SLEEP: Benefits of Melatonin

How’s your sleep? The hormone melatonin is naturally produced in the body as a response to darkness, and is crucial for regulating sleep. If you’re exposed to high levels of light for many hours each day — for example, if you work long hours in front of a screen or spend your evenings in a brightly lit environment — then you could become deficient in melatonin. This causes trouble getting to sleep, or disrupted sleep; and sometimes leads to chronic insomnia. The first solution is always in altering elements of your lifestyle. But if you have adjusted your light exposure and put effort into creating a healthy sleep routine but you’re still struggling to sleep, you could try taking a melatonin supplement. The hormone signals to the body that it’s time to prepare for sleep, so boosting your levels of melatonin might help you to fall asleep more easily or to stay asleep for longer.