The use of melatonin in sports nutrition. The use of melatonin in sports nutrition Melatonin increases testosterone
Our body is controlled by hormones - they are responsible for vital processes and our mood. Each hormone is responsible for specific tasks. As a result, the normal and correct operation of all systems and organs is ensured - without interruption. The sleep hormone Melatonin is an important component in a whole chain of complex and necessary physiological processes.
Main effects of taking the sleep hormone
In fact, Melatonin is not only actively involved in processes related to sleep, but also performs many other functions during the life of the body.
1. While taking the drug, there is an impressive effect on metabolism. The same goes for work. endocrine system generally.
2. The pressure stabilizes.
3. Immunity is restored and even improved, which means you will suffer less from various ailments, especially colds.
4. This antioxidant is an active fighter against free radicals, which are quite dangerous.
5. Excellent protection against cancer.
6. Actively regulates full-fledged brain activity.
7. Taking the product ensures uninterrupted functioning of the body when changing climate and time zone.
8. Although this fact has not been fully proven, many people note that while taking Melatonin, the aging of the body slows down and it rejuvenates.
9. In case of insomnia, the sleep hormone Melatonin restores the rhythm of sleep. Falling asleep becomes much easier. In addition, the internal biological clock is restored and sleepiness during the day is eliminated.
10. Headaches disappear.
11. Blood cholesterol levels decrease.
12. Sexual activity is prolonged, the manifestations of menopausal syndrome are stopped.
13. The drug significantly increases potency.
What functions can Melatonin perform?
1. Antioxidant.
2. Hormonal.
The main effect of the drug is the ability to regulate sleep. The older a person is, the more difficult it is for him to fall asleep normally. The whole point is a decrease in the activity of the pineal gland, as a result of which sleep becomes restless, superficial, and insomnia occurs, quite often. If you take the drug, you can eliminate this condition and restore biorhythms in the body. At the same time, instead of frequent lack of sleep, full sleep will appear - healthy, deep. This means that it becomes possible to normalize the correct functionality of all systems and organs. Besides, muscle now relaxed, and the nervous system is in perfect order - calmed to a normal level. Brain activity is also in perfect order - it will not be difficult to reverse any information special problems and will not cause discomfort. As a result, you will always feel cheerful and confident, energy and health are guaranteed.
The sleep hormone Melatonin also affects the regulation menstrual cycle, which is very important for every representative of the fairer sex. If you decide to take the product as a special supplement, then it is completely safe. The main thing is that the dosages are not excessive. Otherwise, increased drowsiness and a slower reaction of the body are possible. If the drug is taken in correct dosages, which can only be selected by a doctor based on diagnosis, then there will be no adverse reactions - rest assured. But with uncontrolled use, the risk always exists, which means you should not choose the course and its duration on your own.
Melatonin as a sports nutrition
Do you have problems falling asleep? Then this tool will solve such problems very quickly. As a result, excellent well-being is ensured. And now you will be extremely concentrated. Thanks to long and restful sleep, the athlete will quickly recover and be able to train efficiently. During sleep, the body burns fat deposits. If you sleep little, you eat a lot. According to research, people who sleep less than seven to nine hours a night eat more food.
Sleep hormone Melatonin – how to cope with low levels?
1. Get rid of it bad habit like smoking. The same goes for drinking alcohol and drinking too much coffee.
2. You should go to bed at the same time - no later than half past ten in the evening, and you should not forget to ventilate the bedroom well before this.
3. Sports is an important component. Training should be regular and last from one hour per day.
4. Take a bath before bed. Be sure to add sea salt there. Don't forget to do some light stretching exercises.
5. Remove the TV from the bedroom. The same goes for the computer.
6. Eat foods containing Melatonin.
Melatonin - possible side effects
Firstly, let us immediately clarify that this can only happen with excessive doses, so you should definitely consult with a specialist regarding the dosage and duration of the drug administration cycle. Secondly, before taking the product, be sure to carefully read the instructions to avoid overdose.
In the first days of use, apathy and headaches are possible. Disorders in the gastrointestinal tract and skin rashes are not excluded. Remember that the benefits of taking the drug impressively outweigh the harm from it, and such problems arise quite rarely. The main thing is to keep everything under control and consult a specialist.
Sleep hormone Melatonin – an active assistant in the fight against stress
The human body has the ability to self-regulate under negative, stressful conditions. The pineal gland is an important element for protecting the body from stress. Melatonin plays an important role here as a factor that relates to nonspecific protection. During times of stress, negative emotions come out. Thanks to Melatonin they are weakened.
Our muscles grow not during training in the gym, but during night sleep. When we sleep, the body recovers and gains strength for a new date with the barbell. But besides this, at night the body produces the same growth hormone that triggers the recruitment process. muscle mass and fat breakdown. However, he is very picky and timid, so he gets to work only during deep and restful sleep. But for this, our body needs melatonin, the sleep hormone, which makes night rest healthy, mass-gaining and even rejuvenating. Read about the benefits of melatonin in bodybuilding and more in my article.
A short introduction
For the first time about melatonin, how safe sleeping pills, I found out while watching one of the episodes of the Top Gear program, which I really love. Its permanent presenter, Richard Hammond, complained of problems with sleep due to the fact that the program had to be filmed in countries with different time zones. And it was melatonin, the sleep hormone, that was recommended to him by F1 pilots who were faced with a similar problem, to adjust his usual time rhythm and eliminate insomnia.
But since I never had problems with sleep, I heard about melatonin and happily forgot. I only remembered it when I started using it to gain muscle mass. And everything would be fine, but all pre-workout complexes, as well as the composition, necessarily include caffeine and other central nervous system stimulants.
And when I drank a portion of the pre-workout complex before going to the gym, the training to gain weight went perfectly, but I only managed to fall asleep with great difficulty. And then I remembered melatonin. But since manufacturers call it the very, very safe sleeping pill, then I decided to find out more about him. And here's what I found out...
What is melatonin?
Melatonin is A sleep hormone produced naturally by our bodies in response to dim light. Melatonin, in general, is extremely sensitive to the level of light; reducing it stimulates its activity, and bright light, on the contrary, suppresses it. Studies conducted in a Swiss sleep quality laboratory have documented that even the glow of electronic devices at night has a negative effect on melatonin levels.
Responsible for the production of the sleep hormone is the pineal gland or, as it is also called, the epophysis. This gland has long been considered an “extra” appendage, since its purpose remained a mystery to science. But studies conducted between 1959 and 1969, involving people who had lost the epiphysis, revealed that the absence of this “useless” gland has a very sad effect on health. People without the epiphysis lost the ability to sleep, suffered from fatigue, grew old quickly and often died from cancer.
Melatonin is a regulator of the depth and duration of night sleep
It turned out that thanks to the pineal gland, which produces the sleep hormone, our body can fall asleep. Melatonin is a regulator of the depth and duration of night sleep, it lowers body temperature and slows down many processes in the body, giving the body rest and recovery. But besides this, melatonin has many more beneficial properties, because he:
- Helps the body quickly adapt to time zone changes
- Regulates the functioning of the heart muscle and normalizes blood pressure
- Improves the functioning of the hormonal system
- Slows down the aging process (protects DNA at the cellular level)
- Accelerates recovery after physical activity, relieves pain
- Improves the functioning of brain cells, slows down the progression of Alzheimer's disease
- Boosts immunity
- Reduces insulin levels
Melatonin is one of the most important hormones produced by our body and its importance cannot be underestimated. However, you need to understand that we create healthy sleep for ourselves. Working late mobile devices, alcohol or caffeinated drinks impair the process of falling asleep, making sleep restless and superficial.
Conclusion: Melatonin is an extremely important hormone for living a long, healthy life. But in order for it to be produced by the body in sufficient quantities, a number of efforts must be made.
Melatonin in products
Melatonin plays a significant role in the life of any person, and for an athlete it is doubly important. Therefore, you can buy melatonin at any sports nutrition store. But before we talk about drugs containing the sleep hormone, let me talk about melatonin in products nutrition. The hit parade of melatonin products looks like this:
- Sour cherry. Champion of melatonin products
- Natural whole milk from night milking
- Walnuts and almonds
- Ginger
- Rice, corn porridge, whole oatmeal
- Bananas. Moreover, the greener the banana, the more melatonin it contains.
- Turkey
- Tomatoes
As you can see, melatonin is found in the most common foods. It is quite reasonable that most of them should be present in the daily diet of any person who wants to live a long and healthy life. This is especially true for older people, since the level of melatonin production begins to decline from the age of 35, and this process intensifies every year.
However, you need to understand that melatonin in products It does not contain enough to radically increase the level of the sleep hormone in the body. And some of them are not worth eating at night. Especially when you're trying to lose weight, exercise vigorously, and eat a low-carb diet.
But if you eat foods high in melatonin regularly, you can really improve your night's rest. As nutritionists assure, only two glasses of cherry juice a day will ensure deep and sound sleep. All you have to do is find natural cherry juice, without sugar and preservatives, or fresh fresh milk.
Fresh milk is the second highest melatonin content food product
Conclusion: Products with melatonin definitely need to be included in your diet. For an ordinary person who regularly uses them, this is quite enough to improve the quality of sleep. But people leading an active lifestyle, especially in the afternoon, need to take additional melatonin.
Melatonin in bodybuilding
It may seem to you that I called melatonin the ruler of the night hormones, for the sake of a nice word, since the main hormones in bodybuilding, responsible for gaining muscle mass, are considered to be somatropin (growth hormone) and testosterone. But the same somatropin is produced at night, its amount in the body reaches its highest level an hour after falling asleep.
And although testosterone is produced throughout the day, it is after a full night’s rest, at 6-8 o’clock in the morning, that its highest level is recorded. In other words, good sleep is the key to great muscle mass, so bodybuilding melatonin is not just an important, but a determining hormone that provides conditions for the successful synthesis of somatropin and testosterone.
Melatonin is the most important hormone in bodybuilding
Actually, doing the lungs physical exercise always has a beneficial effect on improving sleep, as it improves the functioning of the structures of the hypothalamic-pituitary system of the brain. But since most people go to the gym not to exercise, but to gain muscle mass or lose weight, training for them, in any case, is a stressful situation.
Taking caffeine-containing sports supplements coupled with increased mental concentration and late physical activity, create that unpleasant triumvirate that worsens the process of night rest when working on mass. Negatively affects the quality of sleep and... A brain deprived of a source of energy, an overexcited nervous system, plus a stomach demanding food. Here are the reasons bad sleep against the backdrop of the .
Weight training is a heavy load on the nervous system.
In both the first and second cases, poor sleep quality can have a bad effect on both muscle growth and getting rid of fat deposits. You can use the most expensive ones, but if sleep is restless and intermittent, gaining muscle mass, as well as losing weight, will only be a dream.
And since the question healthy sleep is important not only in bodybuilding, but also in other sports, especially Olympic ones, scientists have conducted experiments with melatonin more than once. In 2001, a group of Spanish researchers conducted experiments involving two groups of young weightlifters. They were given 10 mg of melatonin per day 30 minutes before bedtime for one month.
According to the results of the study, these athletes showed an increase in the activity of the parasympathetic system, which is responsible for the quality of sleep and the course of recovery processes in the body.
All this naturally affected the improvement of sports results. Moreover, from athletes taking melatonin there were no reports of lethargy, drowsiness and apathy during the day, as was previously the case when testing other safe sleeping pills.
But besides improving night sleep, melatonin is worth using in bodybuilding for another important reason. In 2014, scientists, again from Spain, but together with colleagues from the United States, published a scientific report that stated that melatonin promotes the appearance of special lipid cells, the so-called beige fat, which helps to utilize excess calories. And if it is desirable to use melatonin in bodybuilding when gaining muscle mass, then in the process of losing weight, it is even necessary.
Conclusion: melatonin is simply necessary in bodybuilding. It significantly improves the recovery process after heavy physical activity and improves overall well-being. And its function, which enhances the fat burning process, makes the sleep hormone an indispensable supplement for weight loss.
Melatonin for women
The use of melatonin for women is justified at any age, but at the onset of menopause, the need for it becomes critical. After 40 years, the percentage of muscle mass in the body of both men and women decreases, while fat mass, on the contrary, increases. And this is almost always accompanied by a decrease in bone density.
Scientists from Denmark came up with the idea of using melatonin for women in the fight against the manifestations of aging in the body. They selected for this experiment a group of women with low muscle mass aged 41 to 55 years. And for 12 months they were given melatonin in a dosage of 1 to 3 mg per day. At the same time, no one provided them with any recommendations regarding lifestyle, sports, and the women lived their usual lives.
When the results of women taking melatonin were compared with a control group taking a placebo, it turned out that their muscle mass increased by an average of 2.5% over the year, and the amount of fat decreased by 7.2%. When scientists analyzed the results, they came to the following conclusions:
- Body fat decreased due to increased lipid metabolism, increased glucose absorption and a simultaneous decrease in insulin levels.
- Muscle mass increased because women who used melatonin slept better, recovered faster, and, as a result, were more physically active.
But besides these, purely physiological aspects affecting body composition, melatonin for women has an important effect on slowing down the aging process. To me, the situation with melatonin for women is very reminiscent of a similar situation with collagen, which is responsible for the strength of bones, ligaments, tendons, as well as for the health of skin, hair and nails. Both of these substances, collagen and melatonin, are produced by our body, but with age the level of their production decreases.
But instead of increasing the amount of products containing collagen, or, as in our case, melatonin in their diet, the vast majority of women prefer expensive cosmetical tools and procedures. I talked more about foods high in collagen in my article
But cosmetic products are called that because they only support external beauty; real beauty, like health, begins from within. This was a small digression, but let's get back directly to the topic of conversation.
Back in 2001, American scientists from the Department of Cellular and Structural Biology at the University of Texas (Burkhardt S, Reiter RJ, Tan DX and Acuña-Castroviejo D) published a report on the topic: “Damage to molecules by free radicals. The effect of melatonin on the protection of the central nervous system." It stated that melatonin is a strong antioxidant that stabilizes cell membranes and minimizes oxidative processes occurring in the body.
Melatonin helps our body resist cell damage and actively fights the effects of free radicals. And they, who do not yet know, negatively affect all vital processes of the body, significantly accelerating the aging process, starting with the skin.
In other words, using melatonin for women gives them a chance to keep their skin firm and healthy for a long time. And if you add collagen here, this process can be slowed down even more.
Conclusion: melatonin for women during menopause can slow down the aging process, which makes its use not only logical, but even necessary.
How to take melatonin, side effects,harm of melatonin
1. Harm of melatonin
As often happens in life, along with advantages there are always disadvantages. But in the case of melatonin, the situation is different. The harm of melatonin, which you can read about on the Internet, is due to the method of obtaining it. Natural melatonin is obtained by extracting from the epiphysis of large horned animals, which is why it is also called “bovine.” It is used for medical purposes and is not commercially available.
Since the sleep hormone obtained in this natural way contains viruses and bacteria, the consequences of taking it can really have unpleasant consequences. Melatonin, which is sold in pharmacies, is a synthetic analogue of the human hormone, produced pharmaceutically.
2. Side effects of melatonin
Clinical trials conducted over two years did not reveal any health problems in people who took it consistently and regularly. large quantities. The research results also established:
- approximately 10% of people who use melatonin do not get any benefit from it
- Another 8% of people who took part in drug trials reported headaches, increased heart rate, nightmares, difficulty waking up and mild depression.
- There were no signs of intoxication of the body, even when using a dose of melatonin 3000 times higher than the norm.
Melatonin is a drug, which is not recommended for use during pregnancy and lactation, patients with epilepsy, autoimmune diseases and children under 12 years of age.
3. How to take melatonin
You need to take melatonin in the evening before bed, 30-40 minutes before bed, preferably at the same time. There is no point in using this hormone to improve the quality of daytime sleep. This causes a shift in circadian sleep rhythms and greatly impairs the body's sensitivity to insulin, which in turn provokes the growth of adipose tissue. The recommended dosage for improving sleep quality is 1-6 mg. Personally, I take 6 mg or two melatonin tablets after a gym workout and recover great.
But since the amount of melatonin synthesis is a purely individual indicator, it is better to select the dose of the drug experimentally, starting from the minimum value. If you find it difficult to wake up, this will be a sign that you have gone too far with the amount of melatonin. And if, on the contrary, there is a lack of sleep and poor recovery, the dose of the sleep hormone can be increased.
As I said earlier, you can buy melatonin in all sports nutrition stores. Almost every manufacturer has a sports supplement with growth hormone in its range. But I prefer to buy melatonin at the pharmacy, because there it belongs to the group medicines, the quality, composition and clinical effectiveness of which are strictly regulated, and melatonin in sports stores is sold as a dietary supplement.
I have nothing against dietary supplements, but since I want to be sure of the quality and safety of what I take, I still go to the pharmacy to buy melatonin. There are not very many medications containing melatonin; they differ from each other only in dosage and, accordingly, price. And at the end of my story, I suggest you watch a short story in which high fives are given simple tips to increase melatonin levels naturally:
Conclusion: melatonin is the most safe sleeping pill, which has a lot of advantages and a minimum of side effects. And the potential harm of melatonin is due only to the form of its production from animal sources.
Don't take my story as an advertisement. I’m just sharing my experience of taking this drug and telling why I do it. I hope my story about melatonin, the master of night hormones, will be useful to you and help improve the quality of your night's rest. May the force be with you. And the mass!
Nowadays, there are various melatonin supplements for sports nutrition, as well as medications that contain this hormone. In nature, it is produced by a gland located in the brain. The synthesis of this substance depends on the lighting power. If it is reduced, then the production of the hormone is revived by 100%; with excess light, melatonin is not produced.
Hormone in bodybuilding
In the world of bodybuilding, new drugs are constantly appearing, thanks to which athletes remain in great shape and can continuously improve their personal results. Today this hormone is actively used by them. It can normalize sleep, and most importantly, its use makes it possible to increase muscle mass.
For any person, sleep is an important component of life, because well-being depends on it. It also benefits athletes because it affects their professional results. A special diet that contains melatonin will help with the problem of rest. To achieve certain results, a person simply needs sound and long sleep. This helps you recover in a short time after a difficult load, and your workouts will be of better quality.
It has been proven that people burn during sleep. subcutaneous fat. Studies have shown that those who sleep less than 7-9 hours eat more than they should, which leads to weight gain. In the process of playing sports, the number of free radicals increases significantly. With constant training over a long period of time, their accumulation becomes unsafe for human health. They begin to negatively affect muscle fibers. This leads to tissue damage and regeneration takes a long time. A high content of free radicals makes a person tired, which means that training will not be effective. Only antioxidants will help cope with this condition in this situation.
The function of the sleep hormone is to have a direct and indirect effect on neutralizing free radicals. He simultaneously:
- destroys them;
- activates natural antioxidant enzymes produced directly by the body.
Enzymes play a huge role: as a result of their influence, muscles and strength begin to recover and increase, which has a positive effect on general condition health.
Properties useful for bodybuilders
The main reason for the use of melatonin in bodybuilding is to provide athletes with a good night's sleep. The result will be an improved ability to train with maximum benefit the next day.
This hormone increases blood flow to:
- limbs;
- forearms.
Melatonin in sports is distinguished by its ability to interact with various hormones. There is speculation that it may help increase testosterone production. In addition, he is able to increase the level:
- growth hormone, which affects muscle growth;
- leptin (this substance helps burn unnecessary fat).
The functions of melatonin include combating overexertion and stress, which means it helps reduce them Negative influence. For athletes, this hormone is also necessary because, in addition to increasing muscle mass, there is an increase in the process in which fats are broken down into fatty acid. Its ability to burn fat, thanks to glycogen, leads to more intense workouts. The result is significant loss of adipose tissue.
The use of the sleep hormone does not cause side effects, although there are some contraindications that must be taken into account. However, it was noted that taking sports nutrition with melatonin does not lead to:
- addiction;
- dependencies.
At the same time, innate hormone production is not reduced. This is not observed even with very long-term use of sports nutrition. Stopping use does not lead to any negative consequences. But we must take into account that there is a possibility of interaction with other drugs.
For example, this applies to medications taken to overcome depression. In these situations, before you start taking a sleep hormone, you should consult your doctor. It is also advisable to avoid drinking alcoholic beverages. The same applies to caffeine, especially during the period close to taking the sleep hormone. Metabolization of these substances is carried out by one type of enzyme, which means it can lead to their direct interaction.
Doses of melatonin vary and can range from 500 mcg to 5 g per day, which does not affect its effectiveness. In some cases, even a small amount of a substance can bring significant benefits. The most common tablets are up to 1 mg. This release of sports nutrition is very convenient, because it provides the opportunity to regulate the dosage. The portion of the sleep hormone is affected by:
- the goals to be achieved as a result of its use;
- characteristics of the body.
But at first, right before bed, you should take no more than 1-2 mg daily. The dosage is increased after 7 days only if the body tolerates such a supplement normally. Gradually the volume can be increased to 5-8 mg per day. Regardless of the purpose of using melatonin, you should take the drug for no more than 1-2 months. It is recommended to consult a specialist regarding the exact dosage.
Melatonin is a hormone produced primarily in the pineal gland, responsible for the onset of normal physiological sleep. Thanks to melatonin, a number of antioxidant and regenerative processes occur in the body, which accelerate the onset of complete physical fitness to a new training process. First of all, this occurs due to improved sleep quality, and for athletes, sleep is the best restorer. Bodybuilding is an energy-consuming activity aimed at debilitating muscle fatigue in order to further restore them for subsequent training. Constant muscle stress and proper recovery of the body after training are the key to success in achieving the fastest possible muscle growth. You should find out what role melatonin plays in bodybuilding, how it helps the athlete, and what sports nutrition products can sell melatonin as a dietary supplement.
In official medicine, melatonin is prescribed to correct the internal clock in order to restore normal physiological sleep at appropriate times. It is also recommended to take the supplement either after 65 years of age, when natural hormonal secretion is reduced, or for people working on board aircraft, when they have to constantly change time zones. In bodybuilding, similar supplements are taken to improve physical performance.
The effects of melatonin, which are proven by official medicine:
- Strengthening bone mass
- Preventing Osteoporosis
- Eliminating daytime sleepiness
- Making it easier to fall asleep and eliminating night awakenings
- Restoring the natural circadian cycle
- Fight depression, improve mood and overall well-being
- Combating stress conditions
- Normalization of blood pressure
- Regulation of the endocrine system
- Increased life expectancy
- Slows down aging by protecting cell DNA and inactivating free radicals (one of the most powerful antioxidants)
- Strengthening the immune system
- Anti-aging properties
- Strengthening antitumor immunity
- Protection against cancer
- Normalization of hormonal levels
- Reducing levels of bad cholesterol.
Based on the listed pharmacological properties, it becomes clear that this product is very useful, will help restore the body in the shortest possible time, and therefore will indirectly affect sports performance. Moreover, melatonin is still not included in the list of prohibited substances of the anti-doping agency WADA.
Hormone in sports
Firstly, healthy and deep sleep is the basis of recovery, especially if the bodybuilder frequently engages in strength training and lifts extreme weights. The fact is that strength work significantly depletes the activity of the central nervous system, due to which the athlete may begin to experience difficulty falling asleep. If an athlete does not sleep normally at night, it means that he is not recovering well, which will further affect his performance. strength training. Another interesting point is that there is a version from scientists that melatonin can help fight excess fat deposits.
This is due to its ability to stimulate the appearance of beige fat. In turn, beige fat helps fight subcutaneous fat deposits and is not harmful to health. The third important point is that the sleep hormone is a powerful antioxidant, which helps neutralize free radicals and oxidative processes that occur in large quantities after grueling repeated training. Combating muscle acidification also improves recovery by preventing muscle pain.
Arguments against taking it in bodybuilding
There are opinions that you should not get too carried away with taking melatonin supplements, since this hormone inhibits the production of another powerful anabolic substance - somatotropin. Growth hormone restores the body after severe physical activity, improves sleep, stimulates lipolysis, prevents and treats injuries. A decrease in the concentration of growth hormone can negatively affect recovery processes. On the other hand, in adulthood somatotropin is released in minute quantities, especially in men, so taking melatonin is unlikely to significantly reduce its levels. Melatonin also slightly increases prolactin levels, but if you do not exceed the duration of use for more than 1 month, and do not drink more than 5-10 mg before bed, prolactin is unlikely to increase significantly.
Trade names
It is best to buy medicine at a pharmacy rather than sports dietary supplements, not because they are bad, but because many low-quality counterfeits of famous brands are sold in Russia. As a last resort, you can order supplements through i-Herb. In order not to run into a fake, it is better to buy a good quality sleep supplement in a pharmacy chain - Melaxen. Melaxen contains a high-quality product, sold in a dosage of 3 mg, side effects causes extremely rarely.
