Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the pineal gland in the brain in response to darkness. It plays a crucial role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle (circadian rhythm) and promoting sleep. Melatonin levels typically rise in the evening, signaling to the body that it’s time to prepare for sleep, and decrease in the morning as light exposure increases, signaling wakefulness.

In addition to its role in sleep regulation, melatonin also has antioxidant properties and may play a role in various physiological processes, including immune function and reproduction.

Melatonin supplements are commonly used to help regulate sleep patterns and treat sleep disorders such as insomnia, jet lag, and shift work sleep disorder. These supplements are available over the counter in many countries and come in various forms, including tablets, capsules, liquids, and even gummies.

There are steps you can take to try to remedy your sleep problems by yourself. These include maintaining a bedtime routine, in which you go to bed at the same time every evening and wake up at the same time every morning, even at weekends! Taking regular daytime exercise can help to promote a good sleep routine.

Ensuring your bedroom is dark and quiet will help to tell your brain that it is time for bed. In fact, it is beneficial to spend an hour or so winding down before bedtime, be that a warm bath or reading a book and dimming the light. These are all cues for sleep.

There are also things you should avoid when trying to address sleeplessness. These include eating, smoking and drinking alcohol, tea or coffee in the hours approaching bedtime.

You should also avoid electrical devices, such as smartphones, tablets and even television before going to bed. Whilst exercise promotes good sleep, you should avoid exercising in the hours before bedtime.

Tempting though it may be, you should avoid sleeping in the daytime after a sleepless night as this will only prolong the insomnia and get you in a bad routine. For the same reason, you should not lie in bed beyond your usual wake up time to catch up on missed sleep from the night.

If you have suffered months of insomnia and adjusting your lifestyle has not helped, you should speak to your doctor. However, for occasional sleeplessness, supplements such as Melatonin could be helpful.

From time to time, most people will experience problems with their sleep. Insomnia can stop people from falling asleep or cause someone who has fallen asleep to wake up multiple times during the night or to wake up for one long period in the night.

Insomnia can also result in early waking without the ability to get back to sleep or could even keep you awake for the entire night.

Whatever type of sleep problem you have, it is likely to result in tiredness throughout the day, difficulties in maintaining concentration and irritability.

Sleeplessness can have a huge impact on your quality of life, causing you to struggle with tiredness throughout the day only to suffer more sleeplessness the following night.

The causes of insomnia are plentiful and not always obvious. They include stress, depression and anxiety; an uncomfortable environment, such as a room that is too hot or too cold, or too noisy; an uncomfortable bed or mattress can give you sleepless nights too.

Caffeine, alcohol and nicotine can cause sleeplessness, as can jet lag or working irregular shift patterns.