Jash Botanicals Natural Health Corner

I am a big fan of the hormone melatonin, but I was surprised to read about a particular downside to this particular supplement.  If you have asthma that takes a turn for the worse at night and is keeping you from getting any sleep—melatonin is not the answer. 

Our bodies manufacturer the hormone naturally (a lot more when you are younger), and a study done by the researchers at the National Jewish Medical Center in Denver, found that people with nighttime asthma have a tendency to manufacture more of it as their symptoms intensify.  In addition, studies also revealed that melatonin increased inflammation in animal studies of asthma.  Considering that airway inflammation is one reason people with asthma have a hard time breathing, then using this particular hormone sounds like a bad idea.  The same researchers measured the melatonin levels round the clock for 7 days using three different groups of people with asthma.  The first group had asthma whose symptoms worsened at night, the second were asthma sufferers that had it worse during the day, and the last group did not have asthma.  What they found was all three groups had melatonin levels that were the highest at night, but the asthma sufferers whose attacks were mostly nocturnal had the highest numbers of all.  According to the researchers, "these findings suggest that naturally produced melatonin increases inflammation in the airways and makes lung function worse." (This may explain why melatonin supplements appear to worsen sleep apnea, too.)

The hormone that is secreted by the pineal gland in the brain is critical in regulating the circadian rhythms in the body, and in particular—sleep.  It is delivered to the right places at night, generally at the onset of the evening hours before bedtime, peaking half-way through the night, and ending up just about the time you wake up.  I use it every night, and think it is just wonderful for a restful, deep sleep, but then again—I don’t have asthma.

The best way for nighttime asthmatics to sleep better, says pulmonologist and lead study author E. Rand Sutherland, is to treat the asthma itself.  As far as a supplement that will help you sleep without the hormone, try a good herbal extract that incorporates herbs such as valerian root, lemon balm, and hops flowers.