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Melatonin - A safe natural sleep aid?

Without a cure-all sleep aid on the market, many people have swallowed a wide variety of pills - from pharmaceutical sleeping pills to controversial alternative medicines - to catch a few Zs.
Of these herbal remedies, one of the more popular is the naturally occurring hormone melatonin.
All living creatures produce melatonin, and in humans, it is produced by the pineal gland of the brain. The hormone helps us fall asleep, said Scott Warner, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Cullman Regional Medical Center in Cullman, Ala.
“The body usually uses melatonin as a major part of the internal clock that we have that tells us when we feel sleepy at night or when we wake up earlier in the morning,” he said.
Because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not regulate herbal supplements including melatonin, there is controversy surrounding their effectiveness.
“When it’s not regulated by the FDA, it’s buyer beware,” said “Therefore, you never know the content nor the purity of the supplement.”
While theres doubt as to the overall efficacy of melatonin, it has been proven effective in helping the elderly fight age-related insomnia.
Studies have shown as people age, their melatonin levels decrease which may lead to age-related insomnia. Norman Wolkove et al reported in the May 8, 2007 Canadian Medical Association Journal that melatonin was “modestly effective” in treating sleeplessness in the elderly by replacing the melatonin that was lost with age.
“Because melatonin is a hormone which induces sleep, for some people it can help cure mild insomnia,” Warner said.
The U.S government has yet to reach a steadfast conclusion on the subject, however MedlinePlus, associated with The National Library of Medicine and The National Institute of Health, found melatonin reasonably effective in helping older people fall asleep and stay asleep, though it conceded some studies were of low quality.
Though effective in treating several forms of age-related insomnia, studies show melatonin is not a viable cure for most other sleep disorders.
The only exception is in the case of circadian rhythm or internal-clock disorders.
There are studies which suggest melatonin is an effective treatment for delayed sleep phase syndrome, a disorder which prevents a person from falling asleep at an appropriate time.
Additionally, jet lag and shift-work disorder, are also linked to the circadian rhythm cycles of the body and have been successfully treated using melatonin. A disturbance in a person’s usual time to sleep and wakeup makes it harder to return to a normal sleep schedule but studies have shown, treated with melatonin, the schedule can be returned to normal.
“As in the case of jet lag, you change to different time zones, and your brain is telling you that it’s time to sleep when it’s really the middle of the day,” Warner said. “Melatonin helps reset the sleep clock. You adapt to that new time zone that much quicker.”
There is a proper time to take melatonin to best prevent jet lag, according to MedlinePlus.
For best results, melatonin should be taken on the first day of travel, as close as possible to the target bedtime upon arriving.
Continued use for several days “establishes a normal sleep pattern, diminishes the time it takes to fall asleep, improves alertness and reduces daytime fatigue,” according to research conducted by Dr. Lonnie Andrea Berg, of Creighton University.
Despite concerns that melatonin is not regulated, it can still help many people fall asleep quicker and stay asleep, Warner said.
“I have recommended melatonin to patients on many occasions,” he said. “It’s inexpensive and for many people it’s a safe natural remedy for some forms of insomnia.”

Original content created for Isleptgreat.com
Sleep Tight; Natural Alternatives to Sleeping Pills Vartan, Starre. E : the Environmental Magazine. Norwalk: Jul/Aug 2003. Vol.14, Iss. 4; pg. 40
Sleep and aging: 2. Management of sleep disorders in older people, By Norman Wolkove, Osama Elkholy, Marc Baltzan, Mark Palayew Canadian Medical Association. Journal . Ottawa: May 8, 2007 . Vol.176, Iss. 10; pg. 1449, 6 pgs.
MELATONIN FOR SLEEP DISTURBANCES
http://altmed.creighton.edu/melatonin/
Authored by Lonnie Berg, MD
Updated by Timothy M. Thormodsgard, MD (2/15/07)
Creighton University Medical School AltMed
Farida Sharan ƒ?” Director of The School of Natural Medicine in Boulder, Col.
Laura Mignosa, Nationally Certified Chinese Herbologist
Melatonin for Treatment of Sleep Disorders, Structured Abstract. November 2004. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/tp/melatntp.htm
Scott Warner, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Cullman Regional Medical Center in Cullman, Ala.