Melatonin promotes off-hour sleep
According to a new study done by the Harvard Medical School and the Division of Sleep Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the dietary supplement melatonin improves one’s ability to sleep at unusual times, especially helpful for rotating-shift workers, jet-lagged travelers or those with delayed sleep phase syndrome. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the body when it’s dark, retinal light exposure inhibits the hormone’s release. The double-blind placebo-controlled clinical study had thirty-six participants (21 men, 15 women, ages 18 to 30) who were kept on 20 hour sleep-wake schedules, ingesting either a placebo, 0.3 mg, or 5 mg of pharmaceutical grade melatonin. Researchers found that those taking a melatonin supplement had a significantly higher efficiency of sleep during times when the body was not producing melatonin. “Melatonin enabled these participants to obtain an extra half hour of sleep when they attempted to do so during the day” said Dr. Charles Czeisler, Chief of the Division of Sleep Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and senior author of the study, “these findings have implications for millions of people who attempt to sleep at a time that is out of synch with the brain’s internal clock.” The findings appear in the May 1, 2006 issue of the journal Sleep.
Melatonin Most Effective For Sleep When Taken For Off-Hour Sleeping, Rush.edu
Yes, melatonin has been found to work well in cases of disruption of the body’s circadian rhythm like jet lag. But slow-release or timed-release melatonin seem to be perfect for maintaining a longer duration of sleep especially among insomniacs.
Comment by quick release or slow release melatonin? — February 8, 2007 @ 12:25 pm