More and more adults are taking melatonin — popularly known as the sleep hormone — over the counter for sleep, and some of them may be using it at dangerously high levels, a new study has found.
While overall use among the US adult population is still “relatively low,” research “documents a significant increase in melatonin use in recent years,” said sleep expert Rebecca Robbins, an instructor in the School’s sleep division. of Medicine at Harvard, who was not involved in the study.
The research, published Tuesday in the medical journal JAMA, found that in 2018 Americans were consuming more than twice the amount of melatonin they used a decade earlier.
Experts fear that the negative impact on sleep caused by the pandemic may have further increased widespread reliance on sleep aids, Robbins said.
“Taking sleep aids has been associated in prospective studies with the development of dementia and early mortality,” she said.
Melatonin has been linked to headache, dizziness, nausea, stomach cramps, drowsiness, confusion or disorientation, irritability and mild anxiety, depression and tremors, as well as abnormally low blood pressure. It can also interact with common medications and trigger allergies.
While short-term use for jet lag (sleep disorder), shift workers, and people with trouble falling asleep seems safe, long-term safety is unknown, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) of the United States. US National Institutes of Health.
Higher dose, little regulation
Since 2006, a small but growing subset of adults have been taking amounts of melatonin that far exceed the 5 milligrams a day dosage that is typically used as a short-term treatment, the study found.
However, pills on sale may contain levels of melatonin much higher than what is advertised on the label. Unlike drugs and foods, melatonin is not fully regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory agency, so there are no federal requirements for companies to test pills to make sure they contain the advertised amount of melatonin.
“Previous research found that the melatonin content in these unregulated, commercially available supplements ranged from -83% to +478% of the labeled content,” said Robbins, co-author of the book Sleep to Success.
There are also no requirements for companies to test their products for harmful hidden additives in melatonin supplements sold in stores and online. Previous studies also found that 26% of melatonin supplements contained serotonin, “a hormone that can have harmful effects even at relatively low levels,” according to the NCCIH, department of the National Institutes of Health.
“We cannot be sure of the purity of melatonin that is available on the market,” Robbins said.
Taking too much serotonin in combination with medications like antidepressants, migraine drugs, and melatonin can lead to a serious drug reaction. Mild symptoms include chills and diarrhea, while a more severe reaction can lead to muscle stiffness, fever, seizures, and even death if left untreated.
It’s a hormone, not an herb
Because it’s purchased over-the-counter, experts say many people view melatonin as an herbal or vitamin supplement. In reality, melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland, located deep in the brain, and released into the bloodstream to regulate the body’s sleep cycles.
“There’s a view that if it’s natural, it can’t hurt,” Robbins told CNN in a previous interview about the impact of melatonin on children. “The truth is, we don’t really know the long-term implications of melatonin, for adults or children.”
Another reality: Studies have found that using melatonin can be helpful in inducing sleep if used correctly — taking it at least two hours before bed — but the real benefit is small.
“When adults took melatonin, it decreased the amount of time it took them to fall asleep by four to eight minutes,” he told CNN Cora Collette Breuner, professor in the department of pediatrics at Seattle Children’s Hospital at the University of Washington.
“So for someone who takes hours to fall asleep, probably the best thing to do is turn off screens, get 20 to 40 minutes of exercise a day, or not drink any caffeinated products,” Breuner said.
“These are all sleep hygiene tools that work, but people are very hesitant to do them. Prefer to just take a pill, right?”
Training your brain to sleep
There are other proven sleep tips that work just as well, if not better, than sleeping pills, experts say. The body starts secreting melatonin in the dark. What do we do in our modern culture? We use artificial light to keep us awake, often well beyond the body’s normal bedtime.
Research has found that the body decreases or stops producing melatonin if exposed to light, including blue light from our smartphones, laptops and the like.
“Any LED spectrum light source can further decrease melatonin levels,” said Vsevolod Polotsky, who directs basic sleep research in the division of pulmonary medicine and critical care at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in a interview prior to CNN.
So do without these devices at least an hour before falling asleep. Do you like to read to sleep? It’s ok, experts say, just read a real book in low light or use an e-reader in night mode.
“Digital light will decrease the circadian drive,” Polotsky said, while a “weak reading light will not.”
Other tips include keeping your room temperature at a lower temperature of around 15°C to 20°C. We sleep better if we’re a little cold, experts say.
Establish a bedtime ritual by taking a hot bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soft music.
Or you can try deep breathing, yoga, meditation, or light stretching. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or days off, they explain. The body likes routine.
If your doctor prescribes melatonin to help with jet lag or other minor sleep problems, keep using it “short-term,” Robbins said.
If you plan on using melatonin for a short-term sleep aid, try buying pharmaceutical-grade melatonin, she advised. To find this out, look for a seal showing that the product has been tested.
Source: CNN Brasil
