Pineal gland, located in the brain, is responsible for creating melatonin, the sleep hormone responsible for maintaining many functions in our body, such as the circadian rhythm, which manages the sleep and wake cycle.
Using the patterns of day and night, our circadian clock maintains the sleep cycle and helps us fall asleep fast.
Yet because of sleep disorders, use of devices that emit blue light, and stress, the circadian rhythm fails to maintain a proper sleep cycle, leading to health issues such as insomnia.
In this article, we’ll look at melatonin supplements for sleep and their benefits.
What is Melatonin?
Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland located in the brain.
The primary function of this hormone is to induce sleep and manage the circadian rhythm. Melatonin signals to the body that it’s time to sleep, so people with low levels of this hormone face problems in falling and staying asleep.
Uses of Melatonin Supplements
Although melatonin is available in trace amounts from certain fruits and vegetables, it is recommended to take pills or gummy bears for the same.
Generally considered safe, melatonin induces sleep and resets the circadian rhythm. Here are the uses of melatonin.
Sleep Disorders
When you maintain a proper sleep schedule, your body becomes adept at releasing melatonin at a specific time to induce sleep.
However, sleep disorders interfere with this process, disabling people from falling asleep fast.
In a meta-analysis of several studies, it was noted that melatonin can:
● Induce sleep
● Enhance sleep quality
● Improve sleep duration
Although certain doses of melatonin may not work for you, the supplement is safer than other sleep inducing medicines such as benzodiazepines, which are addictive.
Headaches
Melatonin is found to be effective against certain types of headaches. And it is most useful for cluster headaches and migraines.
As migraine can cause severe headaches that keep on returning, people often rely on pain medications including opioids, which are addictive and harmful in the long run.
On the other hand, cluster headaches occur several times throughout the day and are very painful.
Instead of relying on pain medications, you can try melatonin and adjust its dosage to meet your requirements.
May Relieve symptoms of Tinnitus
Tinnitus causes people to hear a ringing sound in their ears. While many people experience this, the problem is quite ephemeral for most.
However, in some cases people experience non-stop sound that interferes with their lives and leads to stress, irritability, insomnia, anxiety and depression.
Melatonin, with its antioxidative properties, has proven to be effective in ameliorating symptoms of tinnitus.
Other Health Benefits
Melatonin can be taken for a host of other conditions including:
● Delayed sleep=wake phase disorder (DSWPD)
● Jet Lag
● Anxiety
● Sleep problems in children with ADHD
Is Melatonin Addictive?
According to experts, melatonin isn’t addictive, as it doesn’t cause symptoms of withdrawal when usage is stopped.
Since withdrawal symptoms and tolerance are the main criteria of addiction, it can be concluded that melatonin will not cause addiction.
What is the recommended dose for the supplement?
Since melatonin is naturally created by our body, you should start off with very low doses in order to discover the right dose that helps you to fall asleep fast.
3mg/day of melatonin may be the right amount to start with. But usually you can be in the range of 0.2-5mg/day of melatonin.
As your body gets used to the smaller doses, you can incrementally increase your dose until you reach 10mg/day.
At what time to take melatonin?
Take melatonin supplement 30 minutes before going to bed.
Symptoms of Melatonin Overdose
Too much melatonin may cause toxicity and side effects. But because most scientific studies have only analyzed doses running from 1mg to 10 mg, it can be difficult to know the levels at which melatonin becomes harmful.
However, many experts believe that consuming more than 30mg/day of melatonin may lead to serious side effects.
Starting Dose for Melatonin
Start low and increase the dosage over time.
0.2 to 5 mg of melatonin per day is a good range to start at. Taking low doses of this supplement enables your body to get used to the extra amount of melatonin.
When you feel that you’re comfortable with increasing the dose, do so until you’re taking 10mg/day of melatonin.
Symptoms of Melatonin Overdose
Taking more melatonin than your body can handle, especially anything above 30mg/day can lead to side effects and toxicity.
Symptoms of melatonin overdose include:
● Strange dreams
● Nightmares
● Nausea
● Dizziness
● Anxiety
● Diarrhea
● Fluctuation in blood pressure
● Joint pain
Don’t take melatonin with alcohol or caffeine. And if you take any other medication or suffer from any chronic illness, then consult your doctor before consuming melatonin supplements.
Conclusion
If you’ve problems falling asleep, suffer from headaches, or don’t feel rested when awake, then taking a melatonin supplement may help you in improving your quality of life. Start with a small dose and then work your way up to enjoy the benefits provided by this sleep supplement.
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