Melatonin Side Effects

Melatonin side effects can interfere with your health, even though melatonin has been used to treat sleep disorders for some time. Those who may be considering the addition of it to aid them sleep should be fully aware of the risks that are involved. To understand the side effects, consider how melatonin works in the body.

Explore natural sleep aids

Melatonin is a naturally-produced hormone within the body. It helps to control the natural sleep-to-wake cycle, or the body's natural rhythm to know when to sleep and when to wake up. The levels of melatonin are higher just before it is time to go to bed. The hormone runs through the blood to help encourage you to go to bed.

The sleep cycle is regulated by your exposure to light and dark. When exposed to light, the retina sends a message through the nerve pathway to the brain to let you know it is time to wake up. In the brain's hypothalamus, a special supra chiasmatic nucleus (SCN) responds by sending messages to the other parts of the body to get you moving, including hormones. It sends just the right hormones into the body to stimulate you, including cortisol. It also regulates when your body makes hormones to help you sleep, including melatonin.

In natural form, there are no side effects from melatonin. It is a hormone regulated by the SCN and is only produced when it gets dark outside. Some take the pill form of melatonin to help encourage sleep, believing that adding more to the system will just encourage more sleep. It is often used to treat insomnia or other sleep disorders.

When melatonin is released into the body by the SCN, you begin to get tired. The amount of melatonin in the body spikes and you begin to feel less alert. You want to sleep. This level of melatonin can be high for as many as 12 hours. The light from the new day will cause the body to stop producing it.

Melatonin is available in many health food stores and often is advertised as a sleep cure. It is the only hormone available without a prescription within the United States. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate the production or control the hormone's production like it does other drugs. This causes a number of problems with over-the-counter melatonin:

• There is no FDA monitoring of the companies that manufacture it
• A typical dose of synthetic product often contains 1 to 20 times the amount of melatonin in the body
• Side effects don't need to be listed on packaging
• When given to animals, it can cause blood pressure changes and reduces fertility
• There is a high risk of illness, specifically in patients who have heart-related problems

The melatonin side effects can cause a number of problems in patients. When naturally occurring in the body, melatonin does not have any negative side effects, although it does make you sleepy.

Synthetic products or natural hormones not administered under a doctor's care can cause a number of side effects. Side effects range from one person to the next and their severity can also be varied:

• Daytime sleepiness even after a good night's rest
• Dizziness, spinning room
• Headaches, sometimes severe
• Abdominal pain and discomfort
• Nightmares may have a link to melatonin use
• Confusion, unable to focus on tasks
• Sleepwalking

In some studies, there have been serious risks to the health of individuals when taking melatonin:

• Increased risk of seizures
• Potential interaction with some medications
• Unknown long term effects of use

There is some evidence that those that take melatonin with their doctor's advice can see improvements in their sleep patterns including improvement in the quality of sleep. Melatonin has been used to treat insomnia, jet lag and other sleep disorders with some success.

Taking this hormone should be done only with the advice and guidance of a doctor. You should use chemically-produced products rather than those derived from an animal. Work with your doctor to insure you are taking only the right dosage to reduce risks. The Melatonin Forums can provide additional help. Melatonin is not for all sleep disorder treatments.

• Sleep Requirements by Age
• Sleep Apnea Full Face Masks
• Foods Containing L-Tryptophan
• Why Is Sleep Important

• Pure Sleep
• Melatonin Forums
• How to Put Someone to Sleep
• Stop Snoring Mouthpiece
• How Long Can You Live Without Sleep

• Category:About Sleep
• Parkinson's Disease Insomnia
• Sleep Medications
• Melatonin Forums
• Natural Sleep Aids