Is Melatonin Safe For Kids
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved melatonin for use in children and adolescents with insomnia and other sleep disorders. However, some doctors do recommend melatonin for children sleeping poorly. Use of melatonin in children is called off label, or using a drug for a purpose or group of people other than what is officially recommended.
Does Melatonin Cause Side Effects
Melatonin is not known to cause any side effects whatsoever.
There have been dozens of high-quality clinical trials on melatonin. Typically, researcher report no participants complaining of side effects. Just check out some of the major studies done on melatonin and sleep. Youll see that side effects even mild ones are rare. Most people just report seeing improvements in sleep quality while using melatonin.
The only real safety concerns with regards to melatonin is when mixing it with other substances. Melatonin and alcohol dont mix well. Melatonin should also be avoided if youre planning on driving or using any potentially dangerous machinery any time soon!
But if used properly, melatonin is perfectly safe for the vast majority of people.
Is It Safe To Take More Than One Dose During The Night
You may be wondering what happens if you take a dose of melatonin and find that you still cant fall asleep. Can you take another dose?
While taking an additional dose is unlikely to cause harm, it may increase your risk for experiencing unwanted side effects.
If you find that melatonin isnt helping you fall asleep, stop using it. Your doctor may be able to suggest different medications or strategies to help you fall asleep.
There are some important things to know about melatonin, its interactions with other substances, and when its best to avoid it. Lets take a closer look.
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First Off What Are Melatonin Sleep Aids
Before answering the question “can you take melatonin every night?” you need to know what, exactly, you’re consuming. Melatonin is a hormone produced by your brain’s pineal gland in response to darkness, and in people who have a healthy circadian rhythm, levels naturally peak between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. It’s then secreted into your blood and the fluid surrounding your brain and spinal cord and works to inhibit the stimulation of your suprachiasmatic nucleus, a tiny region in the brain that acts as a “master circadian clock” and tells your body to wake up or chill out. At that point, you’ll start to feel drowsy and ready for some shut-eye. “It helps bring on sleep, and it helps to entrain our circadian rhythm,” says Dr. Watson.
“There’s no real reason to take melatonin unless you have one of these disorders,” he adds. “It wouldn’t be recommended .” To treat difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, the AASM advises clinicians not to use melatonin “because the overall evidence available was weakly against melatonin’s efficacy.” Not to mention, there are often more effective methods to treat the sleep troubles you’re experiencing. And that includes insomnia. “If you look at clinical guidelines around treatment for insomnia you’re not going to see melatonin really included,” says Dr. Watson. “It’s also not an FDA-approved treatment of insomnia.”
Why Melatonin Is Bad For You
If its all natural, why is melatonin bad for you? my mom asked, when I expressed my concern with this supplement after learning that she takes it on-and-off for her insomnia. Boy, have I got a blog post for you! I replied.
In short, melatonin is a hormone that correlates with sleep cycles and plays beneficial roles in numerous physiological functions. But melatonin supplements are neither a safe, natural nor effective solution to insomnia.
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How Much Melatonin Is Too Much
Melatonin doses for adults range from 0.5 milligram to 5 milligrams taken about an hour before bedtime.
The recommended appropriate dosage of melatonin for children varies among experts. There is no standardized melatonin dosage chart by age or weight in the United States.
Additionally, there are no set guidelines for what time or how frequently children should take melatonin. Consult your pediatrician to determine what dosage of melatonin and timing is right for your child.
Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
Proper sleep hygiene can also improve sleep quality and quantity. Research shows that good sleep hygiene alone can eliminate pediatric insomnia in 50% of the instances in which melatonin is suggested for treatment. The combination of sleep hygiene and melatonin is more effective at improving sleep in children than melatonin alone.
A bedtime routine at a consistent time each night provides comfort to help your child fall asleep. Your bedtime routine can include soothing activities such as taking a bath and reading a book or singing lullabies.
Experts also recommend that parents limit their childrens use of electronics in the hours before bedtime. The blue light from devices, such as phones, tablets, TVs, and video game consoles, can delay the onset of natural melatonin release.
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You Can Help You Combat A Rough Case Of Jet Lag If You Take Melatonin
Ever hear someone say they need a vacation from their vacation? Traveling is great and all, but the lingering effects of jet lag can suck some of the joy out of taking a trip and make returning to a routine back at home a totally exhausting feat.
Fortunately, melatonin can help you adjust. As noted by a study in Current Treatment Options in Neurology, if you are traveling east, you should consider reseting your internal clock by “advancing sleep and wake times and circadian timing … with evening melatonin and morning bright light” a few days before leaving for your trip. While this can help you avoid jet lag altogether, it may not be possible for some people. You can try an alternative option that can help you curb the effects of jet lag upon arrival at your travel designation avoid “early morning light and exposure to late-morning and afternoon light,” and take melatonin right before bed. Conversely, if you are traveling west, you can alter your circadian cycle upon arriving with “afternoon and early-evening light” and a dose of evening melatonin.
Similar principles can be applied to those who regularly work the nightshift and need to alter their circadian rhythm to keep alert on the job and get rest during off hours.
What Is The Appropriate Dosage
Because of melatonins sleep-promoting effects, supplement versions of it are often used to treat a variety of sleep problems, such as:
- Insomnia
- Delayed sleep-wake phase disorder
- Sleep problems associated with autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Because melatonin plays such a vital role in helping regulate your sleep cycle, you may think your body needs a lot of it, but the pineal gland produces a very small amount.
Naturally, melatonin production is tightly regulated in our bodies, thus only a small amount is needed, Sadiq explains. But melatonin supplements can be found in much larger doses than that, with some doses going up to 20mg. Thats because everyone metabolizes melatonin differently. For instance, if someone took 1mg of melatonin, they may have up to 0.5mg of it in their blood, while someone else may have 0.1mg after taking the same dose. Thats why its great to have various strengths of melatonin available in the market to fit everyones needs and physiology.
Its important to note that melatonin supplementation is sold in the U.S. as a dietary supplement, not a drug, therefore it is not regulated by the Food & Drug Administration . Because of this, there is no guideline for quality, efficacy and dosage. Thats why Sadiq recommends reading labels, doing your research and buying from quality, trusted brands.
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How Does A Melatonin Supplement Work
Melatonin promotes sleepiness by inhibiting the signals in the brain that promote wakefulness.
As with most supplements, when the body doesnt have enough of something, taking a supplement is one way to increase that substance in the body.
So, for sleep difficulties, taking a melatonin supplement one to two hours before bedtime may boost your melatonin levels and help you to fall asleep.
Other Possible Melatonin Side Effects
- Melatonin and birth control effects melatonin supplements may not be safe for women trying to get pregnant. It seems that melatonin has similar effects as birth control, making it more difficult for women to reach ovulation and become pregnant. Some evidence shows that lower doses, up to 3mg are safe, but there is not enough research to prove that.
- Melatonin and bleeding disorders it is believed that regular melatonin intake can worsen the symptoms and effects of bleeding disorders. Studies show that melatonin may slow blood clotting or coagulation, which may lead to excessive bleeding and bruising.
- Melatonin and epilepsy studies and current data show that melatonin can trigger or worsen epilepsy and seizure frequency in some people. While some experts argue otherwise, some professionals do not recommend melatonin intake in people who are prone to having epileptic or other types of seizures not even small doses.
- Melatonin and transplant recipients because melatonin can increase the immune function, it might interfere with immunosuppressive therapy used by transplant recipients.
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Is Melatonin Considered Safe For Everyone
Melatonin isnt suitable for everyone. You shouldnt take melatonin at all if youre pregnant or breastfeeding or have an autoimmune disorder, a seizure disorder, or depression. If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, talk to your doctor before taking it. And if you are on any medications, check with your physician to make sure melatonin won’t make them less effective or cause more side effects.
Works For Some Not For Others
Discovered in 1958, melatonin is a potent hormone naturally produced in the body to help regulate our circadian rhythm, or natural body clock. Light is the switch that controls it: As daylight fades, levels of melatonin begin to rise about 2 hours before bedtime, nudging us to become sleepy. In the morning, when light hits the eyes, it signals the brain to halt melatonin production, and we grow alert.
âMelatonin is a sleep regulator, not a sleep initiator,â explains Breus, author of âGood Night: The Doctorâs 4-week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health.â
Since the 1980s, dietary supplement makers have billed melatonin made in a lab as a promising sleep aid. But its effects on occasional insomnia are not significant.
One review of 15 studies involving 284 subjects found that those who took melatonin before bed fell asleep 3.9 minutes faster on average and slept 13 minutes longer. Another, of 19 studies involving 1,700 people, found melatonin users fell asleep 7 minutes faster on average and slept 8 minutes longer.
âWhen you are already making melatonin naturally at night, taking a little bit more exogenously is kind of like spitting in the ocean. It doesnât do much,â says Cathy Goldstein, MD, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Sleep Medicine Clinic.
Melatonin also works great for jet lag from eastward travel, says Breus, who recommends taking 0.5 mg of melatonin 90 minutes before bedtime in the place youâre traveling to.
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Can Melatonin Cure Insomnia
Melatonin doesnt cure insomnia per se, but it does treat sleeplessness in some people. The supplement can be taken multiple nights in a row, but it shouldnt be used long term. Further research is needed to determine the effects of long-term use.
If you have difficulty going to sleep or staying asleep, take melatonin for a couple of nights or weeks, and then stop taking the supplement for a few days to see if your sleep improves. If not, see a sleep specialist to rule out a disorder. Rather than develop a habit of relying on melatonin, get to the root of the problem.
Keep in mind that chronic issues with sleep might not be an inability to produce melatonin naturally, but rather the result of poor sleep hygiene.
Remember, melatonin is triggered by darkness. For your body to release this hormone, you need to be in a dimly lit environment.
Whether you realize it or not, several habits can impact melatonin production, and sleeping in less than complete darkness is one factor that contributes to sleep problems, says Carolyn Dean, MD, a sleep expert and author of 365 Ways to Boost Your Brain Power: Tips, Exercise, Advice.
Also, keeping electronic devices next to your bed, like a cellphone and computer, might create problems, as the electromagnetic fields that they emit can hurt your sleep, continues Dr. Dean.
Making a few minor changes can improve your sleep hygiene and help put an end to insomnia without the use of melatonin supplements. Heres what you can do:
- Cancer
Melatonin Dosage For Children
Short-term use of melatonin in small doses appears to be safe and well-tolerated by most children. The effective dosage for children ranges from 0.05 milligrams per kilogram to 5 milligrams of melatonin. When children experience side effects from taking melatonin, theyre typically mild and may include:
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Medical professionals may recommend melatonin for children with conditions that affect their sleep, such as insomnia, autism spectrum disorder, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Several studies have shown melatonin supplements can significantly improve overall sleep times by 25 minutes to 48 minutes, on average, for children with these conditions.
However, there havent been enough studies of melatonin in children for experts to determine an official recommended dosage or any potential long-term safety risks. Since melatonin is a hormone, its possible that taking supplemental melatonin could affect other aspects of hormone development in children, but further research is needed.
If your child is having sleep problems, experts recommend consulting your doctor before giving them melatonin. Research indicates that for half of the cases where melatonin was used to treat pediatric insomnia, better sleep habits were just as effective at relieving the childs sleep problems.
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Is It Safe To Take Melatonin Every Night Here’s What Sleep Experts Say
Everything you need to know about taking melatonin supplements regularly.
Not being able to fall or stay asleep is frustrating, especially if it happens on a regular basis. To get much-needed rest, many people turn to the sleep supplement melatonin, which is a synthetic version of the natural melatonin your body makes to help induce sleepiness. But is melatonin safe to take every day? Here’s what sleep experts what you to know about melatonin and whether regular daily use is risky.
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Does Melatonin Help You Go To Sleep
Although melatonin is widely used to help people sleep, it isnt a sleeping pill, nor does it cause immediate sleep.
If you take a sleeping pill, you may fall asleep within 30 minutes of ingesting the medicine. Melatonin doesnt have the same effect.
With melatonin supplements, your body gradually become sleepier until you fall asleep. It might take up to two hours from the time you take melatonin until you finally fall asleep. This is why you should take the supplement about one to two hours before bed.
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Liver Or Kidney Conditions
If you have any concerns with your liver or kidneys, dont take melatonin unless youve consulted with your doctor and received the OK. Melatonin is metabolized by the liver and excreted from the body via the kidneys. So, if you have pre-existing conditions that affect either of these organs, your body may struggle to break down and remove melatonin from your body.
Adverse Effects Of Melatonin Intake: Overview
Consumption of food supplements that contain melatonin or mainly contain melatonin has shown adverse effects in numerous studies. The most frequently reported side effects include headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, tremors, migraine, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, nightmares, vivid dreams, and irritability. There were even cases of supplement abuse for suicide attempts through melatonin overdose.
The reason for such adverse effects was traced to an incorrect presentation of the amount of melatonin a bottle of supplements truly contains. Investigation shows that melatonin supplement bottles can have 4 times more melatonin than indicated. This can affect ones health significantly, because of the higher the dose, the serious and more frequent side effects.
However, this is not the only reason side effects occur. Sometimes, doctors do NOT prescribe a suitable dosage, or the patients decide to dose themselves as they want. Some people even tend to drink alcohol with melatonin, hoping to emphasize the sedative effects. But, they just cause even more serious side effects.
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Is Melatonin Safe
Melatonin is a dietary supplement, and like other supplements, its regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration . But it isnt approved by the FDA for any use.
Therefore, you may ask, is melatonin safe? You may also have questions about melatonin for kids.
Generally speaking, synthetic melatonin is safe for most adults, although its use should be avoided in pregnant women and in those who are breastfeeding, says Chrisoula Politis, MD, director of sleep medicine at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, New York.
What About Kids
Parents desperate for some shuteye may be tempted to give it to their children. There is some evidence that melatonin can help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder . Circadian rhythm sleep problems are common in those with these conditions.
But the possible side effects of melatonin use in kids also include increased bedwetting or urination as well as agitation. Consult your child’s pediatrician before trying melatonin. It’s worth noting that sleep problems in children can often be eased by creating a regular bedtime routine and sticking to healthy sleep hygiene practices, just like adults.
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