Is melatonin capable of preventing or reducing the severity of COVID 19? That’s been the talk on the internet lately. We looked through the papers to see if there was a link between melatonin and COVID prevention and treatment. This is what we discovered.
What is Melatonin?
Melatonin is a sleep-inducing hormone generated by the brain that aids in the regulation of a person’s sleep-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm. It’s formed as the light dims in the evening and then fades as the sun rises in the morning, assisting your body in waking up.
Because some people have trouble making melatonin naturally, it’s widely taken as a dietary supplement to help with insomnia and jet lag.
The Research Supports Melatonin for COVID
The anti-inflammatory and immunological modulatory actions of melatonin may give a positive benefit for influenza, according to a study published in Science Direct in 2019.
Another study from a Cleveland clinic published in the PLOS Biology journal in November 2020 found that melatonin reduced positive coronavirus tests by roughly 28% after correcting for things like age, sex, and underlying conditions. In African Americans, the melatonin effect was much stronger, with a 52 percent reduction in positive tests compared to 23 percent in Caucasian Americans.
Another group of researchers from the University of Toronto in Canada discovered that melatonin’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities could help anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines work better, and that the medicine could be used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Their study, which was published in a medical journal, cited evidence that melatonin not only prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection, but also has properties that help patients with comorbidities (the presence of two or more diseases or medical conditions in the same person), such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Not All Products are Created Equally
As with any product, it’s important to do your research before choosing one. We recommend Restorative Slumber which offers 3mg of melatonin per serving and tastes like chocolate mint. It goes down easy and is readily bioavailable to make it more effective. Whether you just want to aid your sleep or you’re looking at preventative measures for COVID, melatonin could be a great help to you.
Sources:
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9721/8/4/44
https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3000970#pbio.3000970.ref030
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464619302452
