Studies have shown that relatively large doses of the hormone melatonin can put people to sleep.

Now, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers in Cambridge report a little bit can have the same effect on some as well.

Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland and is often called the "hormone of darkness" because it is secreted in humans and other species only at night.

The hormone, whose function has puzzled researchers for centuries, may affect all sorts of circadian and seasonal body rhythms, such as day-night variations in body temperature and the onset of puberty.

Melatonin has been shown to help "reset" the body's internal clock in blind people, those suffering from jet lag and shift workers who work nights and sleep during the day.

In a study presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Miami Beach, Irina Zhdanova, principal research scientist in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, showed that slightly increasing the amount of melatonin in their bloodstream can help elderly insomniacs and children get some shut-eye.

Tip: Melatonin also works well on children as well. The next time your grandchildren have problems falling asleep, you can safely give them one small dosage of Melatonin, and within one hour they will dose off to sleep. You can double check with the child's Pediatrician, and if the child is of normal health, this is completely safe. I have experienced this with my own children and all I can say is that it's amazing.