MELATONIN & the 5 STAGES OF SLEEP
Melatonin is said to provide the most bang for the Anti-aging buck. It’s produced by the Pineal Gland located near the center of the Brain. Melatonin is involved in circadian rhythms and the wake / sleep cycle. The production of Melatonin goes up as the sun sets and it gets darker. Melatonin supplementation has become very popular in recent years and has allowed many adults to sleep more soundly.
FROM DR. MICHAEL COLGAN’S “HORMONAL HEALTH”
Dr. Colgan identifies the Pineal gland as the “master controller” and provides figures to show the natural peak of Melatonin levels drops off rapidly with age. Melatonin helps our bodies know when it’s time to go to sleep and when it’s time to wake up. Dr. Colgan’s first priority to inhibit aging is to increase Melatonin levels in the body.
Deprive a person of proper sleep and physical symptoms will appear. Sleep research has discovered that DREAMING is a physiological necessity. Poor memory is one of the consequences of sleep deprivation.
The 5 Stages of Sleep
1. The first stage of sleep is the waking stage where the person is just about to fall asleep. With this stage, the body is beginning to relax from all of the stress and strains of the day. The muscles slowly begin to relax, getting rid of all tension. The eyes begin to move, fluttering and relaxing; usually going back up into the head as the body slows down and breathing becomes more shallow.
2. The second stage is the relaxing or resting, stage. During this stage the person’s body temperature lowers and the body becomes more relaxed. The heart rate slows down and the person is ready to enter a deeper stage of sleep.
3. This is the first period of deep sleep, also called the REM stage, where dreaming takes place. REM stands for “Rapid Eye Movement” and is characterized by fluttering eyes, which occurs during this period of sleep and dreaming.
4. The fourth stage is a deeper stage of REM while the subject is dreaming. Involuntary movements of the facial muscles may occur as Rapid Eye Movement continues.
5. The fifth stage is when the body begins to wake up from sleep and the heart rate increases, the muscles become more active. The brain comes out of its hyperactive dream state into its normal mode of functioning.
These five stages are essential to get the optimum benefits from sleep. In order to make full use of the hours to which we devote to sleep, we need to go through all stages.
At night Melatonin is secreted by the Pineal Gland to help our bodies regulate our sleep cycle so that we experience all 5 stages of sleep. The amount of Melatonin we produce lessens as we get older. It also means our bodies are making less Growth hormone ( HGH ) as well. This leads to increased obesity, loss of muscle mass and reduced exercise capacity to help our bodies regulate the wake / sleep cycles. Melatonin supplementation provides millions of people a good night’s sleep for just pennies per day.