Melatonin and The Shrew

Last week Science Daily published an article about the benefits of the hormone melatonin on aging. A laboratory in France has been studying the effects on the Greater White-toothed shrew, a small nocturnal insectivorous mammal.

I know they probably chose the shrew because of it's nocturnal behavior, but I couldn't help getting a giggle thinking that lately my "menopausal shrew" could use some taming.

Melatonin is naturally secreted by the body during the night and is responsible for helping maintain normal sleep patterns. As we age, our bodies produce less melatonin and therefore inadequate sleep can become a problem. This study found that by supplementing the shrew at the onset of maturity, the loss of circadian rhythm was delayed. According to the the study:

Melatonin is now known to play several beneficial roles. These include being an antioxidant, an anti-depressant, and helping to remediate sleep problems. The next step will be to understand the mode of action of the hormone on aging, so we can perhaps envisage its use on humans.

I have been using melatonin to help me sleep for some time and other than some strange dreams (not sure if this is just me or what?), I am pleased with the results. The nights I forget to take it, I wake up more and find it harder to fall back to sleep. So far I will attest that getting a better night's sleep does improve this shrews attitude during the day!