Melatonin: how sleep hormone works and whether it should be taken?
Melatonin: how does sleep hormone work and should it be taken?
Melatonin tablet is one of the most popular ways to restore disturbed sleep. It is considered a natural remedy that is safer than sleeping pills. In fact, everything is much more complicated. We understand how effective melatonin is and who it will help.
Melatonin is often called sleep hormone, but this is not quite true - rather, it is the hormone of the night. It can really help restore sleep, but not in all cases. Studies of the potential of melatonin give contradictory results, but in general it is considered a safe drug.
Melatonin is a hormone that the body needs to regulate sleep.
What is melatonin?
Melatonin is a hormone that the body needs to regulate sleep. He starts the process of falling asleep. The pineal body, the gland in the brain, begins to produce it when a person finds himself in the dark, and stops when it gets lighter - this is the main mechanism of circadian rhythms. Our retina sends a signal of lighting changes to the brain. Due to the fact that the length of the day is different at different times of the year, the body produces the most melatonin in winter and less in summer.
Melatonin is a hormone of the night, not sleep, and its sleeping pill effect is extremely low. Going to bed does not cause melatonin as such - it simply triggers many biochemical processes that eventually lead to falling asleep. When it gets light in the morning, the concentration of melatonin drops, the body "invigorates" and wakes up. Therefore, sleep disorders and melatonin production disorders are often found in people who have to work in the dark or spend a lot of time behind luminous screens. In addition, the elderly often have reduced levels of melatonin.
Sleep regulation is just one of many functions of melatonin. In addition, he:
Regulates the pressure;
Regulates digestion;
Regulates bone growth;
Protects the nervous system from neurodegeneration;
Reduces the manifestations of mental disorders, primarily anxiety;
Reduces pain;
Serves as a powerful antioxidant and reduces inflammation.
Today, the possibility of using melatonin in the treatment of many diseases, from mental disorders to reproductive disorders, is being investigated. But there are almost no exact data to use it as a medicine.
While rates of melatonin metabolism can vary in different people, our melatonin products are designed to support the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep.
Melatonin in tablets.
Melatonin is one of the most popular drugs for normalizing sleep. Often people drink it to fight any sleep disorders, and almost always in dosages many times higher than necessary. According to one study, in 2017-2018, 2.1% of Americans took melatonin within a month before the survey.
As a rule, melatonin is sold in tablets from 0.3 to 5 mg. In general, it is considered safe if taken for a short time, but scientists have too little data on long-term reception. For example, one small study showed that a long course of melatonin in men can reduce sperm quality. In some countries it is sold by prescription, and in America it is sold as dietary supplements, not medicines.
As somnologists(The formal name for a sleep doctor is “somnologist”) note, melatonin is not recommended for the treatment of insomnia due to the lack of reliable data on efficacy - however, like any other drugs.
Taking melatonin just like that is not very reasonable. As a rule, it fights well with disruption of the circadian rhythm of sleep and wakefulness, when we, for example, have flights to another time zone or when you had to stay awake at night and need to restore the regime.
In which sleep disorders is it most effective to use melatonin?
Studies show that it is most effective to take melatonin in such sleep disorders as:
General insomnia - melatonin accelerates falling asleep by an average of 30 minutes;
Sleep disorders in the elderly - they are often associated with a decrease in melatonin production;
Poor-quality, superficial sleep;
Sleep phase delay syndrome - chronotype of "owl", which is a disorder, not a variant of the norm;
Jetlag is a biorhythm disorder associated with the change of time zones;
Sleep disorders in irregular or shift work, when a person has to work in the dark;
Unexpressed sleep problems that occur rarely or have arisen recently;
Sleep disorders in children - but only as a short-term remedy.
With pronounced regular insomnia, which occurs more than three times a week, melatonin will definitely not be enough - in this case, it is worth seeking medical help.
Before taking melatonin, be sure to consult a therapist, neurologist, and best of all - a somnologist. Doctors often recommend starting with a minimum dose of 0.3 or 0.5 mg. It is quite possible that it will be enough. At the same time, melatonin is most often sold in dosages 10 times higher than these.
Moreover, one Canadian study in 2017 showed that the content of melatonin in tablets can be very different from the declared one. In one of the drugs, the hormone was 83% less than written on the package, and in the other - 478% more [8]. In general, in 71% of the tested drugs, the real volume of melatonin was very different from the declared one. In addition, a quarter of the tablets contained the similar structure of the hormone serotonin, which ended up in them due to insufficient cleaning, and its excess can cause dangerous poisoning. This is another reason to be especially attentive to the dosage and start with the little ones.
In addition, do not use melatonin for more than a month. Doctors are afraid of longer use, because there is a great risk that by regularly receiving a dose of synthetic melatonin, the body will stop producing its own.
Do not use melatonin for more than a month.
Who can and who can't take melatonin?
In general, melatonin is safe. However, doctors do not recommend using it:
With dementia;
In case of depression;
People with liver and kidney diseases;
Suffering from autoimmune diseases;
Patients on dialysis;
Pregnant women;
Breastfeeding.
Also, do not use melatonin together with:
Sleeping pills and sedative;
Anticonvulsant;
Benzodiazepines,
Pressure drugs;
Anticoagulants;
Oral contraceptives;
Drugs for diabetes;
Alcohol; with alcohol;
Immunosuppressants.
What are the side effects of melatonin?
Melatonin is generally considered a non-toxic substance, but can still cause a number of side effects that manifest themselves when taking high doses:
Drowsiness;
Headache; a headache
Rash;
Nightmares;
Gastritis;
Nausea.
The main reason for their appearance is the dosage of melatonin too high.
Since the harm of synthetic melatonin has not been proven, for precaution it is not recommended for use without prior medical advice in such situations:
During pregnancy and breastfeeding,
Patients with deep depression,
In epilepsy,
Children under 12 years old,
Patients with autoimmune diseases,
In leukemia.
The most effective way to treat insomnia is cognitive behavioral therapy.
What else will help improve sleep?
According to the somnologist, the most effective way to treat insomnia is cognitive behavioral therapy. "This is a comprehensive non-drug approach consisting of several consultations with a specialist. It is based on modern ideas about sleep regulation and includes special techniques aimed at sleep-related behavior, as well as working with sleep anxiety, changing perceptions that support sleep disorders.
Endocrinologists give recommendations for restoring sleep and combating insomnia:
Meditation, breathing practices, self-massage will help you learn how to cope with stress - all this should be done in the afternoon or just before bedtime, as well as sports - but only in the morning.
Set up the daily routine - go to bed at the same time, ideally - until midnight.
Sleep for at least 8 hours.
Minimize the use of gadgets and watching TV before going to bed - the blue shimmering light of the screen excites the nervous system.
Go for a walk before going to bed, take a warm shower or bath, ventilate the room.
You can use flavors with essential oils of mint, lemon balm, lavender, but only natural ones.
Give up alcohol, caffeine, strong tea and heavy fatty food a few hours before.
Instead of tea, it is better to drink herbal decoctions before going to bed: mint, lemon balm, valerian, St. John's wort, oregano, motherwort.
Warmers in the area of the feet, hands, cervical-collar area can help to fall asleep.
According to the doctor's prescription, you can try physiotherapy: electrosleep, electrophoresis with a drug solution, darsonvalization and hydromassage.