What is the melatonin pill used by Stefanos Tsitsipas?

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Last season's Roland Garros finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas could do nothing against the hurricane Carlos Alcaraz, who played a great game by clearly beating the Greek in three sets, in the quarterfinals of the Parisian Slam, where the match was balanced only in the third set, reaching the tie break then won by the Spaniard.

The Greek commented on the defeat suffered against Alcaraz, also stating about an interesting issue: "I don't have much to say: he played very well. I don't think he played great, but he played great. One thing I think I will avoid in the next few games is taking a melatonin pill and taking a nap before playing, because it doesn't seem to be working." On why he took it, Tsitsipas explained: "Schedules have been a bit difficult the last few days and I have had several late night games.

Not too late, but enough to affect my sleep. Sleep, as you know, is essential and the most important thing when participating in a tournament like this. I did the same thing a year ago against Novak in Bercy and gave me the same result.

I don't want to take credit away from him, he's playing well. He deserves to win. But I don't want to talk about it. I am very angry and it has had an effect on me." On the match: the Greek told: "t's normal. It means it's important to me.

It would be bad if it wasn't. Tennis means a lot to me and it's not a fun thing to live. It is crucial to have people around you who understand this and who feel compassion or who understand you. The closest people. In the first two sets I didn't have much fun.

I felt numb. I hope it doesn't happen to me again. It's a bummer." On the match between Djokovic and Alcaraz: "One has experience, the other has legs and moves like Speedy Gonzalez. One can hit hard and the other can control and have precision, putting pressure on the opponent.

May the best man win."

About melatonin and its use

Melatonin is remarkably effective in preventing or reducing time zone-related ailments, and occasional short-term use appears to be safe. Incorrect use, on the other hand, can delay adaptation.

In the European Union it is used for the treatment of insomnia in children and adolescents aged 2-18 years with autism spectrum disorder or Smith-Magenis syndrome and also for the short-term treatment of insomnia above 55 years of age, even if recent studies suggest a beneficial effect also in the pediatric age.

A study states that the use of melatonin facilitates the cessation of benzodiazepine therapies. Over the years, various professional bodybuilders and various sports information magazines have affirmed the possibility, with the support of some scientific studies, that daily doses between 0.5 mg and 3 mg, taken 30-60 minutes before training, increase the growth hormone levels, without giving side effects, which are usually recognized in irritability and drowsiness.

Melatonin decreases the release of GnRH: for this reason it decreases testosterone synthesis and therefore libido. More precisely, it inhibits the secretion of luteinizing hormone, which stimulates the endocrine activity of the interstitial cells of the testicle in males with the production of testosterone and sperm, and in females ovulation and the conversion of the ovarian follicle into the corpus luteum.

Taken for prolonged periods, melatonin can have a depressive effect in predisposed subjects, and moreover, it can inhibit ovulation precisely because of the suppression of the release of GnRH that it causes. A 2017 study highlighted a correlation between melatonin intake and increased aggression, tested on 63 male subjects by highlighting the level of punishment inflicted on an opponent in a video game with and without melatonin intake.