Mondo Knows Facts
The pineal gland regulates daily sleep rhythms with melatonin
Light exposure signals the brain to adjust hormone production for sleep
Nestled deep in the centre of the brain, the tiny pineal gland produces the hormone melatonin. As evening darkness approaches, melatonin secretion rises to promote sleepiness, helping align body metabolism with the natural 24-hour light and dark day cycle.
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Tags: hormones, sleep, brain
The pineal gland regulates daily sleep rhythms with melatonin: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Light exposure signals the brain to adjust hormone production for sleep. The figure is taken from NIH, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a human body fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Human Body shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
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- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.