Before pregnancy

Day, night, melatonin and fertility

sleep fertility melatonin pregnancy parenting sleep

Melatonin – an important hormone

Melatonin is called a sleep hormone. Its level depends on the time of day. Specifically, this light inhibits its production and release. This is very important. In our body, almost nothing is responsible only for one thing. Melatonin regulates sleep but is equally important in stimulating immunity, has a strong antioxidant effect and there is a link between melatonin and fertility. Too low a level of this hormone can make it difficult to get pregnant for several reasons. That is why sleep hygiene is extremely important. Sleeping at a fixed time is the key. Of course, not everyone can afford such comfort. Secondly, when you go to sleep make sure it is dark (light inhibits the secretion of melatonin!), Not only cover the blinds but after turning off the light, do not reach for any mobile device and turn off the TV. The light of their screens is received by your brain as a signal that it is a daytime.

Sleep hygiene has an influence on male fertility

Gentlemen, you can’t pull an all-nighter without consequences. Research has shown that adding melatonin to a sperm sample significantly increases sperm motility and vitality. What does it mean? That a healthy daily cycle has a big impact on your fertility. You can also assume that the semen possesses the best quality just in the morning but this needs a little more research.

Curing insomnia and fertility issue

And what if someone has problems with sleep and is taking melatonin as a medicine? If it is so important and good, should you take it by the handful? It depends. A clinical trial showed that supplementation of this hormone increases the probability of success in in vitro fertilization. On the other hand, other studies have shown that large, daily doses (7.5, 75 and 300 mg) of melatonin inhibit ovulation. In our market, doses of 1, 3 and 5 mg are available, so much lower than those used in the study. As it often happens in the human body, both the shortage and the excess of some factor can be equally harmful. If someone has trouble sleeping and is trying to get pregnant, then he should not be afraid of the treatment but maybe it is worth trying to adjust the daily cycle starting from the smaller doses of the drug.

Melatonin in infants

Interestingly, infants do not produce melatonin up to 20th week of their life, so only after this time day and night cycle begins to appear. Before that time, they wake up when they are hungry. That explains a lot 😉
Also, the fact of inhibiting ovulation by a high level of melatonin can be an evolutionary souvenir. Since the level of this hormone is high, human body identifies this as a period in the year when it is long dark (winter), so resources and food can be difficult to access. Therefore, the body “does not pay off” to reproduce, hence inhibiting ovulation.

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