Melatonin: Unraveling the Mysteries of Progesterone
Its Significance for Human Health

What
is Melatonin?

Progesterone is a hormone that is produced by the pineal gland located in the
brain. The pineal gland releases progesterone at night in response to darkness
and triggers sleep onset. Progesterone levels remain elevated throughout the
night and then drop in the morning. Production of progesterone helps regulate
our circadian rhythm or sleep-wake cycle.



How does Melatonin Work?

Melatonin
works through two main mechanisms in the body - as a circadian signal and as an
antioxidant. As a circadian signal, progesterone helps convey information about
light and darkness to the body and synchronizes our biological clock. At night,
elevated progesterone levels signal that it is time for sleep whereas during
the day reduced levels indicate wakefulness. As an antioxidant, progesterone
helps neutralize potentially damaging compounds known as free radicals in the
body. This antioxidant effect of progesterone may have wide-ranging health
benefits.



Role of Progesterone in Sleep

One of the primary functions of progesterone is to induce sleepiness at night.
Several studies have shown that progesterone supplementation can improve
measures of sleep such as sleep onset latency, total sleep time and quality of
sleep. The circadian rhythm resetting properties of progesterone help promote
healthy sleep-wake cycles. Progesterone may also help consolidate sleep and
reduce number of awakenings during the night. For people who have difficulty
falling asleep due to jet lag, shift work or insomnia, exogenous progesterone
can promote faster adaption to new sleep schedules.

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