Melatonin is a popular sleeping pill available as a supplement in pharmacies in the Netherlands and Belgium, without a prescription. But your body also produces this hormone. When it gets dark in the evening, the pineal gland in the brain produces more melatonin. This is how your body sends a signal: it’s time to go to bed.
People who struggle with insomnia or suffer from jet lag while traveling can take melatonin supplements to help them fall asleep more easily. Since this hormone is available without a prescription, its use seems harmless. But is it really like that? Not everyone is enthusiastic about it: in 2019, five hundred sleep experts warned against the use of melatonin. They argue that it should only be available with a prescription.
What are the side effects of melatonin?
Melatonin helps you fall asleep faster, but it also disrupts your body clock. Furthermore, it is not yet clear what the long-term effects of melatonin supplements are. And then there are also the short-term side effects: for example, does melatonin give you nightmares?
Side effects of melatonin include daytime drowsiness and headaches, says Suzie Bertisch, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and clinical director of sleep medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Melatonin and nightmares
But melatonin can also cause vivid dreams and nightmares. According to Kim Yuen, a sleep medicine specialist at the University of California at San Francisco, the risk of nightmares increases with higher doses of melatonin. Your dreams become more vivid and the chance of you remembering them also increases.
But where do these nightmares come from? One study found that taking additional melatonin extends REM sleep. This is the stage of sleep where you dream. If that phase lasts longer, the chance of nightmares also increases. Additionally, you will often take melatonin when you can’t fall asleep due to stress. Are nightmares caused by melatonin or stress? This is not yet clear.
How can you use melatonin safely?
According to Bertisch, there is no harm for adults if they take melatonin for a short period, for example to overcome jet lag. But take pills in moderation and seek advice from a doctor before use. Or use one of these other tips to get rid of jet lag. You don’t really need pills for that.
You probably also want to know this: Does magnesium work as a natural sleep aid?
2024-01-16 16:10:08
#nightmares #melatonin