Deans' stroke musings: Does Melatonin Cause Dementia?

Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Does Melatonin Cause Dementia?

Ask your doctor for EXACT information on that

Does Melatonin Cause Dementia?

We know that melatonin is associated with sleep and is often recommended for sleep disorders. But do scientists know if melatonin causes dementia?

By Tree MeinchMar 3, 2023 3:00 PM

(Credit: nambitomo/Shutterstock)

The use of melatonin supplements has spiked significantly in the U.S. in recent years, prompting calls for more research into the effects of long-term melatonin supplementation in humans.

That’s because relatively little research has been done concerning how taking melatonin pills on a regular basis affects overall health. Particularly in aging populations with Alzheimer's or dementia. Melatonin support has also been recommended for those who are blind and struggle with a regular sleep schedule.

Synthetic versions of this hormone are frequently sold over the counter as a sleep aid, and research indicates that it likely impacts various aspects of health and wellness. The limited evidence available is also mixed on whether it benefits people who are struggling with sleep.

A research letter published in JAMA last year drew attention to roughly a five-fold increase in people taking melatonin in the U.S. between 1999 and 2018. The findings by a team of researchers in Beijing and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota cited data from a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They called for more research on this topic in the science community.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a natural hormone that our brains produce, generally increasing when we’re exposed to the dark (at night) and decreasing during daylight. Thus, it plays a dynamic role in regulating sleep and circadian rhythms in humans and other mammals.

Melatonin and Sleep

The physiological production of this hormone typically declines in someone as they age, which might impact sleep patterns. That’s where oral supplements of melatonin offer potential promise and have been prescribed to populations with dementia and those struggling with sleep.

But the precise way that melatonin regulates sleep is not fully understood. For example, in its natural state, it doesn’t have a sedating effect. In fact, in nocturnal animals, the natural chemical is active and associated with wakeful states rather than sleep.