Melatonin was first identified in 1958 and since then research has shown how essential it is to our lives and to our bodies. It is an important hormone that regulates many of the other hormones in the body making it vital for our well being. Melatonin regulates our circadian rhythm which is the 24-hour pattern that our body goes through each and every day. In simple terms it is what keeps us awake during the day and lets us sleep at night. The release of melatonin in our brain is suppressed by the light and stimulated by the darkness so it controls our timing.

For women, melatonin is especially important when it comes to the female reproductive hormones. It can affect menopause in some women as well as regular menstrual cycles. The highest levels of melatonin can be found in children who show the most nocturnal melatonin which helps them to grow. As we age the nocturnal melatonin in the brain gets lower which is why older people tend to go to sleep earlier and wake up even earlier and generally get less sleep then children. It is also the main reason that elderly people often suffer through disrupted sleep patterns.

The benefits of melatonin in regards to supplements deal with many sleep issues such as jet lag and insomnia. It helps to restore the sleep patterns that your body needs and helps to avoid fatigue. People that have insomnia tend to sleep better and fall into deeper sleeps then without it. Aside from sleep issues, melatonin can also help prevent and even treat some cancers that are related to hormones such as prostate cancer and breast cancer. It also has been shown to lower the side effects from some types of cancer drugs to make suffering with cancer a little more bearable. Lastly, the benefits even extend to helping with depression. In people with depression and in particular seasonal depression, the melatonin levels are considerably low. With the right dosage of melatonin supplements it can be very beneficial in helping with seasonal affective disorder.