Melatonin is a natural hormone that helps you fall asleep and sleep well. It also exists as a dietary supplement (in pharmacies) for these same benefits. But be careful not to take it anyhow…
The market for dietary supplements based on melatonin has developed considerably in recent years in France. But as always nothing miraculous to sleep. And above all beware of side effects and contraindications melatonin…
Definition: what is melatonin?
There melatonin East a hormone secreted mainly by the epiphysis. This secretion occurs preferentially overnight and lasts about ten hours. There maximum concentration is achieved on average around 3:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.. Its physiological function is to provide the body, the brain in particular, with information on the nychthemeron (day/night alternation during a 24-hour cycle), thus promoting sleep. It is therefore a hormone that regulates chronobiological rhythms, releasing other hormones depending on the time of day or night. Melatonin production causes the need for sleep. “She also participates the proper functioning of our thermostat, our immune system, our appetite and the regulation of our blood sugar”, explains Dr. Patrick Lemoine, sleep expert psychiatrist. She also modulates mood, sexual behavior and regulates blood pressure. It helps to promote sleep and is used in certain medicines and food supplements.
What is natural melatonin?
Melatonin is synthesized during the night, in the brain, from serotonin.
What is synthetic melatonin in pharmacies?
Melatonin can be taken in food supplements to facilitate falling asleep. They are available in pharmacies. But this use is not insignificant and must be accompanied by precautions. Only two health claims relating to melatonin are authorized, recalls the Repression of Fraud.
- “Melatonin helps reduce the effects of jet lag”
- “Melatonin helps reduce the time it takes to fall asleep”.
Food supplements based on melatonin in pharmacies must contain less than 2 mg of melatonin per dose.
Melatonin promotes sleep and regulates our sleep/wake cycles
What effects on sleep?
Melatonin plays many roles in our body:
- She regulates our sleep/wake cycle : the production of melatonin dictates its rhythm to the brain.
- She promotes sleep : in the evening, the production of this hormone signals to the brain that it is time to fall asleep. “Two studies published in 2005 showed that this treatment decreased the time it took to fall asleep in people with insomnia. In 60% of cases, it also helps to improve the quality of deep sleep, the most restorative phase”, says the psychiatrist.
- She has some beneficial effects against jet lag : a study was carried out a few years ago by the Armed Forces Health Service who had tested this hormone on fighter pilots. Result: those who had been prescribed melatonin recovered better and above all more quickly from jet lag than those who had not taken it.
Melatonin would also have antioxidant properties: it is therefore an anti-cancer and anti-aging ally.
Indications: when to take melatonin?
It is recommended for promote sleep and more restful sleep. It has the advantage of not causing addiction, unlike sleeping pills. “It is also recommended for frequent travelers to limit the effects of jet lag, especially when traveling east with at least three time zones apart.says Dr. Lemoine.
What are melatonin medications?
What is the maximum dosage of melatonin?
The dosage is 1 mg taken 30 min before going to bed, not to exceed 2 mg per day. Health authorities recommend limiting the intake of these food supplements to a occasional use, without giving a specific duration.
Limit the intake of food supplements containing melatonin.
What are the side effects of melatonin?
According ANSESmelatonin may be associated with the occurrence of headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, nightmares, irritability, as well as neurological disorders (tremors, migraines) and gastroenterological (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain). ANSM collected more than 200 cases of adverse effects likely to be linked to the consumption of melatonin (in the form of medicine, magistral preparation or food supplement), between 1985 and December 2016.
- 43% of the adverse effects reported were neurological (sfainting, drowsiness, headache, convulsions).
- 24% statements were in order psychiatric (anxiety, depressive disorders),
- 19% statements were in order dermatological (rash, eruptions maculopapular)
- 19% gastroenterological (vomiting, constipation, acute pancreatitis)
What are the contraindications?
► People suffering from inflammatory or autoimmune diseases, with pregnant and breastfeeding women, children, adolescents of do not consume melatonin in the form of dietary supplements.
► Same thing for people who have to carry out an activity that requires sustained vigilance and can pose a safety problem in case of drowsiness.
► One medical advice is recommended for people with epilepsy, asthma, mood disorders, behavior or personality, or following medication.
► “It is best to seek advice from your doctor or pharmacist because there could be a risk theoreticalCombine with medications such as anticoagulants“, adds Dr. Lemoine.
► In case of drug treatment, do not use food supplements containing melatonin without consulting a doctor.
Thanks to Dr. Patrick Lemoine, sleep expert psychiatrist.