What is Doctor's Best Melatonin?
Melatonin is a hormone that is secreted by the pineal gland to regulate sleep in response to light and darkness. The rhythm of melatonin secretion is regulated by the body’s master internal clock, or “biological clock,” a group of nerve cells in the brain’s hypothalamus known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Melatonin type 2 receptors of the SCN receive information from the eyes about the amount of light present in the environment. With darkness, more melatonin is released; eighty percent of melatonin production occurs at night.1
While melatonin is involved in the regulation of several areas of health, including cardiovascular, reproductive, and endocrine functions, its most prominent role is its ability to modulate sleep. Every year, more research is coming to the forefront on this hormone, including accumulating evidence on the effects of its antioxidant activity. Melatonin may soon be commonly known for more than synchronizing sleep with circadian rhythms.
With age, we naturally begin to decrease melatonin synthesis, which can occasionally affect the maintenance of healthy sleep patterns. Our melatonin levels begin to drop at around age 35-40, gradually declining so that by the time we are in our 70s, our nighttime melatonin levels are often similar to daytime levels. Chewable Melatonin provides an exogenous (external) source of melatonin to support the maintenance of sleep patterns that are in sync with both the demands of our daily schedules and the circadian rhythms largely dictated by our biological clock.
Because melatonin is naturally produced in response to darkness, individuals confronted with altered sleeping patterns due to shift-work (or other responsibilities that require sleeping during the day) occasionally have trouble maintaining healthy sleep patterns during daylight hours. Research has shown that melatonin can be integral to enhancing quicker adjustment to and maintenance of new sleep schedules over time.2 In a clinical study investigating the sleep patterns of 86 shift-work nurses, the subjects were given either melatonin or a placebo 30 minutes prior to their intended sleep. The results indicated that participants in the melatonin study group fell asleep an average of 16 minutes sooner. This group also displayed significantly increased sleep quality scores as measured by questionnaires completed immediately upon waking.
Adult Use: As a dietary supplement, chew 1 tablet daily at bedtime, or as recommended by a nutritionally-informed physician.
Warnings
Serving Size: 1 chewable tablet | ||
Servings Per Container: 120 | ||
Amount Per Serving | % Daily Value | |
Melatonin | 5 mg | † |
†Daily value not established |
Physician-founded in 1990, Doctor’s Best is a science-based nutritional supplement company, offering more than 200 products, most made with branded ingredients that are thoroughly researched, manufactured to the highest quality standards, and rigorously tested every step of the way—from raw materials to finished product.