Anyone who has ever had a few too many long nights without sleep has probably heard about melatonin. Have you tried taking melatonin? Is the first piece of pseudo-medical advice most people receive when they complain of sleepless nights. With the growing popularity of melatonin supplements, we are also seeing a rise in available resources. Shelves full of fruit-flavored gummies, chewable tablets, and fast-acting or time release sleep aid promise a solution to all of our sleep-related problems all in the form of melatonin.
But what is melatonin and why do so many people seem to regard it as the magical solution to all sleep problems? Let’s break down what exactly melatonin is and how we can use it to improve our sleep patterns and see if it really is as helpful as people seem to think it is.
What is Melatonin?
Melatonin is, first and foremost, a hormone naturally produced by our bodies in response to light and darkness. Melatonin is the hormone that most effectively sets your internal clock, or circadian rhythm, and natural sleep cycle. No wonder everyone talks about it when you are having a hard time getting and staying asleep, right?
Your circadian rhythm is a 24-hour internal clock that is influenced by hormones like melatonin. Melatonin is then influenced by internal factors and some external factors such as light and darkness, noise levels, and blue light exposure.
When all of these factors are taken in at their peak, most healthy levels, your circadian rhythm provides a full, restful sleep cycle each night. If something is off in this equation, however, a person might experience any number of sleep disorder symptoms. Commonly, low melatonin levels lead to insomnia, disruptive sleep behaviors, and daytime drowsiness.
Circadian Rhythm
To understand how much melatonin does to keep our sleep cycles in check, we should first understand circadian rhythms. So, what is your circadian rhythm?
Your circadian rhythm is the daily clock that your body depends on to determine what functions it should be performing at any given time. There are many different circadian rhythms that our bodies run on, but the one most directly related to melatonin is the one that controls your sleep-wake cycle.
How Does Melatonin Affect Our Bodies?
Melatonin is a naturally-occurring hormone, made in the brain then distributed through the bloodstream to the rest of the body, just like any other hormone. The difference between melatonin and other hormones such as insulin or testosterone is that the production of melatonin is triggered by darkness. Melatonin helps regulate your internal clock and synchronize your sleep-wake cycle so that you sleep at night and are awake during the day. Your brain decides when you need to sleep and, therefore, when melatonin should be distributed to the rest of your body based on what times you are typically in darkness and when it becomes light again.
Most sleep disorders are not so easily impacted by shifts in schedule or environment, which is the main difference in low melatonin levels and a sleep disorder such as insomnia or restless leg syndrome. If, for example, a person was to consistently sleep with lights on, their body would not make sufficient melatonin. Even crazier, if a person does not receive enough hours of darkness to promote a healthy sleep cycle, it will immediately negatively impact their melatonin production until a regular sleep schedule is re-established.
Melatonin Supplements
While melatonin is produced naturally within the body, melatonin can also be manufactured externally. In fact, this is done often, and can facilitate similar results for patients experiencing sleep disorder symptoms with a similar result as the naturally-occurring hormone.
When melatonin is created naturally within the body, it is known as endogenous melatonin. However, when it is created outside of the body, it is referred to as exogenous melatonin. Exogenous melatonin is normally made in a laboratory, but they can also be made from animals and microorganisms. When created as a dietary supplement, melatonin is often sold as a pill, capsule, gummy, or liquid.
Melatonin sleep aids are highly popular amongst both children and adults. An estimated 3 million Americans used them regularly in 2012, according to a survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The effectiveness of this “wonder drug” brings people back for more.
Unfortunately, like any other supplement, too much melatonin can also be a bad thing. Our bodies are not meant to produce an excessive amount of melatonin each day, so they are not equipped to handle large dosage amounts of melatonin, especially if we keep in mind that this is a hormone our body likely makes a sufficient amount of on its own. One or two sleepless nights does not necessarily mean that you have a melatonin shortage. Too much melatonin can lead to symptoms such as headaches, ‘fuzzy’ brain, lethargy, and even fainting spells.
“Your body produces melatonin naturally. It does not make you sleep, but as melatonin levels rise in the evening it puts you into a state of quiet wakefulness that helps promote sleep,” Johns Hopkins sleep expert Luis F. Buenaver, Ph.D., said in response to the claim that melatonin supplements disrupt the natural sleep cycle but all but forcing their bodies into rest mode.
How Can A Sleep Disorder Specialist Help?
So, how do you know if your sleepless nights are being caused by poor production of the melatonin hormone or if there is something more concerning? For some sleep issues, melatonin supplements can help regulate your circadian rhythm, but other conditions might need further medical intervention.
While disruptions to your regular sleep-wake cycle can be the result of a simple change of habits, chronic trouble getting and staying asleep could be a sign that you suffer from any number of sleep disorders. In some cases, taking unprescribed melatonin supplements can lead to worsened symptoms. If you do choose to try out melatonin supplements you should start with a low dosage–5 milligrams or less–and go up from there if you are not experiencing any changes in your sleep patterns. If symptoms such as trouble getting to sleep, frequent waking during the night, abrupt mood shifts, daytime drowsiness, or waking up after a full night’s rest and still feeling tired remain, these could point to a few different common sleep disorders.
If you experience any of these common sleep disorder symptoms more than 3 nights per week or symptoms that last longer than a month, it is imperative that you seek medical assistance as soon as possible. Many sleep disorders are easily treatable, but if left to fester they can cause serious medical complications. Sleep disorder specialists are specially trained to recognize and treat sleep disorders in the most comfortable and effective way possible so that you can reestablish a healthy sleep pattern.
Gingras Sleep Medicine
Sleep medicine specialists such as Dr. Jeanine Gingras at Gingras Sleep Medicine in Concord and Charlotte, NC will have the best solution for your continued wellness. Dr. Gingras is a highly accomplished, double board-certified sleep medicine specialist who has been successfully treating patients for decades. She and her team of trained professionals will help you achieve a full, restful night’s sleep without compromising on your comfort.
Dr. Gingras’s state-of-the-art facility offers a testing center where she meets with patients and runs various tests to determine what they might be suffering from. After that, Dr. Gingras and her team will evaluate a patient’s symptoms, diagnosis, lifestyle, and preexisting health conditions to set a treatment plan that is fully customized to the patient’s needs.
For more resources on signs that you might have a sleep disorder or ways to create healthy sleep patterns, check out our blog or schedule a consultation with us today! Make your appointment now by visiting our website at gingrassleepmedicine.com or calling us at (704) 944-0562.