Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland, which is a small gland in the brain. Melatonin helps control sleep and wake cycles. There are small amounts of these hormones in foods such as meats, cereals, fruits, and vegetables. But today it can also be purchased as a supplement. If you are thinking of buying melatonin as a supplement, now is the time for you to know a little more about this topic.
What is and properties of melatonin
Your body has its own internal clock that controls the natural sleep cycle and the hours it watches. In part, your body clock controls the amount of melatonin your body produces. Normally, melatonin levels start to rise during the afternoon, about 8.30 pm in adults. Levels stay high for most of the night, then drop again in the morning.
Light directly affects the amount of melatonin your body produces. During the shorter days of the winter months, your body can produce melatonin earlier or later than usual. This change can lead to symptoms of seasonal affective disorders, such as depression in winter. Natural melatonin levels slowly drop with age. Some older adults have small amounts of melatonin or none at all - and they sleep fewer hours.
What are the side effects of melatonin
Melatonin in supplements is probably safe for most adults when taken orally or injected into the body in the short term, even if applied to the skin. It can be used - under medical prescription - for two years in some people. However, you have to be aware that it can cause some side effects such as:
- Headache
- Depressive states
- Daytime drowsiness
- dizziness
- Stomach aches
- Irritability
When you are taking melatonin, you will not be able to drive or use machinery for four to five hours after taking it.
Special warnings and precautions
- In pregnancy and lactation: Melatonin may not be safe when taken orally or injected into the body during pregnancy. You should not use it if you think you are pregnant. Melatonin can also interfere with ovulation, making it harder to get pregnant. Not enough is known about the safety of using melatonin while breastfeeding. It is better not to take it.
- Children: Melatonin is possibly safe when taken by mouth in a single dose. It stops being so when taken orally or injected into the body in multiple short-term doses. Due to its effects on other hormones, melatonin may interfere with development during adolescence.
- Bleeding disorders: Melatonin may make bleeding worse in people with bleeding disorders.
- Depression: Melatonin can make depression symptoms worse.
- Diabetes: Melatonin may increase blood sugar in people with diabetes. Controlling your blood sugar carefully is very important if you have diabetes and take melatonin.
- High blood pressure: Melatonin can increase blood pressure in people who are taking certain medications to control blood pressure. It is better to avoid it.
- Seizure disorders: The use of melatonin could increase the risk of having seizures.
- If you have to receive a transplant: Melatonin can increase immune function and can interfere with the immunosuppressive therapy used by people who receive a transplant.
Melatonin for sleep
Melatonin is sold as a sleep supplement and can be found in pharmacies and health food stores. Melatonin supplements are often used by people who suffer from the effect of 'jet lag' after an international trip, when they have sleep problems related to shift work or even for those who have insomnia.
These supplements come in pill, liquid, or even chewable form. For insomnia, it is best to take a melatonin supplement 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime. In this way, you can have your body ready to go to sleep when you turn off the lights to get into bed. Keep in mind, however, that melatonin supplements can interact negatively with many different medications, so it is very important that you speak with your doctor before taking any type of melatonin.
Melatonin-rich foods
If you suffer from occasional insomnia or if sleeping is a battle every night, you may have searched for many solutions to this problem. Perhaps you have even tried melatonin supplements as well, and perhaps like many other people you have had some somewhat disappointing results. There is research that shows that the melatonin that is produced by the body helps regulate sleep, that which is synthetic is less effective. But you cannot ignore the foods that are able to increase the production of natural melatonin in your body.
Melatonin in supplements are made from synthetic ingredients in a laboratory or from cow urine. And while supplements may have mild benefits, especially for people who suffer from occasional insomnia, they don't always offer lasting or significant results for those who have trouble sleeping over many nights.
There are several foods, however, that can help you naturally increase the production of melatonin, eliminating the need for a supplement. According to GreenMedInfo, researchers at Khon Kaen University in Thailand found that some tropical fruits have significant effects on melatonin production. The scientists gave study subjects a variety of fruits and then measured the amount of melatonin circulating throughout the body by examining 6-sulfatexymelatonin (aMT6s).
The researchers found that pineapples, bananas, and oranges were able to significantly increase the presence of melatonin. Pineapples increased the presence of aMT6s more than 266%, while bananas increased levels by 180%. Oranges were able to increase melatonin by about 47%.
While it is true that supplements are often thought of as the natural alternative to prescription drugs, the reality is that they are made to mimic those things that we find naturally in food. In other words, supplements are also a poor substitute for good nutrition, and some (but not all) supplement manufacturers are in business to make money, not with noble intentions for increased collective health.
You may want to know some foods that are rich in melatonin to sleep better without having to resort to supplements, if so, read on because the following list will interest you a lot:
- pineapples
- Bananas
- oranges
- Oatmeal
- Sweet corn
- Rice
- Tomatoes
- Barley