Melatonin & Depression: Rebalancing The Biological Clock

Chronic sleep problems often go hand in hand with mood disorders such as depression. One powerful hormone produced in the brain, called melatonin, is believed to play an important role in this link. Melatonin is a strong regulator of your body's biological clock. It modulates your natural biochemical rhythms in accordance with the daily 24-hour light/dark cycle, which is strongly influenced by the change of seasons.

Your body also synthesizes melatonin from serotonin, a powerful brain neurotransmitter which regulates mood, promoting a sense of calm and well-being. Many health experts believe that serotonin imbalances are a major cause of depression. Obviously, if your brain is not producing enough serotonin, a melatonin deficiency cannot be far behind. That may be why many studies have reported decreased nighttime levels of melatonin in patients suffering depression. Normally, higher levels of melatonin at night ensure a sound, restful sleep.

However, a serotonin deficiency can also result if your body produces too much melatonin. How can this happen? Since your body depends on serotonin as the source material to make melatonin, a shift to high melatonin production may deplete your natural reserves of serotonin. Researchers believe this may act as a primary mechanism in triggering mood disturbances in people with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Often, people suffering from SAD show disrupted biorhythms of melatonin. In a healthy pattern of melatonin secretion, levels reach their lowest values in the early morning and remain relatively low during the day. That's because your brain pumps out more melatonin when exposed to darkness, and slows production in response to light. With increased darkness during the winter months, especially among those who live in higher latitudes, this healthy rhythm can be thrown out of whack. Restoring the body's natural pattern may thus play an important role in improving symptoms in patients with SAD.

Another interesting link between depression and melatonin concerns geomagnetic energy. Experimental studies show that exposure to electromagnetic fields (from electric blankets, industrial power lines, the aurora zone) can disrupt pineal gland function. (The pineal gland is a pea-sized organ at the base of the brain that produces melatonin. Because of its powerful impact on the body and the mind, the 17th century philosopher Descartes believed that the pineal gland actually harbored the human soul!) In a fascinating study on geomagnetic storms and depression, British researchers found that male hospital admissions for depression rose 36.2% during periods of geomagnetic activity as compared with normal periods.

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References:

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