

However, there may be other causes of the link between a healthy circadian rhythm and fertility. Melatonin appears to contribute to healthy hormonal cycles in women, which are essential for conception and pregnancy. In addition, people who have irregular melatonin may also have other health risk factors such as obesity or type 2 diabetes, as both of these have been linked to low melatonin levels.

There definitely appears to be a link between melatonin and fertility rates; one that may become increasingly important as infertility rates increase around the world. Although the causality remains in question, people nonetheless may find they are more fertile when they lead a healthy lifestyle, including getting plenty of sleep and keeping their circadian rhythm well-regulated.

Researchers Discover New Connections Between Melatonin and Hemorrhagic Stroke

Nov 06 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

A stroke is a serious medical condition caused by poor blood flow to the brain that often results in cell death. At least 80 percent of all cases of stroke are the ischemic type of stroke. In an ischemic stroke, an artery to the vein is blocked, preventing brain tissue from receiving oxygen and nutrients. However, approximately 13 percent of all stroke cases are a different type called a hemorrhagic stroke. In this type of stroke, a weakened blood vessel in the brain ruptures, leaking blood into the surrounding brain tissue, ultimately damaging it. The most common cause of a hemorrhagic stroke is high blood pressure. Some other causes include trauma, infection, tumors, blood vessel abnormalities and blood clotting deficiencies.

A hemorrhagic stroke often causes severe disability, if not death. Most hospital patients who have suffered a hemorrhagic stroke require mechanical ventilation. However, staying on mechanical ventilation for very long is undesirable, as it can cause side effects like lung injury, pneumonia and gastrointestinal bleeding. Fortunately, new research on melatonin and hemorrhagic stroke has discovered a natural way to improve recovery from hemorrhagic stroke and to reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation in such patients.

New Study Finds Link Between Melatonin and Hemorrhagic Stroke

Though hemorrhagic stroke is less common than ischemic stroke, it leads to death more frequently than ischemic stroke. New discoveries about how to treat the aftermath of hemorrhagic stroke and reduce mortality are invaluable. Getting proper medical care as soon as possible is important for avoiding death from stroke. In particular, experts believe that early initiation of neuroprotective treatments (i.e. medications that help keep nerve and brain cells alive and functioning) may improve the outcome of hemorrhagic stroke.

A 2017 study sheds valuable light on possibilities for hemorrhagic stroke treatment. This study was conducted by researchers from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, and it was published in the scientific journal Journal of Research in Pharmacy Practice.

The study involved collecting information about 40 adults who had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke and who had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit within 24 hours of the event. The researchers had some of the patients receive 30 milligrams of melatonin every night, while the rest of the patients did not receive any melatonin.

Upon analyzing the data, the researchers discovered that melatonin shortened both the duration of mechanical ventilation and the duration of ICU stay. Patients who received this treatment did not need mechanical ventilation for as long and got out of the Intensive Care Unit sooner. This suggests that melatonin helped them recover from the stroke. Further research may prove that melatonin deserves a place as an integral part of the stroke treatment protocol. The authors of the study also note that melatonin may be useful for any patient undergoing mechanical ventilation, regardless of whether or not that is because of a stroke. They note this chemical has sedative, pain-relieving, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This could mean melatonin has many more therapeutic properties than we currently realize.

The Benefits of Melatonin

What exactly is melatonin? Melatonin is a hormone that is secreted by the pineal gland. It is secreted in far greater quantities during the dark hours of the day. Its main function is to regulate the circadian rhythm, or the sleep-wake cycle. Though the body produces melatonin naturally, it can also be helpful for certain conditions to take melatonin by mouth. By far, the main reason to take a melatonin supplement is for a sleep disorder such as insomnia and jet lag. It may also help improve quality of sleep even in people who do not have a definable sleep disorder.

Melatonin has many other lesser-known benefits. It may be helpful for treating certain types of stomach ulcers, tinnitus and heartburn. Some research even suggests that melatonin can slightly improve memory and cognitive function. Further research into melatonin’s antioxidant and neuroprotective properties could reveal many more therapeutic uses for this amazing substance.

Reducing Your Risk of Hemorrhagic Stroke

Some estimates say that an astonishing one in six people will suffer some type of stroke within their lifetime. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to reduce your risk.

Smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for stroke, including hemorrhagic stroke. It increases the likelihood of blood clots forming, and has many other negative effects that contribute to your stroke risk. Quitting smoking, as well as avoiding exposure to second-hand smoke, will reduce your chance of suffering a stroke.

Along with tobacco, alcohol is another substance that increases your risk of hemorrhagic stroke. For optimal health, men should have no more than two drinks per day, and women should have no more than one.

Diet — even skipping meals — influences the risk of stroke. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, get enough potassium and limit saturated fat. Exercise is also important; meeting the official minimum recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate exercise every week will help reduce your risk of stroke. A healthy diet in conjunction with regular exercise will also help you maintain a healthy weight, which is important because being overweight or obese greatly increases your risk of stroke and other cardiovascular problems.

Since the most common cause of hemorrhagic stroke is high blood pressure, it is crucial to prevent and treat this condition in order to avoid the risk of stroke. In addition to following the above suggestions, limit your sodium intake to 1,500 milligrams per day, as well as to relieve and avoid stress.

Talk to your doctor about your risk of hemorrhagic stroke. If he or she assesses you to be at a high risk of stroke, you may be prescribed a medication to help prevent blood clots from forming.

Chronobiology and the Circadian Rhythm: What You Need to Know

Oct 18 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

The circadian rhythm is a huge topic of discussion lately due to a group of three researchers winning the Nobel Prize for identifying the genes and proteins that coordinate our internal clocks. As the Nobel Laureate committee noted, a small mismatch between our bodies and the environment can lead to serious health problems. This makes understanding chronobiology and the circadian rhythm critical to maintaining good health.

Chronobiology and the Circadian Rhythm: The Basics

All living creatures have a circadian rhythm, from the smallest unicellular creatures to plants to even complex mammals such as humans. Our bodies have internal clocks that tell us when to be alert, when to sleep and even when to eat. These clocks are innate but also are influenced by external factors such as sunlight, temperature and when we eat. Our circadian rhythms refer to a 24-hour clock, but we also have cycles that repeat monthly, seasonally and annually.

Why are these clocks important? Consider the event of waking. In the early morning hours, our brains switch from making melatonin, a hormone that increases sleepiness, to making the wakeful hormone cortisol instead. As the sky begins to light up, our brain begins to awaken, along with every cell in our bodies. By the time the alarm goes off or we wake naturally, our body is primed to get up and be alert.

What Happens When Your Internal Clock Is Out of Sync?

Why are our internal clocks important? Quite simply it is because our bodies cannot function effectively without them. Without these internal clocks, our bodies cannot prepare ahead of time for events such as eating and sleeping, which can cause issues with these activities. Disorders ranging from IBS to even depression have been linked to dysregulation of internal clocks in the GI tract.

In addition, our bodies depend on these internal clocks to determine when to perform important repair activities such as DNA repair. When our circadian rhythm is dysregulated, these activities may not occur on the right schedule or even may not occur at all. This leads to a higher risk of cancer and other potentially deadly diseases, which have been linked to jet lag, shift work and other disruptions of the circadian rhythm.

Advances in Chronobiology, Advances in Health

New understanding of internal clocks and the way that they affect our health and happiness have led to a new field called chronobiology. Chronobiology is the study of these internal clocks, including the clock that governs our circadian rhythm.

Much of our sleep-wake cycle is governed by an internal clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus. This area of the brain collects information about light levels and other external cues, using these to modify the timing of our internal clocks. Understanding more about the genes and biochemicals involved in these can lead to new and more effective treatments for the circadian disorders. For instance, we now know that melatonin is an important part of the body’s preparation to sleep and thus that taking a melatonin supplement can help to get the circadian rhythm back on track. Other new discoveries in the field of chronobiology may mean new and innovative treatments in the future.

Modern Conflicts with Circadian Rhythm

While we now understand more about the circadian rhythm than we ever have, modern life makes maintaining a stable internal clock a greater challenge than ever before. People are working increasingly erratic hours due to a planet where the business day never stops. Many people work odd shifts that keep them from waking and going to bed at a regular time. Travel for work and personal reasons has made jet lag a common affliction. Even simple things like daylight savings time can throw internal clocks off kilter.

Light pollution is also a modern problem that interferes with the circadian rhythm. Most modern people no longer live in an area where total darkness is possible. This can interfere with melatonin production, sleeping habits and long-term health. It may even be part of the reason that we have seen a sharp increase in obesity, metabolic disorders and other chronic diseases.

Maintaining Healthy Internal Clocks

How can modern people combine new information about the circadian rhythm into their own healthy lifestyle? While there is still much to be learned, there are concrete ways that we can help to stabilize our internal clocks. Consider the following strategies:

Maintain a stable sleep schedule with the same bedtime and waking time—even on days off.
Expose your skin to bright natural light every day.
Try to create the darkest possible environment at night, using blackout curtains if necessary.
Turn off screens about an hour before you go to bed.
Consider taking a melatonin supplement at night if you have trouble falling or staying asleep.

This Nobel Prize has brought attention to the circadian rhythm and the field of chronobiology, for good reason. Understanding the workings of the human body’s internal clocks may lead to new and innovative treatments that help people to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Melatonin in Blood-Brain Barrier May Protect Against Neurological Disease

Sep 05 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

According to a new study, melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep and wakefulness, may help prevent neurological disease by maintaining the integrity of the blood brain barrier (BBB). Many forms of neurological disease, including Alzheimer’s and other conditions that affect seniors, begin with damage to the BBB. Researchers have also noted lower levels of melatonin in older adults. The link between melatonin and neurological diseases may help researchers prevent or treat common conditions like Alzheimer’s, ALS, stroke and traumatic brain injury.

What is the Blood Brain Barrier?

The blood brain barrier is a semipermeable barrier around the brain and spinal cord that only allows certain substances through. The BBB is composed of endothelial cells which are found in capillaries in other parts of the body, but the cells in the blood brain barrier are very specialized and tightly packed. The BBB works to protect the brain, but it can create problems in the treatment of brain disorders as medications typically cannot pass the barrier.

Research has found that various stimuli to the BBB can cause disruption, which may lead to neurological disease. In people who have certain brain injuries or neurological diseases, this barrier does not work as it should and allows pathogens and dangerous molecules into the brain.

Neurological Diseases and the BBB

Disruption or damage of the BBB plays an important role in cell damage in neurological diseases. Previous research has found that many neurological diseases have common defects in the blood brain barrier including epilepsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, ALS and traumatic brain injury. While these conditions all affect the central nervous system in a different way, a study published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology found they share defects that can be traced to one set of genes.

The team of researchers found that with these diseases, the dysfunction in the BBB is a major contributor to symptoms and the progression of the disease.

Melatonin and Neurological Diseases: What’s the Link?

A new study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience aimed to identify a treatment to maintain the integrity of the blood brain barrier to potentially prevent neurological diseases.

One of the most common forms of stress on the BBB in the elderly is sepsis, a systemic inflammatory response to infection that can cause neurological problems. Sepsis also causes lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to be released into the blood where it damages the integrity of the
blood brain barrier. LPS can produce neuroinflammation and BBB disruption. It has also been found to increase the permeability of the BBB in vitro.

Melatonin was been found to preserve the integrity of the blood brain barrier in many ways, including inhibiting MMP-9 and NADPH oxidase-2. It has also been found to alleviate BBB damage caused by LPS in elderly mice by activating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and inhibiting gp91phox. In septic mice, melatonin was able to block the septic response in the body by disrupting neurological connections. Melatonin may also help protect organs from damage caused by sepsis.

It appears that low levels of melatonin in older mice (and humans) may contribute to the disruption of BBB in the face of stimuli like sepsis. In a study published in the Journal of Pineal Research, scientists were able to demonstrate that a short one-week treatment of melatonin was able to significantly reduce LPS-induced damage to the blood brain barrier.

This led researchers to suggest that supplementing with melatonin may reduce the risk of neurological disease in seniors by maintaining the integrity of the blood brain barrier while encouraging more frequent use in the medical field due to melatonin’s low toxicity and high efficacy.

Previous Studies on Melatonin and Brain Health

The ability of melatonin to treat LPS-induced BBB damage is exciting, but this is only the most recent discovery about the function of melatonin in the brain. Melatonin was once considered little more than a sleep aid for occasional sleeplessness, but a number of recent studies have found that it can potentially improve cognitive function and reduce trauma caused by a brain injury.

One study published in the Journal of Pineal Research found that melatonin may offer protection against irreversible brain damage caused by trauma or stroke. Researchers discovered that a 30-day treatment of melatonin 24 hours after an induced stroke improved the survival of brain cells in mice and improved recovery in injured cells. The mice treated with melatonin following a stroke also had a better long-term prognosis in terms of coordination and motor function, two areas that are commonly affected by stroke in humans.

Another important study found that melatonin has favorable effects on the metabolism of amyloid-beta proteins, the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers found that after administering low doses of melatonin for 10 days, it improved cognition and reduced levels of these inflammatory proteins in the brains of animals.

Several other groups have demonstrated this same beneficial effect in experimental models of Alzheimer’s disease to potentially improve cognitive function, inhibition of beta-amyloid deposits, and reduction of anti-oxidative injury.

Melatonin for Anxiety: Promising New Applications for a Familiar Sleep Supplement

Mar 01 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Many people all over the world take melatonin to help them sleep. However, new research suggests that some may benefit from taking melatonin for anxiety as well.

Around one in five adults suffer from anxiety. While certain types of therapy and medications such as SSRIs can help, many people struggle to manage their symptoms. The loss of daily function and lack of sleep can severely interfere with the lives of people who suffer from this concern. As a result, many people are on a search for safe, natural remedies that will help manage their anxiety and the often-associated occasional difficulty sleeping once and for all. Several new studies suggest that taking melatonin for anxiety may be the answer many have been looking for.

Deciphering the Underlying Causes of Anxiety

Scientists and doctors do not understand why some people suffer from anxiety on a daily basis while others do not. However, there is a lot that we do know about this condition thanks to a great deal of research. PET scans show that the root cause appears to be an imbalance of certain neurotransmitters such as serotonin and epinephrine. The autonomic nervous system, which controls instincts such as “fight-or-flight” behavior, also appears to play a role. People with anxiety appear to have a smaller temporal lobe volume, reduced numbers of serotonin receptors and increased blood flow in areas of the brain that mediate emotions such as fear. While people once thought that anxiety was a personal weakness, we now know that it can have very real physical causes.

The result is that people with anxiety suffer from excessive panic and fear compared to other people in similar situations. They also have a wide range of physical symptoms such as sweating, tremors, rapid heart beat, dilated pupils and insomnia. The constant presence of anxiety in one’s life can make it difficult to function normally both at work and with loved ones. Doctors currently treat anxiety with therapy as well as a range of pharmaceuticals that quiet physical symptoms and increase serotonin levels. Sedating medications are also a popular treatment as they quiet a mind and body that are on edge.

Melatonin for Anxiety: A Natural Treatment with Potential

Melatonin may be a potential treatment for helping to soothe anxiety, especially anxiety that comes with occasional difficulty falling asleep and other sleep concerns. Melatonin has long been noted to decrease anxious behaviors in research animals, even as far back as 1984. Researchers noted that animals who had higher levels of melatonin showed less of the hallmark behaviors of anxiety while also performing better on tests, making fewer errors. They also slept better at night. Part of this was believed to be due to melatonin’s slightly sedating effect as well as the fact that these lab animals were getting better sleep. After all, sedatives of various kinds are already used successfully in treating anxiety. In addition, melatonin is a hormone that helps us to fall asleep at night and stay asleep, so it is no surprise that we will generally be better rested while taking a melatonin supplement.

However, more recent research suggests that melatonin may have a calming effect on people with anxiety even outside of its sleep benefits. People who take melatonin before and after surgery—times when physiological and psychological stress run high—have less anxiety and also fewer instances of postoperative delirium. This is significant because many anesthetics, such as Propofol, reduce plasma melatonin levels. This may actually be contributing to high levels of anxiety in patients undergoing surgical procedures. This is more significant when you consider that Ramelteon, a drug that increases melatonin, has already been shown to be effective in treating anxiety associated with insomnia.

More Sleep and Less Stress

Anxiety is one of the most common mental afflictions in the world, while occasional difficulty falling asleep also affects millions of people. Could these disorders be somehow linked? Scientists are still studying the connections between difficulty sleeping and anxiety, but the remedies for these two disorders remain very similar. Whether you are suffering from anxiety, occasional difficulty sleeping, or both, cognitive behavioral therapy, lifestyle modifications and increasing melatonin are promising treatments. Whether you increase melatonin levels by taking a melatonin supplement or taking a drug such as Ramelteon, you may find that you are less anxious and more able to handle the stresses of daily life without unpleasant physical symptoms.

Melatonin may help anxiety simply by sedating sufferers, increasing sleep or even by a mechanism that is not yet known. The research is clear that taking melatonin for anxiety appears to help treat many of the symptoms. It is important to talk to your physician before adding any medication or supplement to your regimen, especially if you are already being treated for anxiety or insomnia with pharmaceuticals. However, the evidence behind melatonin indicates that it may have a very beneficial effect for people with a variety of health concerns.