Claudio Sericano
IT IS sometimes referred to as the Dracula hormone because it emerges at night and lays low during the day. But most of us know it as melatonin, a hormone that has become intimately connected in our minds with nightfall and sleep. In the US, where melatonin supplements are available over the counter, millions of adults take them regularly to tackle insomnia, jet lag and night shifts. Thousands more dole out melatonin “gummies” to their children to help them sleep through the night. In the UK, melatonin is available on prescription for the short-term treatment of insomnia in people…
