One of the most important things you can do for your health is get a solid night’s sleep. But what if you’re one of the millions of people who have difficulty falling or staying asleep? Thanks to science, help can be found in a dietary supplement you can get over the counter: melatonin.
When it comes to supplements that claim to help you sleep better one reigns supreme melatonin but just how effective is melatonin for various sleep issues is it really as harmless as people think it is here’s what taking melatonin every night does to your body according to a 2016 study published in the journal of family medicine and primary care approximately one-third
Of american adults may suffer from chronic insomnia struggling to sleep at least three nights a week for three months or longer insomnia defined as difficulty falling or staying asleep can have many causes people with insomnia often don’t get enough high quality sleep leading to daytime sleepiness mood changes and difficulty concentrating since melatonin is the
Hormone that cues the body that it’s time to sleep it makes sense that taking supplemental melatonin would swiftly whisk insomniacs off to dreamland according to webmd however the supplement’s effect on how quickly someone falls asleep and how long they sleep is minimal popping a melatonin pill before bed appears to shave only an average of 7 to 12 minutes off the
Time insomniacs spend tossing and turning and while some people may report feeling better rested after taking melatonin the objective data doesn’t always back up their subjective conclusions you need a nap we all occasionally have trouble falling asleep when we know we should but for some people it’s a chronic issue that’s a recognized sleep disorder individuals
With delayed sleep-wake phase disorder have difficulty falling asleep and waking up at socially acceptable times those with the disorder are essentially extreme night owls who don’t feel sleepy until say 4 am and if they had their way might sleep until noon dspd occurs because the body doesn’t release melatonin at the proper time trying to conform to the hours other
People keep can be extremely difficult and often results in individuals with dspd not getting enough sleep this can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness and difficulty concentrating taking supplemental melatonin can be extremely helpful because it allows those with dspd to trigger sleepiness earlier than they’d naturally start winding down according to the national
Sleep foundation a 2020 meta-analysis published in the journal sleep found that supplemental melatonin decreased the time it took someone to fall asleep after turning off the lights by 23.27 minutes in children and adults it also decreased the amount of time it took them to fall asleep once their head hit the pillow interestingly taking supplemental melatonin caused
The release of their own natural melatonin to occur 1.18 hours earlier in the night melatonin is a hormone of darkness we call it the vampire hormone humans didn’t evolve with the ability to travel across the globe in a matter of hours so our bodies aren’t well equipped to deal with sudden time zone changes according to the mayo clinic jet lag occurs because your
Body’s clock is still synced to your original time zone instead of to the time zone where you’ve traveled jet lag travelers can experience difficulty falling asleep at the right time and may experience daytime sleepiness mood changes and gi upset the more time zones you cross the worse your jet lag is likely to be especially if you’re traveling from west to east
It takes about a day per time zone crossed to recover taking melatonin can help sink your body to your new locale but timing matters if you’ve traveled east and lost time you should take melatonin at bedtime if you’ve traveled west and gained time melatonin should be taken in the morning a 2002 meta-analysis published in the cochrane database of systematic reviews
Found that doses of between 0.5 and 5 milligrams of melatonin helped prevent or treat jet lag when more than five time zones were crossed interestingly extended release melatonin didn’t have the same beneficial effects because it caused melatonin levels to rise too slowly i can’t sleep while no one suggesting that cancer patients forego chemotherapy or radiation
Treatment in favor of an over-the-counter dietary supplement melatonin may be beneficial as an additional treatment in some circumstances according to a 2017 paper published in oncotarget melatonin may prevent the development or spread of cancer in a number of ways melatonin is an antioxidant which means it helps prevent free radical damage in the body that over
Time could lead to the growth of cancerous cells it may also stimulate a process by which diseased or damaged cells self-destruct before they can cause harm melatonin may also interfere with a tumor’s ability to create its own blood supply which is a prerequisite for it spreading to other parts of the body additionally clinical trials have found that melatonin
Given alongside chemotherapy might make this treatment more effective and reduce the severity of side effects patients experience do you get frequent migraines melatonin might just help ward them off a 2010 study published in headache the journal of head and face pain found that individuals who suffered chronic migraines had significantly lower levels of naturally
Produced melatonin than did those who never or only occasionally got migraines it makes sense then that supplementing with melatonin might be helpful but the research so far hasn’t been conclusive on the one hand a 2016 study published in neurology neurosurgery and psychiatry showed promising results researchers gave participants all of whom had a history of two
To eight migraines per month either three milligrams of melatonin 25 milligrams of amitriptyline a commonly prescribed migraine medication or a placebo daily for three months those who took melatonin had 2.7 fewer migraine days per month whereas those on the amitriptyline had 2.2 fewer and those on placebo had 1.1 fewer so although melatonin clearly provided a
Benefit compared to the placebo it was essentially on par with the amitriptyline but the researchers noted that the melatonin takers had fewer side effects than those taking the amitriptyline this suggests melatonin may be safer and just as effective as prescription migraine medications however a 2010 study published in neurology found that two milligrams of
Extended release melatonin given an hour before bed for eight weeks had no significant effect on the number of migraines participants experienced while melatonin may be useful for a number of conditions there isn’t much evidence to support the idea that it’s helpful for those with depression in fact a 2006 paper published in the world journal of biological psychiatry
Noted that in people with depression their bodies produce more melatonin this might explain why some depressed individuals sleep more than usual so taking supplemental melatonin likely wouldn’t help and might even make things worse when it comes to seasonal affective disorder the researchers noted that there were changes in how the body produced melatonin a 2017
Meta-analysis published in acta psychiatrica scandinavica reviewed eight previously published studies to see how taking melatonin might impact both major depressive disorder and seasonal affective disorder the researchers concluded that there was no significant evidence that the melatonin improved moods however an earlier study conducted by researchers at oregon
Health and science university concluded that melatonin could be useful for people with seasonal affective disorder the catch was that it had to be a small dose and couldn’t be taken at bedtime night owl sad patients who had trouble falling asleep benefited from taking low dose melatonin in the afternoon or evening while morning lark sad patients who woke up way
Too early benefited from taking melatonin in the morning while the vast majority of people take melatonin in pill form at night to help them sleep topical melatonin may actually protect your skin from harmful uv radiation a 2013 paper published in photo dermatology photo immunology and photo photomedicine examined 16 previously published studies and concluded
That melatonin can protect the skin from sun damage if applied beforehand though it had no effect on repairing sun damage after the fact melatonin protects skin directly by serving as an antioxidant battling the free radical damage uv light causes and indirectly by controlling the expression of genes that can stabilize damaged dna but don’t throw away your bottle
Of sunscreen just yet the authors cautioned that all 16 studies used artificial uv light like what’s used in tanning beds rather than natural sunlight so it’s unclear how well melatonin would perform during your day at the beach it’s also unclear what concentration of melatonin would provide optimal protection sunburns may not seem like a big deal after all more
Than one in three americans get one each year but they’re a major risk factor for skin cancer more than 5 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the united states annually making it the most common form of cancer of those about 63 000 cases are melanoma the deadliest form of skin cancer nearly 9 000 americans die each year of melanoma according to the office
Of the surgeon general when it comes to dietary supplements melatonin is considered one of the safest so you can wake up feeling refreshed almost too refreshed as a 2016 paper published in clinical drug investigation concluded that short-term use of melatonin is safe even when taken in high doses the authors noted that even long-term usage of melatonin causes
Only mild side effects the mayo clinic agrees highlighting the fact that unlike some other sleep medications melatonin doesn’t appear to be habit forming in addition individuals don’t seem to become habituated to melatonin meaning they don’t need to take larger and larger doses as time goes on in order to get the same results but that doesn’t mean melatonin is
Totally without side effects as the mayo clinic explained some people may experience headache dizziness nausea or daytime drowsiness more rarely taking melatonin could cause feelings of depression anxiety or irritability disorientation tremors or abdominal cramps the national center for complementary and integrative health cautioned that as with any substance it’s
Possible to have an allergic reaction to melatonin also noting that melatonin may be riskier for certain groups the melatonin supplement you take at night may be chemically identical to the hormone your body produces naturally but it can still interact negatively with certain prescription medications you may also be taking according to webmd melatonin should not
Be taken with sedatives this combo can cause excessive sleepiness that could make tasks like driving unsafe common sedatives include the sleep aid ambien the anti-seizure drug colonopin and the anti-anxiety drug ativan you should also exercise caution if you’re taking melatonin in addition to birth control pills oral contraceptives appear to increase the amount of
Melatonin your body naturally produces so when combined with melatonin supplements you could end up with too much melatonin circulating in your system additionally if you’re taking the antidepressant levox your body may absorb more of the melatonin you take making side effects more likely or more intense melatonin may also slow blood clotting so if you’re already
On blood thinners you could be at increased risk for bruising and bleeding and because melatonin can increase blood sugar levels it may make diabetes medications less effective before taking melatonin or any other supplement consult your doctor or pharmacist about potential drug interactions just because the label lists how much melatonin each pill contains doesn’t
Mean that’s actually what’s in the bottle a 2017 study published in the journal of clinical sleep medicine examined the actual contents of 31 melatonin supplements and noted that melatonin content was found a range from less than 83 to 478 percent of what was advertised on the label melatonin along with all dietary supplements falls into a regulatory gray area
The food and drug administration doesn’t have the authority to review the safety or effectiveness of dietary supplements before they’re put on the market it’s up to manufacturers to ensure that their products are safe and contain the quantity and quality of ingredients they claim to have if you want to ensure the melatonin you’re taking is on the up and up look
For bottles with a usp verified label the united states pharmacopoeia program is an independent certification program that evaluates the quality of dietary supplements if you see the label on a bottle you can be assured that the product contains the listed ingredients in the amounts and potency claimed the usp verified label also indicates that a product doesn’t
Contain harmful levels of certain contaminants such as pesticides it also certifies that the supplement breaks down in the body in the way and at the speed it’s supposed to finally the usp label denotes that the product was made according to the fda’s good manufacturing practices check out one of our newest videos right here plus even more health digest videos
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Transcribed from video
When You Take Melatonin Every Night, This Is What Happens To You By Health Digest