MELATONIN IS NOT JUST FOR SLEEP🌙
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Yup, this hormone is more than just helping you get sleepy and doze off. Having a proper functioning cortisol rhythm (spoken last post➡️) is imperative at helping our bodies produce adequate melatonin.
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It is made in the gut by the enteroendocrine cells that line our digestive tract and is produced in the evening. With that, it can help with digestion, constipation, and relaxing the body over all- as it should since it prepares you for sleep.
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Besides sleep, melatonin has been shown to act as an antioxidant and offer anti viral properties helping raise levels of particular enzymes, such a glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase. These two enzymes helps reduce or delay oxidation in our cells and damage them.
Studies have also shown it helps regulate apoptosis (aka cell death) and autophagy (cell renewal) along with reducing inflammation.
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Sleep in itself is extremely rejuvenating and vital for our bodies to regain energy to rebuild itself after the daily stressors we experience. Melatonin is a key part of this process, thus has been shown to also influence tissue repair and growth such as increasing anagen hair rate. The way it does so is that it counteracts oxidative stress associated with hair loss, and our skin also has its own enzyme system which is “melatoninergic”, aka influenced by melatonin.
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Conversely, melatonin also promotes bone formation by stimulating osteoblasts (cells that form new bone) and inhibiting osteoclasts (cells that cause bone breakdown).
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So what can mess with your melatonin production? Well, if you disrupt your cortisol rhythm your body can struggle to produce enough, blue light before bed, and stress!

INTERTINSTINGLY ENOUGH, MELATONIN IS HIGHLY CONCENTRATED IN YOUR OVARIES
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Yup, beyond sleep and what we spoke of above, this antioxidant and sleep hormone is extremely important for our hormones.
It is considered to be one of the oldest hormones that were created when life began because it has evolved with bacteria from over millions of years ago, and of course, we are more bacteria than human cells.
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Interestingly enough, Melatonin seems to be highly concentrated in our ovaries. Why? Let’s get into it⬇️
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So as mentioned, melatonin is made in the gut. Of the many things that can disrupt our gut function is the production of prostaglandins which are a hormone-like substance that helps with the contraction and relaxation of our muscles, blood vessels, control blood pressure and modulate inflammation. When we produce too much this is when we can experience things like really painful periods. Conversely, other gut disruptors like parasites, mold, toxins, metals, alcohol, nutrient deficiencies can increase inflammation as well and make something called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS).
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However, another thing that also produces ROS is the production of hormones in itself- and where do we produce a lot of hormones? In the ovaries.
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Circling back to why melatonin is concentrated in the ovaries, it is primarily to mitigate the high levels of ROS. ROS isn’t bad per say- we need it a bit, just like with anything else in the body, but too much can cause inflammation and damage DNA. I don’t want my DNA damaged- do you?
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If you’re struggling with things like PCOS, endometriosis, PMS, amenorrhea, or you’re just not ovulating, ask yourself if your sleep is total crap?
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If you’re looking to regulate your sleep and wake cycle, click the link HERE to book a free consult!