Talk to your primary care physician or sleep doctor before taking melatonin for sleep.
It would be best to take only melatonin with your doctor’s approval. Sleep aid melatonin is generally safe, and interactions with other medications are unusual. Melatonin is safe for short-term use when taken orally.
Unfortunately, research suggests that using melatonin in large quantities may adversely affect adolescents’ maturation. In addition, drug interactions involving melatonin for sleep may also exacerbate depressive symptoms.
In addition, children with high blood pressure should not take melatonin for sleep.
Melatonin may be harmful to your health.
While research hasn’t consistently linked melatonin to adverse health effects, it was in a few cases. For instance, it may cause unwanted side effects, such as daytime sleepiness, if taken in large doses during the first trimester of pregnancy.
The reports of melatonin use during pregnancy noted several adverse side effects, including a decrease in glucose tolerance and an increased risk of miscarriage.
Please consider non-drug options before resorting to medication.
The sleep specialist suggests you try non-drug approaches, such as reducing the amount of light in the bedroom and shutting off electronics. Then, it will signal your body to start producing melatonin.
Furthermore, you should abstain from alcoholic beverages and caffeine after 3 p.m. and before bedtime. At least half an hour before night, you should stop using your electronic gadgets.
The Food and Drug Administration does not oversee melatonin supplements.
Use caution using melatonin for sleep, especially if pregnant or breastfeeding, even though it has several beneficial side effects. The FDA does not regulate melatonin supplements. Thus they may contain more or less substance than is stated on the label.
Taking more than the suggested dose can make you sleepy and unsafe to drive under any circumstances.
Stay Away from the Coffee and Booze
Adverse reactions to melatonin for sleep include daytime sleepiness and irritation. In addition, some prescription and over-the-counter drugs may negatively interact with them.
Drinking alcohol or caffeine while taking melatonin pills is not recommended because they may reduce the effectiveness of the supplements. Furthermore, melatonin may raise the possibility of epileptic attacks in kids.
Melatonin therapy may also help people who suffer from jet lag, those who work night shifts, and high school students who regularly experience tiredness at unusual hours.
The delayed onset is helpful for people dealing with both jet lag and late school nights. However, this supplement’s risks and rewards may not be the same for everyone. For additional information, please continue reading.
Drug-drug interactions
Although there are few documented drug interactions when using melatonin for sleep, you should be aware of the possibility of adverse effects and know when to avoid using melatonin.
In addition, melatonin can modify the sedative effects of other pharmaceuticals.
Medications include benzodiazepines, tranquilizers, and muscle relaxants. In addition, herbal remedies, vitamins, and nutritional supplements may react differently.
More medication does not always lead to a more restful night’s sleep.
Supplemental melatonin can shorten the time it takes to fall asleep and lengthen the time spent sleeping in a meta-analysis of fifteen placebo-controlled studies published in 2005. In addition, some users have reported decreased anxiousness and an easier time falling asleep, although no apparent effect on jet lag.
However, remember that melatonin’s efficacy as a sleep aid is inconsistent. Further, it deviates from the standard dose-response curve, so taking more of it does not always lead to a more restful night’s sleep.
Definitive conclusions from the melatonin
Though studies on the estimated effect of melatonin on sleep are extensive, the quality and quantity of available studies have undermined trust in the estimate. However, smaller studies didn’t combine data or adjust for the degree of the effect.
Due to these gaps, we cannot draw definitive conclusions from the melatonin literature, which means that the subject matter expert failed to advise shift workers to take melatonin.
