Article by Sleepy the Dwarf
Welcome back! In this post, I’m going to be talking about another natural sleep aid. This one is called Melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone found naturally in your body. Melatonin could be compared to a sleeping potion. During the day, the pineal gland in the brain creates a hormone called serotonin. When the brain senses a decrease in light, the serotonin is converted into melatonin. Melatonin then creates a drowsy effect, which is why you fall asleep. This is why it is much easier to sleep in the dark than the light. You are being aided by Melatonin, a natural sleep aid.
Melatonin is usually created in pineal gland, but it’s also available in capsule form. Melatonin is available at many convenience stores, and is a much better option than artificial sleep aids. If you take a melatonin pill about 30 minutes before you sleep, you should begin to feel drowsy. This is the “sleep potion” taking effect. Some patients that suffer from insomnia do not have enough melatonin. Every night they attempt to sleep, but they never feel sleepy. This is caused by lack of melatonin, so when they go to bed, they don’t feel tired.
For anyone who doesn’t want to take any type of pill for sleep aid, I’d check out this article on two easy natural sleep aids. If neither of those work for you, there are a variety of methods you can use to increase the amount of melatonin you produce naturally, without a pill.
Traditional Hindu beliefs have said for many years that meditation can help your pineal gland produce serotonin. In Hindu tradition, this gland is located in the Head Chakra. In 1995, a study actually proved this to be true. The study selected two different groups of people. The first group consisted of people who practiced daily meditation. The second group didn’t meditate at all. After a period of time, a night-time urine sample was taken from both groups. The group that practiced daily meditation had significantly more melatonin than the control group. A similar study tested people who practiced meditation just before sleeping. In the first group, participants meditated nightly on a consistent basis. In the second, participants meditated just before the test. The results of this study showed that the first group received a melatonin boost, while the second did not. This study suggests that meditation will help you increase your melatonin, but you need to practice it regularly. There are a variety of different types of meditation, and I’ll be discussing each one in the future.
Melatonin can also be useful for people not suffering from insomnia. Jet lag or sudden work shift changes can be helped with melatonin. After a long plane ride, jet lag can last for days. If you take melatonin before you sleep, you can speed up the adjustment period. Also, if you have to switch from working the day shift to the night shift quickly, melatonin can be a natural sleep aid you should use.
As you can see, if a diet change or music don’t improve you sleep, melatonin might be the natural sleep aid for you. Remember, natural sleep aids are neither harmful or additive, so try them before resorting to artificial sleep aids. Thanks for reading natural sleep aid. I hope you’ve found the information you need, and if you haven’t, I address your concerns in a future post. Good luck choosing a natural sleep aid!
About the Author
Sleepy the Dwarf likes to write about natural sleep aids!