There are plenty of supplements that contain “melatonin”; this famous substance is recognized for stimulating our brain until we accomplish a deep sleep. Nevertheless, it is important we known that melatonin is in fact a hormone that our body produces naturally; yes that is correct, the production of it depends mainly on the darkness of the day.
Internal or endogenous production of melatonin regulates our circadian rhythm by releasing the bloodstream when it is produced inside the brain in the pineal gland; during the process, our body starts its sleeping transition towards a restful night.
Nevertheless, the production of melatonin could be affected by different diseases, disorders, or even some types of medications; the inhibition of this hormone causes more difficulties when we need to sleep; which is why exogenous melatonin has emerged with plenty of supplements that help most of the times to achieve proper sleep.
Supplement effectiveness
Several studies have proved the efficiency of melatonin in children and adults, improving their sleep quality along with other great benefits like:
- Establishing healthy sleep habits
- Treating behavior disorders
- Adjusting a sleep schedule
- Helping with certain sleep disorders
Even though most melatonin supplements are considered harmless and available to buy without any prescription; it is always primordial to request the opinion of a health professional; they are the only ones that provide the best advice on whether or not you should take one of these medications and the exact dose you should have according to your age, weight, or other physical aspects; besides, they will also establish if this supplement should be used for a short term or long; depending on the circumstances each person is going through.
Side effects of melatonin
And just like any other supplement or medication, melatonin should always be used with caution; and despite there haven’t been any reports that show any kind of potential harm or serious adverse reactions, when it is overused, it could certainly cause some side effect reactions that include the following symptoms:
- Headache
- Drowsiness
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Agitation
The effectiveness of melatonin supplements will always depend on various specific factors; therefore, it is highly important to mention that this remmedie is highly forbidden for people who suffer from chronic conditions like:
- Diabetes
- Depression
- High or low blood pressure
- Epilepsy
- Mental illness
However, if you do not wish to take any external supplement that helps you sleep; there is always the alternative of practicing simple steps that will allow a better natural production of melatonin
.
- Keep away any light exposure, especially “blue light“, which comes from every kind of electronic device.
- Set up an ideal room temperature, some studies have demonstrated that a cooler room increases melatonin production.
- Eating food that helps us release melatonin hormone, some of those are warm milk, seeds, grapes, or berries.
- Establish a comfortable room environment with dark curtains, soft bed sheets, and cozy pillows.