Sunday, October 26, 2008

Choosing The Best Natural Sleep Aid And The Importance Of Melatonin Levels

Choosing the right natural sleep aid is critical to anyone who is suffering from insomnia or simply having trouble getting to sleep. Finding the right natural sleep aid can also help make sure a person also gets the right type of sleep needed at the correct time of day.

Sleep is critical to human survival and people suffering from lack of sleep may end up with several problems/symptoms that are listed below;-

-Aching muscles

-Blurred vision

-Cardiovascular disease

-Dizziness

-Hand tremors

-Clinical depression

-Daytime drowsiness and naps

-Decreased mental activity and concentration

-Depersonalization

-Weakened immune system

-Headaches

-General confusion

These are the most common symptoms from lack of sleep and there are many serious more serious predicaments that can befall someone who isn't properly rested or fall into what is commonly called "sleep debt". It is now known that a large amount of sleep debt has only increased with the industrialisation of the West. In one drastic realization shift work particular night shift work was in December 2007 listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a "probable" cause of cancer.

Finding the right sleep aid is therefore extremely important. The key component of most natural remedies for insomnia is melatonin which is a hormone found in all living creatures from algae to humans at levels that vary in the daily cycle. Melatonin is a natural compound produced by the body to convey message that it is night and the body needs to rest. Melatonin is vital to producing a sleep effect on the brain. Adults who don't have enough melatonin can have trouble falling asleep as their body cannot tell the difference between night and day. Taking a supplement containing melatonin can help the body strengthen its biological clock and restore the natural sleep cycle.

This is the critical bit as I have stated most herbal sleeping aids contain melatonin. The problem is that most of these natural sleep aids contain three to ten times the amount of melatonin that is actually needed.

The levels of melatonin are critical to the success of any natural sleep aid. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) undertook clinical trials which concluded large doses of melatonin proved counter productive and can actually hinder getting the right type of sleep and at the correct time.

In the United States since 1993 melatonin has been used in supplements and has been widley accepted and met with good consumer confidence and ethusiasm. Melatonin has also been found to be a wonderful ant-oxidant (gets rid of harmful free radicals within the body) and also to help stimulate the immune system.

As a natural compound already produced by the body then any daily supplement containing melatonin is only going to augment the bodies' natural levels and prove of benefit to the person taking the supplement. It has no side-effects as long as the person is aware of the melatonin levels in the supplement and is not over dosing.

In conclusion if a person feels that they are on a daily basis feeling physically and mentally fatigued and believe it to be through the lack of a good night sleep which is actually more common then you would think. Here I have listed some finding from 2007 survey of the National Sleep Foundation:-

-Approximately 74% of all Americans do no get enough sleep overnight

-53% of adults say they struggle sleeping at least a small number of nights each week

-Almost 33% has trouble sleeping every night

-Those with sleep problems ate twice as likely to feel stressed and tired.

The choice to take a natural sleep aid can result in the person reclaiming the night
and get the right type of sleep at the correct time therefore feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. The key is to just remember to check the melatonin levels.

There are many natural sleep aids on the market that contain melatonin but the melatrol review which offers independent advice on sleep, circadian rhythms and the bodies' natural cycle reviews Melatrol which critically has the right amount of melatonin in it to gain a good nights sleep.

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