Melatonin and vitamin D – the 24-hour rescue team

Melatonin and vitamin D – the 24-hour rescue teamIn the summertime, we synthesize vitamin D in our skin when we expose ourselves to sunlight. Vitamin D is a nutrient that is of vital importance to mood and health in general. When it is dark outside, we produce melatonin, which is important for our sleep. In addition to that, melatonin has a number of other important functions. Over the past decades, science has focused on its potential in the prevention of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, sclerosis, and several other diseases. Apparently, vitamin D and melatonin work as hormones day and night and are of vital importance to the immune system. Also, they regulate inflammation, protect cells, and have many other functions. In a new review article that is published in Nutrients, the scientists refer to melatonin as the “next vitamin D”. Also, they mention that many people get too little sunlight during the day and too little darkness at night, which results in a deficiency of both vitamin D and melatonin.

In their review article, the scientists mention that vitamin D and melatonin react to light and darkness, respectively, and that both substances have vital functions in the body that include:

Both vitamin D and melatonin are important for all cells in the body. The pineal gland synthesizes melatonin from the amino acid tryptophan when it gets dark outside. Interestingly, we produce 400 times more melatonin in our intestinal mucosa, and melatonin synthesis hinges on the nutrients in our food. Melatonin has also been found in numerous other tissues and body fluids.
Our endogenous melatonin synthesis peaks in our early childhood years and gradually decreases from that point onward. Older people only produce limited quantities, which is partly due to the fact that the pineal gland calcifies over time. Many women are exposed to a substantial drop in melatonin after menopause and that can explain why they have problems with their sleep.
The ageing process reduces our melatonin synthesis, but it is also affected by disease, lack of nutrients, caffeine, medicine, and stress. The major cause of a disrupted melatonin synthesis, however, is jet lag, nightshift work, and overexposure to blue light from the screens of electronic devices like smartphones, computers, TVs, and LED light (light-emitting diode), which can affect all age groups.

The synergistic effect between vitamin D and melatonin

Vitamin D and melatonin appear to complement one another in numerous ways. For example, melatonin can bind to and regulate different proteins, enzymes, and receptors. Melatonin is even able to bind to vitamin D receptors and help vitamin D in its signaling of gene activities. There is also an interplay between vitamin D and melatonin in the skin. When we produce vitamin D in response to UVB exposure from the sun, melatonin serves as a powerful antioxidant and protects the skin.

Melatonin’s role as an antioxidant, a sleep agent, and other things

Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant and protects tissues and organs against oxidative stress caused by free radicals. We generate free radicals as a natural byproduct of our energy turnover and other metabolic processes. Cascades of free radicals are also generated by the ageing process, chronic inflammation, poisoning, smoking, type 2 diabetes, and chronic diseases. Oxidative stress is an imbalance between harmful free radicals and protective antioxidants where free radicals outnumber the antioxidants, thereby damaging cells and tissues. Melatonin is very important in this connection, especially during our sleep where melatonin repairs damaged cells. The above-mentioned review article looks at melatonin with relation to the following:

Optimize your own synthesis of melatonin

To optimize your endogenous melatonin synthesis by way of diet and lifestyle, make sure to have special focus on the following:

Melatonin supplementation

If your endogenous melatonin synthesis is still too low, try taking a melatonin supplement. Supplements typically contain 3 mg of melatonin.
If you have sleep disturbances, take 1-2 tablets per day one hour before going to bed. In the case of cancer and other diagnoses, larger doses should be taken but always under the guidance of a health professional

References:

Deanna M. Minich et al. Is Melatonin the ”Next Vitamin D”?: A review of Emerging Science, Clinical Uses, Safety, and Dietary Supplements. Nutrients 2022

Stephanie Watson. All you need to know about melatonin. MedicalNewsToday. 2020

Peter Tougaard. Sygeplejersker får bedre søvn af rødt natlys. Ugeavisen Kolding 2015