{"id":37629,"date":"2015-03-03T07:15:25","date_gmt":"2015-03-03T12:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=37629"},"modified":"2021-08-26T15:13:43","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T19:13:43","slug":"sleep-what-is-melatonin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/lifestyle\/sleep-what-is-melatonin\/","title":{"rendered":"Melatonin for Sleep: What Is It and Should You Really Take It?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"What
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it comes to living healthy, you know getting enough sleep<\/a> matters. You can\u2019t kill it at work and at the gym<\/a> if you aren\u2019t hitting the sack hard to let your mind and body recuperate. So if you\u2019re a tosser-and-turner, your ears might perk up at the mention of potential relief in the form of the supplement melatonin. But what is melatonin? And is it really a good idea to take something to help knock you out at night?<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The 5 Most Common Sleep Issues (and How to Find Relief)<\/a><\/p>\n

What Is Melatonin, Really?<\/h3>\n

\u201cYour body [naturally] makes melatonin, which helps create the urge to fall asleep,\u201d says Sanjeev Kothare<\/a>, M.D., director of the pediatric sleep program at NYU Langone Medical Center. \u201cWe call it \u2018the hormone of the dark\u2019 because it starts rising as it gets late and the light intensity [of the day] goes down.\u201d Melatonin is key in regulating your body\u2019s internal clock, also known as your circadian rhythm, says Andrew Westwood<\/a>, M.D., a board-certified sleep physician and assistant professor at Columbia University.<\/p>\n

“It can de-sensitize your receptors so they\u2019re no longer responsive to lower doses of melatonin.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The brain\u2019s pineal gland produces melatonin from the amino acids<\/a> you get in your diet, says Dr. Westwood. (But don\u2019t turn to food when you can\u2019t sleep \u2014 it takes a while for what you digest to turn into melatonin.) As it gets later and darker, your body cranks out higher levels of melatonin. \u201cNormally, by around 8:00 p.m., your melatonin level starts rising. They keep increasing until about 3:00 a.m., when it peaks and your body temperature happens to be at its lowest. We call that \u2018biological time zero,\u2019\u201d says Dr. Kothare. After that, your levels drop again.<\/p>\n

So, if you\u2019re having trouble drifting off to dreamland, could melatonin be just the thing you\u2019re looking for? \u201cIt\u2019s important to understand that melatonin can help induce sleep, but it will not maintain sleep,\u201d says Dr. Kothare. \u201cA lot of people who have difficult falling asleep will take it for that reason, since it\u2019s an inexpensive supplement you can get over the counter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melatonin supplements can also be a great way to break the cycle of insomnia<\/a>, deal with jet lag, or adjust to life as a shift worker, says Dr. Kothare. What it won\u2019t do: Conk you out for the entire night and leave you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning.<\/p>\n

The Side Effects of Melatonin \u2014\u00a0and How Much Is Too Much?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Since melatonin is a supplement, it doesn\u2019t require the FDA\u2019s stamp of approval. In other words, buyers beware: What you see is not always what you get. \u201cThere\u2019s scientific evidence that shows some supplements don\u2019t actually contain what they say on the label,\u201d says Dr. Westwood. To avoid that \u201cyikes\u201d factor, he recommends patients do significant research for reputable brands before taking a supplement. Even if you do get the real deal instead of something masquerading as melatonin, you might end up with headaches, nightmares and lingering sleepiness in the morning as side effects.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Can\u2019t Sleep? Your Guide to a Better Night\u2019s Rest<\/a><\/p>\n

Most over-the-counter melatonin supplements also contain higher dosages than many doctors would recommend. \u201cMelatonin supplements generally range from 3 to 10 milligrams,\u201d says Dr. Westwood. \u201cThe body usually works with around half a milligram.\u201d Although you can\u2019t overdose on melatonin, doctors aren\u2019t sure whether relying on it can affect you negatively. Dr. Westwood says there\u2019s a chance it might. \u201cIt can de-sensitize your receptors so they\u2019re no longer responsive to lower doses of melatonin,\u201d he says. \u201cThen, if you come off [the supplement], you might have difficulty sleeping \u2014\u00a0and require more and more melatonin to fall asleep.\u201d On the other hand, Dr. Kothare says if you respond well to melatonin supplements, you can keep taking them long-term without any major negative side effects.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>6 Sleep Myths to Finally Put to Bed<\/a><\/p>\n

Melatonin and Sleep: The Bottom Line<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Even if you\u2019re convinced melatonin could relieve your sleep woes, head to a doctor\u2019s office first. \u201cIn many cases, people actually need something else, like avoiding bright lights<\/a> and blue lights from things like cell phones and computers a few hours before bed,\u201d says Dr. Westwood.<\/p>\n

If your doctor does think you could benefit from melatonin, he or she will likely recommend taking only around a milligram, instead of the higher doses most supplements offer. And, if you\u2019ve been using melatonin and feel like it\u2019s having wonky effects on your body, seek out medical advice. That\u2019s what doctors are there for!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rumor has it this supplement will help you get some quality sleep \u2014 but what is melatonin, really? We went straight to the experts to get both sides of the story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":37631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,13],"tags":[280,191,341,370],"class_list":["post-37629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-sleep","tag-sleep","tag-supplements","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2healthy-aging"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37629"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37629\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}