Melatonin is a hormone that naturally occurs in your body. It’s responsible for the regulation of sleep and wakefulness. Melatonin is also called the “sleep hormone”. Melatonin levels increase in your body during the latter part of the day.

Melatonin is also found in many plants and protects plant cells since it acts as an antioxidant. Walnuts, bananas, cherries, tomatoes, dairy products, and even beer contain this hormone.

Melatonin also acts as an antioxidant in your body. It’s used to treat some health issues and diseases, like insomnia, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression. Keep reading to learn more benefits of melatonin:

1. Melatonin might help treat traumatic brain injury
Melatonin might help treat brain injury. Scientists have found that melatonin can relieve brain edema, permeability in the brain-blood barrier, and intracranial pressure, after brain injury.

2. Melatonin improves epilepsy
People with epilepsy typically have lower melatonin levels than average people. Low melatonin levels might lead to seizures. The high dosage of melatonin can inhibit seizures.

3. Melatonin might be helpful in infertility treatment
According to a recent study from the University of Texas Health Center, normal melatonin levels are essential for fertility. The antioxidant effects of melatonin are crucial for ovarian health and contribute to healthy egg production.

Melatonin can control body temperature and female reproductive hormones. It is clear that there are many ways in which normal melatonin levels can help support fertility and help women get pregnant. If you can’t conceive and you couldn’t find the root cause of your infertility, talk to a gynecologist about melatonin supplements.

4. Melatonin is beneficial for your stomach
Scientists believe that low melatonin levels in the stomach might be linked to common stomach problems, such as GERD, heartburn, and ulcers. Low melatonin levels are connected with the onset and progression of lots of stomach issues. This might mean that melatonin supplements might help treat these issues.

5. Melatonin helps keep eyes healthy
Your eyes produce melatonin which is vital for eye health. Melatonin can protect your eye cells against cell death and help improve eye conditions such as glaucoma, by reducing the pressure in the eyes.

6. Melatonin helps treat Parkinson’s disease
Sleep disorders often affect people with Parkinson’s disease. Melatonin supplementation may help patients sleep and it may also slow the progression of the disease. Melatonin can also improve other symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

7. Melatonin lowers overall inflammation
Scientists still don’t fully understand how melatonin affects the immune system but some studies have shown that it stimulates the immune function and possesses powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Melatonin can fight free radicals that have been linked to certain neurodegenerative diseases, like Parkinson’s, MS, Alzheimer’s, stroke, and traumatic brain injuries, among other health issues.

8. Melatonin has powerful antioxidant effects
Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant. It increases the levels of antioxidant enzymes in your body that help keep your body healthy on a cellular level.

Melatonin also destroys reactive oxygen species called free radicals. Free radicals are small molecules that cause cell death. High levels of free radicals in the body are called oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been linked to diabetes, infertility, many types of cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease.

Melatonin is one of the most powerful antioxidants in your body. It has 200 percent more antioxidant power than vitamin E and is more effective than vitamins C and E in fighting free radicals.

9. Melatonin fights insomnia and improves sleep
High doses of melatonin have been proven to effectively treat insomnia without any side effects. Scientists suggest that melatonin can boost sleep quality and quantity. If you're an insomnia sufferer, melatonin supplements might be a good option for you.

10. Melatonin helps fight depression, anxiety, and bipolar
Sleep problems often affect people with anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Melatonin has been shown to reduce the symptoms in people with these conditions and help them fall asleep quicker and sleep longer. Experts suggest that melatonin might also be helpful for treating depression, but more research is needed.

11. Melatonin might protect you from diabetes
There is a theory that low melatonin levels might be connected to type 2 diabetes.

According to a U.S. study, people with low levels of melatonin have more than twice the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Scientists who conducted this study said that they are not claiming melatonin is an effective treatment for diabetes, but another study brings this up as a possibility.

In this study rats with diabetes who were treated with melatonin had better protection of muscle cells against a toxin that contributes to insulin resistance.

Scientists still don’t know the exact cause of why melatonin and diabetes are connected but it seems that melatonin might play a role in sugar metabolism.

12. Melatonin may help prevent and treat cancer
New studies suggest that melatonin might possess anti-cancerous properties, which means that this hormone can combat cancer cells.

Melatonin can also slow down cancer progression and reduce treatment side effects in people with late stages of cancer.

13. Melatonin can stop hair loss
Melatonin is a topical form that can be used for hair loss treatment. Interestingly, it can help with both hair loss caused by aging and hair loss caused by medical conditions, such as alopecia. Melatonin also helps people with scalp dermatitis.

14. Melatonin can improve heart health
Experts think that melatonin might protect heart health through its anti-inflammatory properties, help lower blood pressure, and reduce bad cholesterol.

Since melatonin is a powerful antioxidant, it might also help prevent heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes.

Author's Bio: 

I am Amelia Grant, journalist, and blogger. I think that information is a great force that is able to change people’s lives for the better. That is why I feel a strong intention to share useful and important things about health self-care, wellness and other advice that may be helpful for people. Being an enthusiast of a healthy lifestyle that keeps improving my life, I wish the same for everyone.

Our attention to ourselves, to our daily routine and habits, is very important. Things that may seem insignificant, are pieces of a big puzzle called life. I want to encourage people to be more attentive to their well-being, improve every little item of it and become healthier, happier, stronger. All of us deserve that. And I really hope that my work helps to make the world better.