Melatonin for Insomnia ~ An OTC Sleep / Sleeping Aid That Actually Works
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[Editors Note: Information for this health article was compiled from government and other resources; including The National Library of Medicine and The National Institutes of Health.]
Reference List: insomnia, sleeping aid, melatonin, otc.
Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that the body releases to initiate sleep. The synthetic form of melatonin can be bought over the counter (OTC) in 3 to 5 milligram doses as a sleep aid. The fast-absorption form that is taken immediately before bedtime is the preferred choice.
Melatonin appears completely non-addictive; and is much less destructive than most prescription drugs. It should also be noted that increasing the dosage beyond a certain point does not appear to increase the desired effect. In other words, for average-weight people, exceeding 5 milligrams accomplishes nothing good and is very much not a good idea.
Taking melatonin for an extended period of time can result in a tolerance build-up.
Melatonin – It is recommended that one not use this insomnia / sleep aid medication under the following circumstances.
Melatonin can increase depression symptoms.
Do not use melatonin while pregnant.
Combining birth control pills and melatonin is not recommended.
Melatonin should not be combined with other sedative medications.
Melatonin can increase blood sugar in diabetics.
Melatonin can increase blood pressure in people who are taking blood pressure medications.
People subject to seizure disorders should not take melatonin.
Melatonin should not be combined with anticoagulant medications.
Long term use of sleep aids for insomnia is not a good idea.
If you constantly need a sleep aid medication for insomnia, it would be wise to try to ascertain the root cause for this condition. Is the cause medical? Is the cause environmental, lifestyle, or due to ongoing stress factors? Can anything be done to mitigate these causes? Whether it be medical, or a person, place, or thing; that which causes constant insomnia can also cause you harm in other ways.
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A Note
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Excellently put, as usual, paradigmsearch. I've searched and researched (hah--had to use your obviously given gift for searching out stuff--everything you write gets me!) every sleep aid on the market! My adult son has had major sleep problems all his life (sleep studies, etc. but needs a 'new' one), and melatonin did help him more than anything for a while. Unfortunately, it seemed to aggravate some things--one of which you mentioned: depression, which was NOT good. No one connected the two (even his dr) until it seemed to lose its efficacy and he went off it. The depression got better immediately. It does not work for me, but combos incl'g melatonin work for some periods (maybe mo or 2) at a time. Then I quit and try later. Good info you have.
Very well written.
Personally I do not believe in sleeping pills but if someone needs them then well that is another story.
QudsiaP1, you might do a little research on this herbal healer. No, it doesn't "heal," but it is a natural substance; it is not promoted as a "sleeping pill." It is a natural product that hopefully helps your own body clock work the way it should. Sleeping pills just make you sleep. BIG difference. Again, check it out just to understand it's mechanism and acknowledge it is NOT a sleeping pill!
I never knew this before! Very insightful! Thanks for sharing!
homesteadbound Level 8 Commenter 9 months ago
I have tried melatonin, in fact, I have done so a couple times. I'm not sure if it helped because it caused stomach pain for me. I tried it a couple times to make sure that it was the melatonin. But I have heard that it really does work.