Melatonin: What You Need To Know
What is melatonin and how does it work? Melatonin is a hormone that your brain produces in response to darkness. It helps with the timing of your circadian rhythms (24-hour internal clock) and with sleep. Being exposed to light at night can block melatonin production. Research suggests that melatonin plays other important roles in the body beyond sleep. However, these effects are not fully understood. Melatonin dietary supplements can be made from animals or microorganisms, but most often they’re made synthetically. The information below is about melaton supplements. What are the health benefits of taking melatonin? Melatonin supplements may help with certain conditions, such as jet lag, delayed sleep-wake phase disorder, some sleep disorders in children, and anxiety before and after surgery. Jet lag affects people when they travel by air across multiple time zones. With jet lag, you may not feel well overall and you may have disturbed sleep, daytime tiredness, impaired functioning, and digestive problems. Research suggests that melatonin supplements may help with jet lag.
Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder (DSWPD) People with DSWPD have trouble falling asleep at the usual times and waking up in the morning. They typically have difficulty getting to sleep before 2 to 6 a.m. and would prefer to wake up between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Melatonin supplements appear to help with sleep in people with DSWPD, but it’s uncertain whether the benefits outweigh the possible harms. This is based on a some clinical practice guidelines, small reviews, more recent studies. Anxiety Before and After Surgery Anxiety before and after surgery happens in up to 80 percent of patients. Melatonin supplements appear to be helpful in reducing anxiety before surgery, but it’s unclear if it helps to lower anxiety after surgery. This is a based on a 2015 review. Is melatonin helpful for preventing or treating COVID-19? Current research looking at the effects of melatonin on COVID-19 is only in the early stages. There are a few randomized controlled trials (studies evaluating melatonin in people) in progress. At this point, it is too soon to reach conclusions on whether melatonin is helpful for COVID-19.
Does melatonin help with cancer symptoms? Studies of the effect of melatonin supplements on cancer symptoms or treatment-related side effects have been small and have had mixed results. Keep in mind that unproven products should not be used to replace or delay conventional medical treatment for cancer. Also, some products can interfere with standard cancer treatments or have special risks for people who’ve been diagnosed with cancer. Before using any complementary health approach, including melatonin, people who’ve been diagnosed with cancer should talk with their healthcare providers to make sure that all aspects of their care work together.
Can melatonin help with insomnia? People with insomnia have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. When symptoms last a month or longer, it’s called chronic insomnia. Melatonin may improve ability to fall asleep.
Is it safe to take melatonin?
For melatonin supplements short-term use of melatonin supplements appears to be safe for most people, but information on the long-term safety of supplementing with melatonin is lacking.
Also keep in mind:
Interactions with medicines. As with all dietary supplements, people who are taking medicine should consult their health care providers before using melatonin. In particular, people with epilepsy and those taking blood thinner medications need to be under medical supervision when taking melatonin supplements.
Possible allergic reaction risk. There may be a risk of allergic reactions to melatonin supplements.
Safety concerns for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Always check with your healthcare provider before taking medications and supplements while pregnant and breastfeeding.
Safety concerns for older people. Melatonin may stay active in older people longer than in younger people and cause daytime drowsiness.
Melatonin is regulated as a dietary supplement. In the United States, melatonin is considered a dietary supplement. This means that it’s regulated less strictly by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) than a prescription or over-the-counter drug would be.
Products may not contain what’s listed on the label
What are the possible side effects of melatonin? A 2015 review on the safety of melatonin supplements indicated that only mild side effects were reported in various short-term studies that involved adults, surgical patients, and critically ill patients. Some of the mild side effects that were reported in the studies included:
Headache
Dizziness
Nausea
Sleepiness.
Tips To Consider:
Remember that even though the FDA regulates dietary supplements, such as melatonin, the regulations for dietary supplements are different and less strict than those for prescription or over-the-counter drugs.
Some dietary supplements may interact with medicines or pose risks if you have medical problems or are going to have surgery.
If you’re pregnant or nursing a child, it’s especially important to see your health care provider before taking any medicine or supplement, including melatonin.
If you use dietary supplements, such as melatonin, read and follow label instructions. “Natural” doesn’t always mean “safe.”
Take charge of your health—talk with your healthcare providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed decisions.
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