Melatonin: Good, Bad, or Both?
The sun may be setting on melatonin, and we must take action.
At some point we might wonder, “Can I take melatonin every night?”
About 12 percent of women and 21 percent of men use melatonin to improve sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How it does that is through the body’s melatonin receptor, which has the chemical name of melatonin.
A study published earlier this year showed that melatonin, taken by young mice and rats, can help them sleep better.
Melatonin helps muscles relax and reduce the strength of an alarm clock that may disrupt a sleep schedule, says Jean-Yves Garaudoux, M.D., a neuropsychiatrist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
It may even have a role in combating depression, which usually leads to lack of sleep, Garaudoux adds.
“The potential for melatonin may be enormous,” he says.
A popular European drink that contains at least 60 milligrams of melatonin is Cortado Malt, a mouthwashes that comes in high-and-low doses.
Another popular melatonin product, Enroute, contains 70 milligrams per 20 milliliters of water.
Melatonin is found naturally in plants. Its endocannabinoid system is found in cells all over the body, including the brain. And the practice of taking melatonin for sleep problems may be unrelated to this system.
Is it safe to take melatonin every night?
Doctors are pretty sure that the long-term benefits of melatonin might outweigh the risks, such as diabetes, heart problems, stroke, and falls, says Jay Newhouse, M.D., a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic.
Melatonin works to release a chemical from nerve cells in the brain called GABA. It releases GABA because humans store more GABA than we use.
Taking too much sleep-inducing melatonin can cause the brain to release more GABA than it needs. This can result in excessive symptoms of fatigue, insomnia, and depression.
Certain food products with short length shelf lives contain high doses of melatonin, including Grape Nuts, Full Throttle beverage, and another popular mouthwash, Cortado Malt. These products were declared unsafe to use by the FDA in October 2018.
If you want to take melatonin, your doctor should be involved in your treatment.
