When you worked In the sleep industry for a long time, you will hear a question resurfaces repeatedly: “How many melatonin should I take?” The answer will vary from person to person, and the best person to deliver it is your doctor.
To be clear, I am not a doctor (even if my family really wants me to be), but I am a certified coach in sleep sciences and a five -year professional mattress tester and some changes. Over the years, I have conversed with and attended conferences by many health professionals on sleep aid and supplements. I also asked David Kuhlmann of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine to give an overview of the best practices with regard to melatonin (and sleep supplements, by the way).
Cooling pill
First, let’s go back. What is melatonin? It is the hormone that your brain produces naturally as part of its circadian rhythm, or the internal clock that your body must keep you on a natural and daily sleep schedule. Your pineal gland is responsible for doing so, and the sun reports it to slow down production so that you can wake up and spend your day. Although your brain is already producing melatonin, the idea of taking a supplement is that it launches your sleep cycle.
If you have already taken melatonin and you have not worked for you, or if you plan to start it, this is where you should consult your doctor. And do it Before departure any Supplement, melatonin included. You can be on drugs that will not so well, giving you the impression you need more. Or, you might feel the side effects of the melatonin and medication mixture. Let’s avoid the late evening webmd and first check this box.
Supplement of snake oil or sleep?
Another reason to speak to an approved health care provider before jumping on the melatonin train is that they can give you a personalized recommendation on how to get melatonin, either in addition or even a nutritional form. Or, as Kuhlmann recommends me, completely bypassing it, for many reasons – one of which is possible with unforeseen side effects, like Gi upset. More about it in a minute.
The reality is that supplements are not regulated by the FDA. The regulatory journal of the University of Pennsylvania reported that the FDA estimates supplements on a food basis, as well as for food or drugs. According to Pieter Cohen in an interview with the American Medical Association, the FDA actually assesses supplements as a “food subcategory” and not drugs. Kuhlmann corroborated this for me, stressing that “increased access” and the fact that brands are not as “closely regulated” on the market have led to dangerous results. He described the increase in melatonin poisoning cases that health professionals have seen in the last decade, mainly in children under the age of 5.
There are a lot of gray zone for what is doing well and what is not before a product strikes the market, and even after being sold to customers. So, if an additional (and questionable) ingredient runs away in the formula and the supplement arrives on the market, there is not much that the FDA can make companies a warning letter in addition to sending the supplement. It is the equivalent of raising your shoulders, to say “whoopsia, your fault” and to put the responsibility of a brand to do it properly – which, as the regulatory examination also points out, they do not always do it.
