Insomnia In The Brain

The human body is a complex system of intricate veins, muscles, and organs that require food, water, and sleep. Humans take both food and water from outside sources but people cannot take sleep from any exterior sources. The human populous of today is largely affected by insomnia. Many people who are affected by insomnia have it due to crossing several time zones in short periods of time or working the night shift at certain jobs that require you to be in front of a computer screen. This disrupts the body’s internal clock or the circadian rhythm and makes it difficult for humans to fall asleep. Melatonin, a hormone secreted in the brain, can help correct these issues .In the following sections the properties of the compound, benefits, and side

effects of melatonin will be explained.
History
In 1958 a dermatologist named Aaron Lerner discovered this chemical while looking for ways to treat a skin disorder known as Vitiligo. While working with frogs, Dr. Lerner found that melatonin is secreted in the Pineal Gland of the brain. He made his discovery of the compound at Yale University (Pearce, 2007).
How it works

Melatonin is part of the body’s time-keeping system or internal clock and it is secreted in the pineal gland of the brain.

During the evening, when the body is not receiving lots of sunlight, the pineal gland starts secreting melatonin, which is what produces the drowsy feeling in humans (Wagner, M.D., 2014). The pineal gland is a small organ that is located on the midline of the brain and the size of the gland varies between species but in humans it is only about a centimeter long and similar to a pea in shape (Bhatnager, M.D., 2007). Throughout the night these melatonin levels stay the same (Wagner, M.D., 2014). The body produces the least amount of melatonin in the morning because we absorb more light, which tells our brain to stop secreting high amounts of melatonin. In the winter season the human body produces more melatonin earlier in the afternoon because it gets darker sooner and the body is not absorbing as much light as in the summer, spring, and fall (Clinger, 2013). As one could see, the perception of light is a factor in the production of melatonin and another factor is age. When a baby is 3 months old its melatonin production begins to stabilize and forms the sleep habits most of us have today. Growing up, we observe that the secretion of melatonin in teenagers is put off until later in the day which allows teens to stay up later into the night. As the aging process continues we see that the production of melatonin often times runs low in older people (Wagner,

M.D., 2014). Melatonin is also an antioxidant produced by other cells in the human body (Reidenberg, M.D., 2011).
The hormone melatonin is composed of 4 elements: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. Its chemical formula is C13H16N2O2 and it has a melting point of 116 degrees Celsius ( Bhatnagar, M.D., 2007).
Figure 1. Melatonin’s chemical structure. The graphic shows that the hormone, Melatonin is constructed of individual molecules.

Benefits
Melatonin can help with many disorders that prevent sleep and one of them is Jet Lag.

Traveling across long distances or several time zones in short periods of time causes Jet Lag or Desynchronosis. This disrupts the brain’s circadian rhythm. Evidence suggest that taking a melatonin supplement before you fall asleep can help you fall asleep, wake up at the proper time, and feel more alert throughout the day. Melatonin can also help people who have Shift Work Sleep Disorder. This occurs when an individual works the night shift at his or hers place of business. Thirdly, melatonin can help people sleep who have neuropsychiatric disorders autism and cerebral palsy. According to evidence, melatonin can help children with these disorders fall asleep and increase the amount of hours that the children stay asleep (Wagner, M.D., 2014). The condition Delayed sleep phase disorder is usually seen in adults and older teenagers but more moderate cases are prevalent. Adult suffering from this disorder usually stay up very late, often times to 2 am, and wake up very late in the day. Luckily, melatonin is incredibly effective in treating this disorder and doctors recommend that it should be taken at specific times in the afternoon as to forward the circadian rhythm. Another sleeping disorder that melatonin can help correct is Irregular sleep-wake rhythm disorder. It is primarily seen in the elderly and people with Alzheimer’s. By taking a dose of melatonin between 2 and 20 milligrams at the

right time, one could find relief of these symptoms. Yet another sleeping disorder is None-24-hours sleep-wake disorder. This is a condition where the circadian rhythm is not in sync with its environment and it is mostly prevalent in people who are blind. The primary treatment for this is in-fact a dosage of melatonin and habitual recommendations that involve eating a regular three meals a day accompanied with physical activity. Melatonin is also a powerful antioxidant that is active all over the body and experiments with animals such as pigs or dogs have shown that it can prevent damage to the heart. The hormone also acts as a Free Radical Scavenger and is able to protect other cells from oxidants or reductants (Rosenburg, Gogenur, 2015). Side Effects
This hormone does have some side effects but they are few. The side effects are mostly present in pregnant women and people with seizures or depression. Melatonin can also cause one to be drowsy during the daytime due to more melatonin being present when one wakes up. People who have issues of the liver must avoid taking the supplement because the liver breaks it down. It can also worsen depression in people who have the disease (Wagner, M.D., 2014). Melatonin can also provide the recipient with vivid dreams that are hard to separate from events that happened in reality (Clinger, 2013).

Conclusion
In conclusion, many can see that melatonin is a very beneficial hormone and drug. It can help one get to sleep, stay asleep, and get their sleep schedules back on track while also being a powerful antioxidant that protects many cells from damaging free radicals.