CAN MELATONIN GIVE YOU BETTER SLEEP?
Some folks swear by melatonin supplements. They say it works as good or better than over-the-counter sleep aids like Unisom for getting a good night’s sleep. But I’m reading reports that it doesn’t help much for curing insomnia, although it might be helpful for other sleep disorders.
Actually, your body already makes the melatonin hormone. Your pineal gland communicates with receptors in the retina area of your eye letting it know when it’s light or dark. When it senses dark, it releases the melatonin to prepare you for sleep. And when it senses light, it shuts off the hormone’s production.
However, as you age your body produces less and less melatonin. Still, you can help gain more of it naturally by getting exposure to daylight in the morning. Sunlight helps you produce serotonin, which is the precursor to melatonin. There are also various foods that contain it including corn, cucumbers, asparagus, olives, nuts and barley.
I found more information on how melatonin can be useful for specific conditions in the March 2021 Mayo Clinic online article, Melatonin. Here are excerpts:
Overview
Melatonin is a hormone in your body that plays a role in sleep. It’s is also available as a supplement, typically as an oral tablet or capsule. Most melatonin supplements are made in a lab.
People commonly use melatonin for sleep disorders, such as insomnia and jet lag.
Evidence
Research on melatonin use for specific conditions shows:
- Research suggests that it might slightly reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, but its effects on sleep quality and total sleep time aren’t clear. Melatonin might be more beneficial for older adults who could be melatonin deficient.
- Delayed sleep phase (delayed sleep-wake phase sleep disorder). In this disorder, your sleep pattern is delayed two hours or more from a conventional sleep pattern, causing you to go to sleep later and wake up later. Research shows that the hormone reduces the length of time needed to fall asleep and advances the start of sleep in adults.
- Jet lag. Evidence shows that it can improve jet lag symptoms, such as alertness and daytime sleepiness.
Research suggests that melatonin might reduce evening confusion and restlessness in people with Alzheimer’s disease, but it doesn’t seem to improve cognition.
Generally safe
Your body likely produces enough melatonin for its general needs. However, evidence suggests that melatonin supplements promote sleep and are safe for short-term use. Melatonin can be used to treat delayed sleep phase and provide some insomnia relief. Treat it as you would any sleeping pill and use it under your doctor’s supervision.
Possible Side effects
Melatonin taken orally in appropriate amounts is generally safe. It can cause:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Drowsiness
Less common side effects might include short-lasting feelings of depression, mild tremor, mild anxiety, abdominal cramps, irritability, reduced alertness, confusion or disorientation.
Because melatonin can cause daytime drowsiness, don’t drive or use machinery within five hours of taking the supplement.
Don’t use it if you have an autoimmune disease
Also you need to be careful using it if you’re taking other drugs. Melatonin can have interactions with blood thinners, anticonvulsants, and some blood pressure medications and diabetes medications.
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If you suffer from insomnia, you might want to give melatonin a try. But don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t cut off that many minutes to fall asleep or lengthen sleep time by that much.
Still, there are several healthy ways to get better sleep. Please refer to the tips in my June 21, 2018 post Nothing Like a Good Night’s Sleep
Sweet dreams!