Description

Taken from https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-940/melatonin

INTRODUCTION

Melatonin is a hormone found naturally in the body. Melatonin used as medicine is usually made synthetically in a laboratory.

Some people take Melatonin by mouth to adjust the body’s internal clock. Melatonin is most commonly used for insomnia and improving sleep in different conditions. For example, it is used for jet lag, for adjusting sleep-wake cycles in people whose daily work schedule changes (shift-work disorder), and for helping people establish a day and night cycle.

How does it work?

Melatonin’s main job in the body is to regulate night and day cycles or sleep-wake cycles. Darkness causes the body to produce more Melatonin, which signals the body to prepare for sleep. Light decreases Melatonin production and signals the body to prepare for being awake. Some people who have trouble sleeping have low levels of Melatonin. It is thought that adding Melatonin from supplements might help them sleep.

BENEFITS

Trouble falling asleep at a conventional bedtime (delayed sleep phase syndrome).

Taking Melatonin by mouth appears to reduce the length of time needed to fall asleep in young adults and children who have trouble falling asleep.

Sleep disturbance caused by certain blood pressure medicine (beta blocker-induced insomnia)

Beta-blocker drugs, such as Atenolol and Propranolol, are a class of drugs that seem to lower Melatonin levels. This might cause problems sleeping. Research shows that taking a Melatonin supplement might reduce problems sleeping in patients taking beta-blocker drugs.

High blood pressure

Taking the controlled-release form of Melatonin before bedtime seems to lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure. Immediate-release formulations do not seem to work.

Insomnia

Taking Melatonin short-term seems to shorten the amount of time it takes to fall asleep in people with insomnia. Research shows that Melatonin might improve sleeping trouble related to conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy, autism, developmental disabilities, and intellectual disabilities. But it’s unclear if

Jet lag

Most research shows that Melatonin can improve certain symptoms of jet lag such as alertness and movement coordination. Melatonin also seems to slightly improve other jet lag symptoms such as daytime sleepiness and tiredness. But, Melatonin might not be effective for shortening the time it takes for people with jet lag to fall asleep.

DOSAGE

The following doses have been studied in scientific research:

ADULTS BY MOUTH:

For disorders that affect when a person sleeps and when they are awake: 0.5 mg to 5 mg of Melatonin taken daily before bedtime for up to 6 years has been used in blind people. Also in blind people, high dose of 10 mg taken an hour before bedtime for up to 9 weeks has also been used. 2-12 mg of Melatonin taken at bedtime for up to 4 weeks has been used.

For trouble falling asleep at a conventional bedtime (delayed sleep phase syndrome): 0.3 to 5 mg of melatonin daily for up to 9 months has been used.

For sleep disturbance caused by certain blood pressure medicine (beta blocker-induced insomnia): 2.5 mg of Melatonin taken daily for up to 4 weeks has been used. Single doses of 5 mg of Melatonin have also been used.

For endometriosis: 10 mg of Melatonin taken daily for 8 weeks has been used.

For high blood pressure: 2-3 mg of controlled-release Melatonin for 4 weeks has been used.

For insomnia: 2 mg to 3 mg of Melatonin before bedtime for up to 29 weeks has been used in most research. Higher doses of up to 12 mg daily have also been used for shorter durations (up to 4 weeks).

For insomnia occurring together with other conditions: 2-12 mg for up to 4 weeks has been used. Lower doses have also been used for up to 24 weeks.

For jet lag: 0.5-8 mg of Melatonin at bedtime is commonly taken on the day of arrival at the destination, continuing for 2 to 5 days. Low doses of 0.5-3 mg are often used to avoid the side effects of the higher doses.

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