Anti-Aging Melatonin (Oral and Topical) - What It Is and Why I Take it

****If you’re considering supplementing with Melatonin, I suggest that you do your own research and seek medical advice. Especially if you’re taking any type of medication, if you have a medical condition, if you’re pregnant, if you have an auto immune disorder, etc. Do NOT take if you are pregnant!! I've been taking Melatonin on and off for over 5 yrs. On nights when I'm naturally tired from a long day OR if I've consumed alcohol, I will skip the oral melatonin and only apply a half pump of the topical melatonin. Product Links: Spring Valley Melatonin (5mg): http://amzn.to/2lk9Z5z Life Flo – Melatonin (3mg with each pump): http://amzn.to/2jqCNbn INTERESTING ARTICLES ABOUT MELATONIN: http://encognitive.com/node/12290 https://www.verywell.com/melatonin-your-thyroid-and-hormones-3232753 https://www.holtorfmed.com/melatonin-sleep-thyroid-hormones/ http://www.laddmcnamara.net/what-you-should-know-about-taking-your-thyroid-medication/ What is Melatonin? 1. Melatonin is a hormone produced in the brain that helps regulate your sleep and wake cycle. Melatonin has been used in alternative medicine as a natural sleep aid for people who have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. 2. Melatonin is produced during the dark hours and stops upon optic exposure to daylight. So darkness encourages or signals the release of Melatonin and Light actually inhibits the release. Why do I take Melatonin? 1. Melatonin is a hormone that plays a critical role in your health and well being. 2. Melatonin is touted for, or referred to as the body's most Efficient Free-Radical Scavenger with an impressive ability to control oxidative stress because of its powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune properties. 3. Oxidative stress is essentially an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract or detoxify the harmful effects of free radicals through neutralization by antioxidants. 4. So Antioxidants are necessary to protect cells from damage caused by free radicals by stopping them in their tracks or neutralizing and repairing cells. 5. Free radicals are cells that were once healthy, but that are no longer healthy because they've been damaged by a variety of factors. Some of which are… exposure to stress, cigarette smoke, alcohol, polution, pesticides in foods, radiation from the sun, viruses, germs or fungi etc.have 6. So what happens is that atoms within the cell, lose an electron. It then tries to steal an electron from a neighboring atom to complete itself and that’s how the domino effect begins, eventually damaging the cell. And that domino effect is what is responsible for the fine lines and the wrinkles and the discoloration….basically every undesirable aspect of aging skin. 7. So that’s where Melatonin comes in as a powerful antioxidant. Because antioxidants are what stops that domino effect from just wreaking havoc on our bodies and our skin. 8. Melatonin has powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune properties…and it protects both lipids and proteins against damage, and can scavenge some of the most dangerous free radicals in the body….including the free radicals that lead to cancer. 9. The body uses antioxidants to soak up free radicals like sponges. So the more antioxidants your body has available to it, the less damage will be caused by free radicals. So more Anti-Oxidants = Less Free Radical Damage So Why do I take Oral and Topical Melatonin? 1. Unfortunately, levels of naturally produced melatonin decline as we get older, leaving us with limited antioxidant protection against conditions associated with oxidative stress and free radical damage 2. Apparently because of that drop in melatonin levels, very little melatonin ever actually makes it to the skin’s surface, so applying it topically allows skin cells to rejuvenate and restore themselves from the wear and tear of the day through the power of antioxidants. 3. German scientists recently discovered melatonin receptors in the skin.1 And that the skin also produces melatonin. It’s a separate supply from the brain. 4. melatonin stimulates the growth of fibroblasts, which are the cells that produce collagen and elastin. Your skin’s entire structural support depends on collagen and elastin. They make your skin smooth and wrinkle-free….but they’re very sensitive to UV rays from the sun. 5. Turns out Topical Melatonin also offers natural UV protection of those fibroblasts So basically, there’s more to Melatonin than just being a natural sleep aid. If you’re having a difficult time, falling asleep and staying asleep, it could be that your body is not producing enough Melatonin, but as always....seek medical advice first!