Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Melatonin: Not a Magic Bullet for Sleep
Dr. Michael J. Breus
February 21, 2011 08:56 AM

Many of you have made a New Year's Resolution to get more and better sleep. I hope you are having great success! But I want to address a topic I am asked about repeatedly, and it may be something many of you have tried or considered in your quest for a better night's sleep: Is Melatonin good to take to help with my sleep?

So exactly what is melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone. It is not an herb, a vitamin or a mineral. Hormones are naturally produced by your body as you need them. This means that it is very unlikely that someone has a melatonin deficiency. While melatonin could be considered natural, in most cases it doesn't come from the earth. There are exceptions -- foods that contain melatonin in them -- but this is a different type of melatonin than what is produced in your brain.

Read the rest of the article here.

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