Melatonin And Meditation – What Is The Connection?

Today we will talk a little about the connection between melatonin and meditation.

Meditation has many scientifically proven effects. Among the most interesting is its effect on body chemistry. If you meditate, you can actually stimulate hormones that are important for your health.

In addition to the fact that meditation can help you find inner peace and raise your energy level, there are studies that indicate that regular meditation increases melatonin levels in the body.

Melatonin is a hormone that helps the body regulate sleep. When you go to sleep, the body sends out more melatonin in the blood to improve the quality of sleep.

Melatonin is produced by the amino acid tryptophan in the pineal gland. Centuries back in time, this gland was called the “abode of the soul.”

In many Eastern cultures, meditating people channel the flow of energy to the pineal gland.

What does research say about melatonin and meditation ?

A research group at the University of Massachusetts conducted a study in 1995 on the relationship between melatonin and meditation. This study gave the researchers some interesting and important insights into the relationship between the two.

The purpose of the study was to find out if there was a link between regular, conscious meditation and increased melatonin levels in the body.

To do this, the researchers collected urine samples from the subjects during the night and tested the content of 6-sulfate oxymelatonin.

This substance is a breakdown product of melatonin and can give us more information about melatonin levels in the blood.

Previous studies had shown that melatonin is sensitive to light, but this study indicated that it would also be affected by psychological factors.

Melatonin and meditation

The researchers discovered amazing things: people who meditate often have much higher melatonin levels than people who do not meditate at all.

A similar study found that when people practiced meditation just before bedtime, their melatonin levels were higher at night.

On the other hand, no elevated melatonin level was noticed if the people in question did not meditate during the following evenings. This suggests that one must meditate regularly to raise melatonin levels.

The research group also received some valuable information by studying physiological data during the subjects’ sleep. The people who meditated regularly had longer periods of ortho sleep.

They had stronger alpha and theta waves, and also some delta activity in the background. In addition, it was found that their REM sleep was of better quality.

How does it work?

Meditation helps regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In other words, it regulates the body’s cortisol and catecholamine levels.

It has also been shown that meditation can increase the body’s dehydroepiandrosterone (steroid hormone), growth hormones, thyroid stimulating hormones, prolactin (peptide hormone) and of course melatonin.

Melatonin has a hypnotic effect, because it has an inhibitory effect on the suprachiasmatic nucleus (the circadian rhythm nucleus). It also has some antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects.

In addition to being an important antioxidant, it also makes people feel comfortable.

Furthermore, it has been shown that meditation is a good way to increase the ability to concentrate. This is not just because it affects the body’s melatonin levels.

In addition, it affects the building blocks of melatonin, especially those such as serotonin and norepinephrine. In addition, it helps to slow down the liver’s metabolism and stimulate the pineal gland.

Melatonin and aging

Melatonin production usually decreases as we get older. The reduced production means that the sleep pattern changes as we age.

Over the years, the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems get much lower activity levels. This activates the autonomic nervous system. The result is that the restorative effects of sleep are reduced.

However, if you meditate regularly, this can reduce the activity of the autonomic nervous system during sleep.

The theta wave activity in the midline of the brain will also keep control of the parasympathetic activity.

Summary

Based on all the studies and research that we have mentioned here, one can definitely conclude that regular meditation (especially vipassana meditation) has many health benefits.

It gives rise to physiological changes that are very reminiscent of the restoring, self-regulating functions of the sleep cycle.

If it is true that meditation can improve our sleep quality, then it is a resource that can have a profound effect on our health, our mind and our body’s homeostasis.

It also gives us the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the body’s sleep mechanisms and the conscious mind.