Crossword clues for melatonin
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
melatonin \mel`a*tonin\ n. (Physiology) A hormone secreted by the pineal gland. Chemically it is N-acety-5-methoxytryptamine. Research has indicated that there are daily rhythms in secretion of melatonin, in particular due to the depressing effect on melatonin production by light received by the retina. Conversely it appears that melatonin may influence the circadian rhythms of animals. There is some experimental evidence that administration of melatonin may increase the amount of sleep in people with sleep disorders. However, the evidence is not convincing and the effect is not profound. Nevertheless, the deregulation of melatonin and its availability over-the-counter has led to many people taking melatonin to help sleep, without consulting a physician.
A role for melatonin in sleep facilitation has been
inferred from its effect on electroencephalogram
patterns, but it has not been possible to demonstrate
that wakefulness sleep cycles are driven by periodic
accumulation, depletion, or regeneration of melatonin.
--Uwe
Ackermann,
Essentials of
Human
Physiology,
1992
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Wiktionary
n. 1 A hormone, related to serotonin, that is secreted by the pineal gland, and stimulates colour change in the skin of reptiles, and is involved in the sleep/wake and reproductive cycles in mammals 2 Any material similar in its chemistry and effect to the natural hormone.
WordNet
n. hormone secreted by the pineal gland
Wikipedia
Melatonin, chemically N- acetyl-5- methoxy tryptamine, is a substance found in animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria. In animals, it is a hormone that anticipates the daily onset of darkness; however in other organisms, it may have different functions. Likewise, the synthesis of melatonin in animals differs from that in other organisms.
In animals, melatonin is involved in the entrainment (synchronization) of the circadian rhythms of physiological functions including sleep timing, blood pressure regulation, seasonal reproduction, and many others. Many of melatonin's biological effects in animals are produced through activation of melatonin receptors, while others are due to its role as a pervasive and powerful antioxidant, with a particular role in the protection of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA.
It is used as a medication for insomnia, however, scientific evidence is insufficient to demonstrate a benefit in this area. Melatonin is sold over-the-counter in the United States and Canada. In other countries, it may require a prescription or it may be unavailable.
Melatonin is Jonathan Seet's first album, released independently in 2000.
Usage examples of "melatonin".
I was ordered three times to fly nonstop from Tokyo to New York, a flight of about the same duration, but because I was crossing ten time zones, my pineal gland secreted melatonin so abnormally that it required me four to five days to bring it back into balance.
Estrogens and progesterone are just part of a complex and closely interlinked hormonal system that includes many other hormones, including testosterone, DHEA, pregnenolone, and melatonin, to name just a few.
The treatment now included supplements of the enzyme photolyase, to correct DNA damage, and supplements of the pineal hormone melatonin, and dehydroepiandrosterone, a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands.
The air is thick with the smells of tobacco, brewer's yeast, and melatonin spray: Half the dotters are nursing monster jet lag hangovers, and the other half are babbling a Eurotrash creole at each other while they work on the hangover.
Thus at the end of the day he would sit down apprehensively or hopefully, and listen to what the AI had captured during the day: and mostly it was thought that he remembered thinking, but occasionally he would hear himself say, “Synthetic melatonins may be a better antioxidant than natural ones, so that there aren’t enough free radicals,” or “Viriditas is a fundamental mystery, there will never be a grand unified theory,” without having any memory of saying such things, or, often, what they might mean.
He reaches for the bottle beside the bed, dry-swallows two melatonin tablets, a capsule full of antioxidants, and a multivitamin bullet: Then he lies down on the bed, on his back, legs together, arms slightly spread.
He reaches for the bottle beside the bed, dry-swallows two melatonin tablets, a capsule full of antioxidants, and a multivitamin bullet: then he lies down on the bed, on his back, legs together, arms slightly spread.
All the way up to the large organismic issues, such as brain-wave rhythms and their relationship to the heart and other organs, or the pineal gland's ever-decreasing secretions of melatonin, a hormone that seemed to regulate many aspects of aging.
Wallet leaking credit cards and carelessly wadded bills, liquid makeup in small jars, loose-powder compact, dented lipsticks, of prescription pills, multiple vitamins, calcium and melatonin, book and cellular phone and a half-dozen felt-tip pens, and--what was this?