What is melatonin?
Melatonin supplements are popular among people suffering from insomnia and jet lag. In many countries, you can get melatonin without a prescription.
In fact, it might help:
- Support eye health
- Treat stomach ulcers and heartburn
- Relieve tinnitus symptoms
- Increase growth hormone levels in men
How does it work?
Simply put, the circadian rhythm is your body’s internal clock. It lets you know when to:
- sleep
- wake
- eat
Melatonin also helps regulate body temperature, blood pressure and levels of certain hormones.
When it gets dark outside, your melatonin levels start to rise, signaling to your body that it's time to sleep. It also binds to receptors in the body that help you relax. For example, melatonin binds to receptors in the brain to help reduce neural activity.
It reduces levels of dopamine, a hormone that helps you stay awake. It also involves certain aspects of your eyes' day-night cycle. Although the exact way melatonin helps you fall asleep is unknown, research suggests these processes can help you fall asleep. Instead, light regulates the production of melatonin, which is your body's way of knowing it's time to wake up.
Since melatonin helps your body prepare for sleep, people who don't get enough of it at night may have trouble falling asleep. There are many factors that can cause low melatonin levels at night. Stress, smoking, exposure to too much light (including blue light) at night, not getting enough natural light during the day, shift work, and aging can all affect melatonin production. Taking melatonin supplements may help cope with low levels and normalize your internal clock.
it can help you sleep
An analysis of 19 studies on people with sleep disorders found that melatonin helped reduce the time it took to fall asleep by an average of seven minutes. In many of these studies, people also reported significantly better sleep quality. Additionally, melatonin can help relieve jet lag, a temporary sleep disorder.
Jet lag occurs when your body's internal clock becomes out of sync with the new time zone. Shift workers may also experience symptoms of jet lag because they work during hours they would normally use for sleep. Melatonin can help reduce jet lag by synchronizing your internal clock with time changes.
For example, one analysis of nine studies looked at the effects of melatonin on people who traveled across five or more time zones. Scientists have found that melatonin is very effective in reducing the effects of jet lag. The analysis also found that the lower dose (0.5 mg) and the higher dose (5 mg) were equally effective in reducing jet lag.
Other health benefits
Taking melatonin can also provide you with other health benefits.
May support eye health
Healthy melatonin levels may contribute to eye health.
It has powerful antioxidant effects and can help reduce the risk of eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
In one study, scientists asked 100 AMD patients to take 3 mg of melatonin daily for 6 to 24 months. Taking melatonin daily appears to protect the retina and delay damage in AMD without any significant side effects.
May help treat stomach ulcers and heartburn
Melatonin's antioxidant properties may help treat stomach ulcers and relieve heartburn.
One study involving 21 participants found that taking melatonin and tryptophan along with omeprazole helped stomach ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori heal faster.
Omeprazole is a commonly used drug to treat acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
In another study, 36 GERD patients took melatonin, omeprazole, or a combination of both to treat GERD and its symptoms.
Melatonin helps reduce heartburn, especially when combined with omeprazole.
Future research will help clarify melatonin's effectiveness in treating stomach ulcers and heartburn.
Can reduce tinnitus symptoms
Tinnitus is a condition characterized by persistent ringing in the ears. The situation is often worse when there is less background noise, such as when you are trying to fall asleep.
Interestingly, researchers recommend considering taking melatonin to help reduce the symptoms of severe tinnitus and help you sleep.
In one study, 61 adults with tinnitus took 3 mg of melatonin at bedtime for 30 days. It helps reduce the effects of tinnitus and significantly improves sleep quality.
May help increase growth hormone levels in men
Human growth hormone (HGH) is naturally released during sleep. In healthy young men, taking melatonin may help increase HGH levels.
Research shows that melatonin can make the pituitary gland, the organ that releases HGH, more sensitive to the hormone that releases HGH.
Additionally, one small study showed that both lower (0.5 mg) and higher (5 mg) melatonin doses were effective in stimulating HGH release.
Another study found that 5 mg of melatonin combined with resistance training increased HGH levels in men while decreasing levels of somatostatin, which suppresses HGH.
How to take melatonin
If you are considering trying melatonin, it is recommended to start with a low dose supplement. However, be sure to talk to a health care professional before adding over-the-counter melatonin to your regimen.
For example, start with 0.5 mg (500 mcg) or 1 mg 30 minutes before bed. If this doesn't seem to help you fall asleep, try increasing the dose to 3-5 mg.
Taking more melatonin than this may not help you fall asleep faster. The goal is to find the lowest dose that helps you sleep.
However, it's best to follow the instructions that come with the supplement.
Melatonin is widely used in the United States. In other places, such as the EU and Australia, you'll need a prescription for melatonin.
Safety and side effects
Current evidence shows that melatonin supplements are safe, non-toxic, and non-addictive.
That being said, some people may experience mild side effects, such as:
- Dizziness
- Headache
- nausea
Melatonin may also interact with many medications. These include:
- Sleep aids or sedatives
- blood thinners
- anticonvulsants
- Antihypertensive drugs
- Antidepressants
- oral contraceptive pills
- diabetes medications
- immunosuppressant
If you have a medical condition or take any of the medications mentioned above, it's best to consult your doctor before starting supplementation.
Others worry that taking too much melatonin will prevent your body from producing it naturally.
However, multiple studies have found that taking melatonin does not affect your body's ability to make it on its own.
Melatonin and alcohol
After drinking alcohol in the evening, melatonin levels drop. One study of 29 young people found that drinking alcohol 1 hour before bed can reduce melatonin levels by up to 19%.
Low levels of melatonin have also been detected in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Additionally, melatonin levels rise more slowly in alcoholics, which means it's harder to fall asleep.
However, in these cases, melatonin supplementation does not improve sleep. One study of patients with AUD found that taking 5 mg of melatonin daily for 4 weeks did not improve sleep compared with placebo.
Melatonin and pregnancy
Your natural melatonin levels are important during pregnancy. In fact, melatonin levels fluctuate throughout pregnancy.
During the first and second trimester, the nighttime peak of melatonin decreases.
However, as the due date approaches, melatonin levels begin to rise. During the semester, melatonin levels reach their maximum. They return to pre-pregnancy levels after delivery.
Maternal melatonin is transferred to the developing fetus, where it contributes to the development of circadian rhythms and neurological and endocrine systems.
Melatonin also appears to have a protective effect on the fetal nervous system. It is believed that melatonin's antioxidant properties prevent damage to the developing nervous system due to oxidative stress.
Although it is clear that melatonin is important during pregnancy, there is limited research on melatonin supplementation during pregnancy.
Therefore, melatonin supplements are currently not recommended for pregnant women.
Melatonin and babies
During pregnancy, maternal melatonin is transferred to the developing fetus. After birth, however, the baby's pineal gland begins making its own melatonin.
In babies, melatonin levels are low during the first 3 months of life. After this period, they increase, probably due to the presence of melatonin in breast milk.
Maternal melatonin levels are highest at night. Therefore, it is thought that breastfeeding at night may help promote the development of the infant's circadian rhythm.
Although melatonin is a natural component of breast milk, there is no data on the safety of melatonin supplementation while breastfeeding. For this reason, breastfeeding mothers are often advised to avoid melatonin supplements.
Melatonin and children
It is estimated that up to 25% of healthy children and adolescents have difficulty falling asleep.
This number is even higher - up to 75 percent - in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.
Melatonin's effectiveness in children and adolescents is still under investigation.
A literature review looked at seven trials of melatonin use in this population.
Overall, it found that children who received melatonin as a short-term treatment slept better than those who received a placebo. This means they spend less time falling asleep.
One small study followed people who had used melatonin since childhood for about 10 years. It was found that their sleep quality was not significantly different from a control group that did not use melatonin.
This suggests that sleep quality in people who used melatonin as children returned to normal over time.
Research on melatonin in children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as ASD and ADHD is ongoing, with mixed results.
In general, they found that melatonin helped children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders sleep longer, fall asleep faster, and sleep with better quality.
Melatonin is well tolerated by children. However, there is concern that long-term use may delay puberty, as the natural decline in melatonin levels in the evening is associated with the onset of puberty. More research is needed to investigate this.
Melatonin supplements for children often come in gummy form.
Dosage may vary by age, with some recommendations including 1 mg for infants, 2.5 to 3 mg for older children, and 5 mg for young adults.
Overall, more research is needed to determine the optimal dose and efficacy of melatonin for children and adolescents.
Additionally, because researchers don't yet understand the long-term effects of melatonin in this population, it's best to try implementing good sleep habits before trying melatonin.
Melatonin and the elderly
As we age, melatonin production decreases. These natural declines may contribute to poor sleep in older adults.
As with other age groups, the use of melatonin supplements in older adults is still under investigation. Studies show that melatonin supplementation can improve sleep onset and duration in older adults.
A literature review found some evidence for the use of low-dose melatonin in older adults who have trouble sleeping. However, more research is needed.
Melatonin may also be helpful for people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer's disease.
Some studies suggest that melatonin can potentially improve sleep quality, feelings of "rest" and morning alertness in people diagnosed with these conditions. Research on this topic is ongoing.
Although melatonin is well tolerated by older adults, there is concern about increased daytime sleepiness. Additionally, the effects of melatonin may be prolonged in older adults.
The most effective dose of melatonin in older adults has not yet been determined.
Recent recommendations recommend taking up to 1 to 2 mg 1 hour before bed. Immediate-release tablets are also recommended to prevent prolonged melatonin levels in the body.
in conclusion
If you are considering using melatonin, it is recommended to start with a lower dose of 0.5-1 mg, which is recommended 30 minutes before bed. If this doesn't work, you can increase the dose to 3-5 mg.
It's important to talk to a health care professional first to find out if melatonin supplementation is right for you and if there are any drug interactions. Additionally, melatonin may make some conditions worse.
Melatonin is generally well tolerated, but may cause mild side effects. Some medications may interact with melatonin.
Consult your doctor if you are taking these medications.
