Enough Sleep = Beauty

How many of us are finding it more and more difficult to fall asleep at night, and stay asleep? Most of us blame it on some sort of stress, or find some other excuse to blame it on. But stress isn’t the only cause of not being able to fall asleep at night.  For years we have all been aware of the role that the hormone Melatonin plays in our lives and especially the role it plays in getting a good nights sleep.

Melatonin has also been used to protect our cells from free radical damage, combat jet lag, boost our immune system, prevent cancer and more. Melatonin is one of the hormones produced by the pineal gland in all vertebrates.

Melatonin is also found in plants, bacteria, unicellular eukaryotes, and invertebrates.Nocturnal secretion of Melatonin is at its highest during childhood, and then decreases as we get older.

Normal melatonin secretion is suppressed by light and stimulated by periods of darkness. Melatonin also functions as an important antioxidant, and is involved in the body’s immune response.