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Psychology Today- April 2016 

A Multitasking Molecule 

Melatonin does a lot more than help you sleep.

Melatonin is a lot like the tulip. In the mid-17th century, the beautiful bulbs inspired the world’s first speculative bubble, much as the hormone reached star status in the mid-1990s as a substance that could do everything from mitigate jet lag (it can) to reverse aging (it can’t). “Melatonin Madness,” neuroscientists dubbed it, because the hormone’s biologic role was still a mystery. Now, as a result of growing research, they know that the substance not only induces sleep but keeps the brain in order as well.

Melatonin is released by the pineal gland, a small structure in the brain, when darkness falls—signaling to the body that it’s time to rest. Levels remain high throughout the night and decline during the daylight hours. The daily rise and fall of the hormone helps regulate our internal clocks, and its nocturnal activation has earned it the moniker “the Dracula hormone.”

Highly responsive to environmental conditions, the circadian rhythms incited by melatonin influence many bodily functions, from alertness to body temperature to hormone production. Thrown out of whack by travel between time zones or night shift work, the body’s internal timer can undermine performance or create feelings of malaise.

Research now suggests that melatonin may do more than help you get a good night’s rest; it helps brain function, too. The hormone is a potent antioxidant. Studies show that by minimizing oxidative stress and inflammation, it acts as a neuroprotectant, reducing damage from stroke and traumatic brain injury.

Melatonin production drops dramatically with age, which is thought to explain why insomnia is so common among the elderly. and those with Alzheimer’s disease have just one-fifth as much. Studies show that melatonin counters the neurotoxic effects of amyloid beta and tau proteins, which accumulate in Alzheimer’s patients, and that it slows the progression of cognitive impairment.

A synthetic version of melatonin is proving as effective as commonly prescribed antidepressants, including Prozac, but without many of the side effects. Targeting the circadian system restores sleep as well as boosts mood.Researchers are still exploring just how multifaceted melatonin is. Studies show it may help protect the heart. And because insulin secretion is synchronized to melatonin production, the sleep-wake hormone may even be of use in metabolic conditions such as diabetes.

Mitigate : Mengurangi

Neuroscientists : Ahli saraf

Pineal gland : kelenjar pineal

Environmental  : Lingkungan 

Incited : Menghasut

Graveyard : Makam 

Shifting : Pergeseran

Alleviate : Meringankan 

Prescribed : Ditetapkan

Multifaceted : Multifated

Secretion : Sekresi

Synchronized  : Sinkronasi

Disease : Penyakit 

Molecule : Molekul