A pineal hormone that signals darkness and helps regulate sleep timing.
The pineal gland makes melatonin from serotonin in darkness under SCN control. It signals night to the body and helps entrain rhythms. Supplements may help jet lag.
Melatonin rises in the evening. Light suppresses it. It has mild sleep-promoting effects.
Example: shift workers may take melatonin to adjust sleep.
A pineal hormone that signals darkness and helps regulate sleep timing.
Melatonin is one of the 54 topics in Reproduction & Endocrinology. It is rated Intermediate, so it suits learners who already know the core vocabulary. Related topics in this area include Circadian Endocrinology, Negative Feedback in Endocrine Control, Hormones.
Bright light at night suppresses melatonin.
Work through the Beginner topics in Reproduction & Endocrinology first, such as Reproduction, Asexual Reproduction, Sexual Reproduction, then return to Melatonin. Intermediate topics assume the Beginner vocabulary.
The closest topics to Melatonin are Circadian Endocrinology, Negative Feedback in Endocrine Control, Hormones, Growth Hormone. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Melatonin. To practise the whole of Reproduction & Endocrinology, use the Reproduction & Endocrinology quiz.
Melatonin: A pineal hormone that signals darkness and helps regulate sleep timing. Circadian Endocrinology: Hormone levels follow daily cycles, with cortisol peaking in the morning and melatonin at night. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Circadian Endocrinology and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Reproduction & Endocrinology quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
Hormone levels follow daily cycles, with cortisol peaking in the morning and melatonin at night.
🌸 Reproduction & EndocrinologyRising hormone levels inhibit further secretion, as with thyroxine and TSH.
🌸 Reproduction & EndocrinologyChemical messengers released into the blood that regulate growth, metabolism and reproduction.
🌸 Reproduction & EndocrinologyA pituitary hormone stimulating growth of bone and muscle and affecting metabolism.
🌸 Reproduction & Endocrinology