In: Biology
When the long summer nights are finished, and you are heading back into the routine of school, bedtime needs to change. Being able to get a good night's sleep earlier in the night, requires which hormone?
Melatonin is a hormone which promotes sleep. It is released and regulates by the pineal gland.
In the form of supplement, it is useful for sleep trouble caused by changes in sleep hours, jet lag and shift work.
How Melatonin hormone promotes sleep? Melatonin sleep
Light plays important role in body. When the sun rises, specialized cells (ganglion cells) in the retina are activated by the light and send signal or information to the pineal gland located in the brain midline. It blocks the production of melatonin and promotes the secretion of serotonin (happy hormone).
If we expose eye to light of 5500K without IR and UV, it is possible to compensate for the lack of external light or brightness and block production of melatonin in order to promote the secretion of serotonin.
During night hours, the ganglion cells recognize the brightness (darkness) and transmit this information to pineal gland to increase the melatonin in blood and make our body ready to falling asleep.
So, light inhibit the melatonin secretion.
And, darkness increase the melatonin secretion.
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