Articles & News About Health

The Health Benefits Of Melatonin

Sleep is an important activity to all of us. It allows the body to repair its tissues, rejuvenate other body parts and revitalize the brain. It gets us ready for the next day.

Why we sleep at night is linked to pineal gland, a pea-sized gland located in the brain. It secretes a neurohormone melatonin. At day the pineal gland is inactive, but at night it secretes high levels of melatonin, which makes sleep all the more inviting to all of us.

Because of its involvement in the body's circadian rhythm, consumers are driven to think of it as a sleep inducer, especially when attacked by insomnia or jet lag.

Just how effective it is in curing insomnia has been a subject of many scientific studies, and results so far are mixed. Some have shown positive findings, but most had significant limitations, like the duration of the studies or lack of female participants.

If you have insomnia, it is recommended to know its underlying cause. Modifications to present lifestyle and sleeping environment also help, as some factors when changed or eliminated have shown to bring improved quality of sleep to some people for a long time.

Another notion worth of attention here is the levels of melatonin in old people compared to those in younger people. Many elders have trouble falling asleep, and it is attributed to their declining melatonin levels. However, a recent study had cast doubt on the popular notion that melatonin levels actually go down as people age.

A team consisting of Dr. Charles Czeisler, M.D., Ph.D. and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital studied 34 healthy elders, male and female, free from sleep disorders and medications ranging from 65-81 years of age, by comparing their nighttime melatonin levels with those from 98 younger men aged 18-30.

By taking and analyzing their blood samples, they discovered that the melatonin levels of the older group had no significant difference from those belonging to the younger group.

"The idea that a pineal aging clock winds down as you get older is simply not true," says Jamie Zeitzer, Ph.D. "Being older does not cause a person to have low melatonin levels. While we know that some older individuals have low melatonin levels, it isn't because of their age per se."

However, melatonin as a supplement seems promising in fighting jet lag and in promoting daytime sleepiness.

Dr. James K. Wyatt of Rush University Medical Center and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School assigned a group of people free from sleep disorders to be put on a 20-hour sleep-wake schedule, simulating a traveller crossing four time zones eastward every day. They were asked to take 0.3 or 5 mg of melatonin or a look-alike placebo pill 30 minutes before each scheduled sleep period, which lasted for 7 hours.

People who took melatonin had longer sleep time during the day when the body doesn't normally produce it, compared to those who took placebo, the study found out. But when they were given melatonin at night when the body produces its own melatonin, no added benefits were discovered.

Also, melatonin as a supplement seems to lift winter depression by resetting the circadian rhythms in people affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

The researchers assigned 68 SAD patients to take either low doses of melatonin or placebo in the morning or afternoon for one winter month. Then they analyzed their sleep activity, melatonin rhythms, and depression symptoms. The researchers had found out that melatonin had more antidepressant properties compared to placebo.

SAD happens when there is a delay in daily circadian rhythm due to the later winter dawn.

In addition to melatonin, getting enough morning sunlight works best to people with SAD.

http://www.450healthtopics.coms is a word cloud page for health websites. Visit us now to claim your word for only $35.00 a year. To get your free 18 PLR health articles, subscribe to our newsletter by going to http://www.450healthtopics.com/blog/?page_id=16.

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

Diet for Disease Prevention and Senior Health Care
Maintaining a healthy diet throughout life can do more than just keep you slim and fit. Healthy eating is important to senior health care and can sometimes prevent diseases such as heart disease and cancer, as well as provide relief for diseases such as osteoporosis. Unfortunately, the importance of eating well is often pushed aside by our busy day to day lives. We continue to jeopardize our future health and get caught up in the cycle of fast food, large portions and sodium laden meals. A healthy diet doesnt have to be daunting on our schedules, or mean giving up all the food we love. A simple eating plan can actually make meals and snacks more efficient for both our time and our bodies.

A Diet Primer For Health Food And Vitamins
Quite often, we want to eat healthier but don?t know exactly how to start. Sometimes food you think might be good may in fact not be right for you, and vice-versa. This article looks at some simple diet changes you can start to make right away that will improve your overall health.

Florida's Family Health Insurance Rates Usually Unaffordable, Says Health Insurance Consultant
The average family insurance policy in Florida comes with a $6000 per year deductible, and a premium that amounts to more than $7000 per year; the total coming to more than $13,000 for a family of four. Many Floridians have no choice but to go without health insurance. This "do-without" attitude actually costs Florida taxpayers in the long run more than if coverage was offered free to all.

World Health Care Congress Launches ReformPlans.com to Encourage and Focus Health Care Reform Discussion
The World Health Care Congress today announced the launch of ReformPlans.com (www.reformplans.com), an innovative and comprehensive web site that brings the real issues in health care reform to a broader audience.

Natural Health Care and Holistic Dog Health
Holistic dog health care has emerged as a natural way for pet owners to ensure that their dogs are healthy, living long, happy lives well into old age. Perhaps the most important aspect for a dog's health would be a unique blend of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to make sure the joints, organs, and digestive systems make work in harmony as well with the skin and coat being healthy. A diet of meat, vegetables, and whole grains without any processed foods or unnecessary fillers is usually recommended when following the holistic approach to dog care.

Health Care Proxies, Advanced Health Care Directives, And Living Wills
Any competent adult has the right to accept and/or refuse any medical treatment. Nobody disputes that. Doctors are only allowed to tell patients the pros and cons of treatment, they can offer advice, they can not order a patient to accept treatment. Problems start when the adult can no longer communicate or is no longer considered mentally competent enough to make their own decisions. When this happens other people step in and try to decide what type of medical treatment the person would want for themselves.

Health & Dental Care Costs Rising At Epidemic Proportions – Here's How To Protect Yourself & Family
Health care costs are now approaching 15% of our national economy and the economic repercussions have been felt by most American families as employers are unwilling to absorb the bulk of the health care cost burden.In 2004, employer health insurance premiums increased by 11.

Vitamin Diet Patch Now Available for Health Food Stores from NAZCO Wholesale Herbal Supplement Dropshipper
Health food supplement diet patches are a blend of herbal nutrients, offering safe and effective weight loss diet application like a nicotine diet patch. The supplements diet patch allows the herbal formula on the diet patch to enter directly into the bloodstream, suppressing appetite between meals while providing weight loss, diabetes and chronic fatigue relief support and increased energy level on the go.

New Health Website Provides Health Tips About Alternative Natural Health Care
Summary: In answer to the need for helpful information on alternative natural health care a new site, http://www.youralternativehealthnetwork.org has been launched. The site provides quality information regarding alternative health issues and is the brainchild of Mike Hepburn.

The PIE Diet - Mental Health Food
"The PIE Diet - Mental Health Food" reveals an award-winning program for individual growth, which has previously been available only to the corporate world. It outlines necessary action-steps to make the "law of attraction" work for, and not against, individuals and corporations. Contained is a easy step-by-step process for conditioning the subconscious mind to both envision and enable control of who we are, what we do, and what we desire to achieve with our lives.

Baby Health Care, Child Health Tips, Parenting Guide, Baby Strollers, Massage
Parenting Guide

Health Care and Health Insurance Costs Can Be Controlled Through Lifestyle Choices
As you probably know all to well, the cost of healthcare and health insurance premiums continue to increase at levels substantially above the general inflation rate. The reasons given for these extraordinary cost increases are numerous and include: technological advancements in the medical field, increased demand for medical services and prescription drugs, the aging of the population, cost shifting caused by the uninsured and governmental reimbursement rates, state and federal mandates, and costs associated with medical related lawsuits.

Doctor-led Health Care Organization Offers Free Web site, Membership to Mental Health Counselors
The International Assoc. of Dental and Medical Disciplines has a health care plan that brings together all medical disciplines and calls for them to work together to provide the best possible whole-body care.

Florida Health Insurance Highlights 2008 Presidential Health Care Plans
FloridaHealthInsuranceWeb.com, a health insurance consultant service, has published a non-partisan report of each of presidential candidates positions on healthcare. 'The upcoming elections will impact Florida's health care system' said consultant Morgan Moran in a phone interview, 'it's up to you as Florida residents to turn out January 29 and choose which candidate delivers the best insurance plan'.