What exactly is melatonin, the “sleep helper”?

The 2022 China National Health Sleep White Paper points out that sleep disorders exist in people of all ages, among which the incidence of sleep disorders in adolescents is 26%. "Sleeping later and waking up earlier", "sleeping less and less", "difficulty falling asleep"...

Nowadays, these sleep problems have gradually become the norm for many children and adolescents. Poor sleep not only affects children's study and life , but is also detrimental to their physical and mental health . In order to improve sleep, in addition to the lifestyle intervention we often talk about, it can also be improved with the help of auxiliary substances . Relevant studies have reported that melatonin is one of the most commonly used drugs for the treatment of sleep disorders in pediatric patients.

So, what exactly is melatonin, which has received widespread attention in recent years? Why is it closely related to sleep? Do children need to supplement melatonin?

What is Melatonin?

Melatonin (MT) , also known as pineal hormone, is an amine hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the human brain. Its synthesis and secretion are affected by light and have obvious rhythmicity . It can be specifically divided into:

01 Circadian Rhythm

Under the influence of light, melatonin exhibits the characteristics of "low concentration during the day and high concentration at night". Under the influence of light information, it can be transmitted through the retina and optic nerve, directly acting on the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus to affect the circadian rhythm.

02 Seasonal Rhythmology

Due to the different lengths of sunshine in each season, the body's melatonin secretion also changes with the seasons, as shown by: melatonin levels decrease in spring and increase significantly in autumn and winter .

03 Lifelong rhythmicity

The secretion of melatonin is related to age. As the pineal gland develops, its secretion level reaches its peak during adolescence . After that, as age continues to increase, the pineal gland begins to age and shrink, and the secretion of melatonin gradually decreases.

CT scan results show that the human pineal gland begins to calcify at the age of 20 and increases with age. The secretion of melatonin drops sharply at the age of 45. At the age of 80 , the secretion of melatonin is only half of that in youth .

Effects of Melatonin

Melatonin plays an indispensable role in the human body. If it is lacking, it will cause a series of secondary sub-health phenomena such as insomnia , endocrine disorders , biological clock disorders, etc., and will also accelerate human aging . Its specific effects are as follows:

01 Regulate sleep

The secretion of melatonin directly affects the body's sleep. Under normal circumstances, the body generally begins to secrete melatonin at 9-10 pm, reaches its peak at 2-3 am, and stops secreting at 7-9 am. By secreting melatonin, the body can shorten the time it takes to fall asleep , deepen sleep , and improve sleep quality , thereby improving the functional state of the entire body and improving the quality of life.

02 Regulate immunity

Melatonin affects the growth and development of immune organs, can promote the immune system to produce antibodies , and increase the sensitivity of antibodies to antigens. It also regulates humoral immunity, cellular immunity and the activities of various cytokines .

03 Anti-aging

The accumulation of free radicals in the human body is closely related to aging, and melatonin has the function of effectively removing free radicals . At the same time, melatonin is also a very efficient antioxidant that prevents DNA damage and reduces the content of peroxides in the body, thereby playing a role in aging.

04 Anti-tumor

Anti-tumor is one of the important functions of melatonin. Melatonin can effectively reduce the production of carcinogens , protect DNA from damage, inhibit cell carcinogenesis, and also play a role in auxiliary treatment of tumors .

So, if children have difficulty falling asleep , should they take melatonin?

Answer: Generally speaking, a child’s pineal gland is in its most active secretion period and does not require melatonin supplementation .

On weekdays, if you want to improve your child's sleep quality, parents can choose foods containing melatonin to supplement their children, such as sesame, walnuts, oats, millet, bananas, dates, black dates, apples , etc. For children with sleep disorders, hormone secretion problems, poor growth and development , etc., it is recommended to seek medical attention in time and supplement melatonin according to the actual situation under the guidance of a doctor .