In addition to its use as a sleep aid, melatonin exerts possible effects on cardiovascular parameters, including anti-oxidative action on LDL, reduction in sympathetic (adrenaline-driven) tone, and reduction in blood pressure.
Several studies document the blood pressure-reducing effect of melatonin:
Effects on BP tend to be modest, on the order of 5-8 mmHg reduction in systolic, half that in diastolic.
But don't pooh-pooh such small reductions, however, as small reductions exert mani-fold larger reductions in cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke. NIH-sponsored NHANES data (see JNC VII), for example, document a doubling of risk for each increment of BP of 20/10. The Camelot Study demonstrated a reduction in cardiovascular events from 23% in placebo subjects to 16.7% in subjects taking amlodipine (Norvasc) with a 5 mm reduction in systolic pressure, 2 mmHg drop in diastolic pressure. Small changes, big benefits.
Many people take melatonin at bedtime and are disappointed with the effects. However, a much better way is to take melatonin several hours before bedtime, e.g., take at 7 pm to fall asleep at 10 pm. Don't think of melatonin as a sleeping pill; think of it as a sleep hormone, something that simply prepares your body for sleep by slowing heart rate, reducing body temperature, and reducing blood pressure. (You may need to modify the interval between taking melatonin and sleep, since individual responsiveness varies quite a bit.)
I also favor the sustained-release preparations, e.g., 5 mg sustained-release. Immediate-release, while it exerts a more rapid onset of sleep, allows you to wake up prematurely, The sustained-release preparations last longer and allow longer sleep.
The dose varies with age, with 1 mg effective in people younger than 40 years, higher doses of 3, 5, even 10 or 12 mg in older people. Sustained-release preparations also should be taken in slightly higher doses.
The only side-effect I've seen with melatonin is vivid, colorful dreams. Perhaps that's a plus!
Controversy over the Safety of Melatonin in Autoimmune Diseases
In general, although melatonin is one of the least toxic substances known, it is not recommended for people with autoimmune diseases or immune system cancers because of its ability to stimulate immune function. However, in numerous studies of people with specific autoimmune disorders, melatonin can modulate the immune system in a beneficial way.
Studies show that melatonin can inhibit cytokine production and reduce inflammation. [JM Guerrero and RJ Reiter, Melatonin-immune system relationships, Current Topics in Medical Chemistry, Feb 2002; 2(2): 167-179].
Current research suggests that melatonin should not be used in autoimmune diseases unless it is used as a therapy in a closely supervised clinical trial or under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. This recommendation may change as further studies of melatonin’s effects on the immune system are complete.
Thanks Harry. There are so many positive benefits from using melatonin...seems like every time I look up a natural remedy for a condition I have, melatonin is recommended. Life Extension said pretty much the same thing as this article...darned if you do, and darned if you don't! They probably had one bad apple out of a bunch of research so now doctors are afraid to recommend it. I think I'll try 1 mg and work my way up to 5 mg to try it. I used the name "nightowl" on here for a reason. I have always stayed up till 3 or 4 AM and slept all day, but recently I sometimes stay up 20 to 30 hours at a time, without really feeling overly tired. I also have sleep apnea so probably don't sleep that sound when I am asleep. I use a BIPAP machine and oxygen when I sleep. It was mentioned that melatonin caused vivid dreams...I almost never dream, and if I do I don't remember it.
Don't forget you can improve your NATURAL melatonin secretion by using subdued lighting from an hour after sunset and reduce the brightness of your PC monitor with this free downloadable automatic monitor adjustment programme. F.lux: software to make your life better Wearing an eye mask in bed or keeping the curtains closed and digital displays turned off will also help.
Getting OUTSIDE into bright light for at least 30minutes will help reset circadian rhythm but ideally 90 minutes is better. The earlier in the day the better to switch off the previous nights melatonin secretion. Too much melatonin during the day affects glucose metabolism (the first meal of the day always produces the highest BG spike) so bright light therapy, (or getting outside early) will reduce that effect.
Melatonin secretion is also influenced by magnesium status so ensuring you are consuming sufficient magnesium 400mg/d daily of an easily absorbed form or a total (from food/water/supplements ) of 500~700mg/d magnesium is ideal.
This Source Naturals, Melatonin, Timed Release, 3 mg, is my choice of Timed release melatonin. I take one about 8pm and a second as I get into bed.
Source Naturals also do a range of SUBLINGUAL melatonin that would be idea for those with gut problems and poor absorption from the digestive tract. These are not time release so would help particularly those people who have trouble falling asleep. They may find a TR version in addition would be helpful if they wake up too early and can't get back to sleep.
Those with bladder problems who currently need to pee in the night may find the way melatonin relaxes the bladder walls so it gradually increases capacity as the night goes on particularly useful. It is also helpful for people who have an overexcitable bladder.
UK buyers will find Iherb cheapest for melatonin as you can't buy it OTC in the UK. If you go for the post option you need to keep order value below �18 to avoid VAT and the Post Office �8 handling fee. If you are spending more than �18 then DHL charge only �1.25 for collecting the Tax so apart from being quicker and trackable it can work out almost as cheap if you get multibuy discounts as well. Code WAB666 $5 discount for new Iherb users. Prices for USA/CANADIAN users may well be cheaper elsewhere depending on shipping.
Don't forget you can improve your NATURAL melatonin secretion by using subdued lighting from an hour after sunset and reduce the brightness of your PC monitor with this free downloadable automatic monitor adjustment programme. F.lux: software to make your life better Wearing an eye mask in bed or keeping the curtains closed and digital displays turned off will also help.
Getting OUTSIDE into bright light for at least 30minutes will help reset circadian rhythm but ideally 90 minutes is better. The earlier in the day the better to switch off the previous nights melatonin secretion. Too much melatonin during the day affects glucose metabolism (the first meal of the day always produces the highest BG spike) so bright light therapy, (or getting outside early) will reduce that effect.
Melatonin secretion is also influenced by magnesium status so ensuring you are consuming sufficient magnesium 400mg/d daily of an easily absorbed form or a total (from food/water/supplements ) of 500~700mg/d magnesium is ideal.
This Source Naturals, Melatonin, Timed Release, 3 mg, is my choice of Timed release melatonin. I take one about 8pm and a second as I get into bed.
Source Naturals also do a range of SUBLINGUAL melatonin that would be idea for those with gut problems and poor absorption from the digestive tract. These are not time release so would help particularly those people who have trouble falling asleep. They may find a TR version in addition would be helpful if they wake up too early and can't get back to sleep.
Those with bladder problems who currently need to pee in the night may find the way melatonin relaxes the bladder walls so it gradually increases capacity as the night goes on particularly useful. It is also helpful for people who have an overexcitable bladder.
UK buyers will find Iherb cheapest for melatonin as you can't buy it OTC in the UK. If you go for the post option you need to keep order value below �18 to avoid VAT and the Post Office �8 handling fee. If you are spending more than �18 then DHL charge only �1.25 for collecting the Tax so apart from being quicker and trackable it can work out almost as cheap if you get multibuy discounts as well. Code WAB666 $5 discount for new Iherb users. Prices for USA/CANADIAN users may well be cheaper elsewhere depending on shipping.
Interesting info... shame about the spam at the end.!!!
Re WAB666. That code is your own personal commission paying code number. If anyone places an order using that code number, you get a commission on that order and on all future orders that person places with iherb.
In other words, you are advocating things from which you stand to make a financial profit. That represents a clear conflict of interest and in my opinion is wholly inappropiate.
To pre-empt your inevitable response; if you are genuinely trying to afford people a $5 discount - very kind of you - then why you don't you quote the official iherb introductory discount code BUY123???
I've never had any dealings with iherb, but it only took me 7 seconds to find it through a Google search, so I can't believe you aren't aware of it...
Perhaps I belong to another age, but I believe people should act with a pure heart.
Interesting info... shame about the spam at the end.!!!
Perhaps I belong to another age, but I believe people should act with a pure heart.
Providing the source I suggest offers the cheapest price to the UK that is all that matters. We should be encouraging ALL the readers here to help each other. Showing people there is absolutely no shame in using codes to obtain discounts makes the use of effective supplements affordable at the time of economic downturn. We should be taking every effort to help ourselves and help others and that includes showing a positive example ourselves.
I see absolutely nothing wrong in providing up to date science based information directly to the general reader. I try to provide links to online full text versions where possible but sometimes I have to pay for papers and books to be sure the information I am providing is correct. These cost money. The truly trivial discount on my own supplement use is a small recompense for the costs I incur in providing accurate up to date information. Only a fool fails to understand that when a scheme sounds too good to be true it generally is.
My conscience is perfectly clear. We have to lead by example and when trying to help others we must go the whole hog. showing not only which supplements are evidence based, which forms of those supplements are effective but we should also (given high prices charged and limited availability in rip off Britain) show the cheapest source available to our knowledge and provide an example of how to make purchasing sustainable over the long term.
It appears to me some people haven't understood that you have to have a certain strength of character to stand up to the bully boy mentality of some of the less intelligent and less ethically aware readers here and act according to the highest ethical principles of what is in the best interests of the majority or readers here. In the same way you should do your best to help others you should also show by example how best you can help yourself.
If knightofalbion had been able to offer a cheaper way of obtaining the supplements suggested I'm sure he would have done so. Instead he merely sneers and behaves in a way that implies showing people by example how best to help themselves is in some way ethically challenged. Talk about dog in the manger.
After some 34 years of researching the role of melatonin in the GIT function, I made the following conclusions:
1) At any day or night time, GIT tissues contain at least 40 times more melatonin than the pineal gland.
2) Concentrations of melatonin in the GIT exceed those in plasma by 10 to 100 times.
3) Pineal gland secretes high night-time levels of melatonin, whereas GIT produces the steady basal levels of melatonin released mostly into the blood. Some melatonin may be released into the lumen of the GIT .
4)* Nocturnal elevation of melatonin in blood may serve as a timing signal of the upcoming night. Some pineal-produced melatonin may accumulate in the GIT, particularly in the stomach.
5) Postprandial release of GIT-produced melatonin into the lumen may travel with digesta and may serve as a timing signal for the synchronization of sequential digestive processes.
6)* An increase of melatonin in the GIT during starvation may increase food transit time. This may help to utilize all available resources and detoxify the oxygen free radicals that accumulated in the GIT during starvation.
Finally I concluded that melatonin is, taking all results into an account, a remarkably versatile chemical with a great therapeutic future!
It came as a bit of a surprise to me that the role of melatonin in the gut is so important. and the graphs of the decrease in melatonin secretion due to natural ageing was a shock. I think I may be investing in some of the sublingual melatonin IHERB offer to go with the Time Release. Code WAB666 for $5 initial Iherb discount. I only use them because they offer cheap shipping to UK. You may find other sources offering the same sublingual melatonin cheaper depending on shipping. I haven't checked.
Melatonin for High Blood Pressure
Hybrid Mode
