Melatonin, commonly used to combat jet lag, has been around as a supplement almost 50 years, but researchers around the world have only recently identified it as a powerful weapon in the fight against Alzheimer's disease.
Their findings?
Melatonin may help prevent Alzheimer's disease by clearing the brain of the tangles and plaques typical of Alzheimer's disease and by acting as a potent antioxidant in the brain.
Melatonin can ease sleep disruption and sundowning in Alzheimer's victims, according to recently published studies.
Antioxidant and Protective Properties
Able to pass through the blood/brain barrier, melatonin is one of nature's most powerful antioxidants. Researchers have found that it combats the oxidative stress that is linked to Alzheimer's disease.
Sundowning
In Argentina researchers studied the effects of melatonin with identical twins suffering from Alzheimer's disease. They found that melatonin significantly reduced the symptoms of sundowning in the twin who received the hormone.
Sundowning, a common symptom in Alzheimer's disease, gets its name because it usually occurs around sundown. Alzheimer's victims often display increased agitation and disorientation during the late afternoon or early evening.
I've always kept a supply of melatonin, says Dr. Phyllis Staff, a psychologist whose father had Alzheimer's disease. I used it for many years to combat jet lag, but I didn't realize it could help my father.
For years, at dusk, Dad would put on his cap and jacket and head out the door to go home.' A couple of times he made it out to the street unnoticed. My mother and I are grateful to a compassionate police force that picked him up, but it would have been better if we had known that melatonin can help stop sundowning.
What is melatonin?
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain during dark and dissipated by sunlight. Scientists are learning that it not only regulates sleep and wakefulness in humans but has a number of additional functions as well.
Largely ignored by pharmaceutical companies because they cannot patent natural substances, melatonin supplements are inexpensive and readily available over-the-counter in drugstores. They are commonly available in 1 Mg. and 3 Mg. doses. These doses are consistent with those administered in most the research studies reviewed in preparation of this article. However, in certain Alzheimer's cases, stronger doses may be required. You MUST check with your healthcare provider on whether to use melatonin and in what amounts.
How is melatonin linked to Alzheimer's disease?
Autopsies have shown a much lower than normal level of melatonin in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. This, researchers believe, accounts for the difficulties in sleeping and waking experienced by many sufferers.
Potential side effects?
Users should be alert to three significant side effects that may occur when taking melatonin. These include:
Grogginess
If daytime grogginess occurs, check with your healthcare provider to reduce the dose or stop taking the hormone altogether.
Decrease in Sex Drive
Melatonin appears to reduce the function of human gonads. Thus, women who are pregnant and those who wish to become pregnant should NOT take melatonin.
Interaction with pharmaceutical agents.
Melatonin interacts with many pharmaceutical compounds including antidepressants, blood pressure medications, blood-thinning medications, nonsteroidial anti-inflammatory drugs, and others. If you are taking medications, you should discuss potential interactions and side effects with your healthcare provider before adding melatonin to your routine.
How can you use melatonin safely?
1. Consult with your healthcare provider to determine if melatonin may be beneficial in your case.
This report is available on AlzheimersFree.com as a downloadable Acrobat file. Print it out to use when you consult with your healthcare provider before you begin taking melatonin or give it to an Alzheimer's patient. The Acrobat file includes a list of current studies used in preparation of the article.
2. Once you begin to use melatonin, keep a diary of daily reactions. Include dosage, side effects, and reactions for sleep patterns and sundowning, if appropriate. Share this diary with your healthcare provider so she can adjust the dosage properly.
Phyllis Staff is a research psychologist and the daughter of a victim of Alzheimers disease.
My dad, a victim of Alzheimer's disease, suffered regularly with 'sundowning', says Dr. Staff. "I wish I'd known there was a simply strategy I could use to help him."
Visit us at http://www.AlzheimersFree.com for the latest research on the prevention of Alzheimers disease and other dementias.
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