When Melatonin Is Not So Simple

“Sleep Aids, Mood, Metabolism, and Signs You Should Slow Down or Stop”

Your body's ability to sleep relies heavily on the hormone melatonin. When your natural melatonin levels are deficient, you might experience restlessness, poor stress responses, insomnia, or waking up too early. While decreased melatonin levels are often linked to normal aging, unusually low levels are also repeatedly observed in neurodegenerative disorders, especially Alzheimer's disease and other types of senile dementia.

To combat sleep issues, many people turn to melatonin supplements. While generally considered safe for short-term use, the long-term safety of these supplements remains unknown. Taking melatonin nightly or in high doses can trigger common side effects such as daytime drowsiness, headaches, dizziness, vivid dreams, and irritability. Rather than improving rest, high doses can actually worsen your overall sleep quality and mask deeper, underlying sleep issues.

A protein-forward diet is packed with tryptophan, an essential amino acid that the body uses to produce serotonin. At the end of the day, serotonin is then converted into the sleep hormone, melatonin. By filling your plate with protein-first foods like meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and low-glycemic vegetables, you're giving your body the exact raw materials it needs to naturally regulate your sleep cycle. Plus, these foods are often high in vitamin B12, which further supports melatonin synthesis and increases brain receptors for the hormone.

How do Navy Seals fall asleep so quickly?

If you struggle to fall asleep at night, you might want to take a page out of the Navy Seals’ playbook. The military sleep method is a proven technique designed to help you fall asleep in under two minutes. It relies on progressive muscle relaxation and mental visualization to quickly power down your body and mind. Some service members even use a variation of this for a quick 10-minute power nap with their legs elevated. Start by consciously relaxing the muscles in your face. Then, let your shoulders drop completely and relax your hands. Take deep, steady breaths to relax your chest. Slowly relax your legs, working your way all the way down to your toes. For ten seconds, push all active thoughts away and visualize a calming, peaceful scene. If your mind starts to wander, silently repeat the phrase "don't think" for ten seconds to re-center yourself.

When to Slow Down or Stop Melatonin Supplements

Melatonin is non-addictive but psychological reliance can occur where the individual feels they will not be able to fall asleep without taking the supplement. This common response is usually driven by anxiety and a perceived need about struggling to sleep without it, rather than a physical dependency. Nonetheless, this can be stressful so seek professional help as needed. Here’s some tale-tell signs to watch for:

• Morning Hangover: Some users of melatonin pills complain about next-morning sleepiness or dizziness with confusion or nausea. But, even morning grogginess where you feel a bit hungover the next day is also a “red flag” to reduce or stop using supplements.
• Time Milestones: Your body follows a 24-hour circadian clock. Newborns don’t produce melatonin but get it through milk. At childhood, natural levels are at their highest and remain stable until middle age. After age 40, there is a steady decline and older adults may be more sensitive to pills.
• Ineffectiveness: Experts suggest you stop taking melatonin supplements if they are not helping you sleep in one to two weeks, as melatonin pills are intended for short-term use of typically one to thirteen weeks. Plus, pills should be coordinated with onset timing for natural production.
• Worsening Sleep: Some people experience vivid nightmares where they experience intense, strange or disturbing dreams with frequent waking. Once the sleep aid is no longer working optimally, it may be time to take a treatment holiday that allows your body to reset.
• Chronic Use Dependency: It is recommended to use melatonin for only 1–4 weeks for short-term issues. Non-addictive, it can be stopped abruptly without significant withdrawal, but feeling psychologically reliant or anxious about trying to sleep without it is normally a conditioned response.

Generally speaking, the goal of taking melatonin supplements is to establish a healthier sleep routine that can be continued without pharmacological aids for the long-term. So for starters, gradually taper off at the right time by reducing dosage slowly, as it may be easier than stopping abruptly. Most times the underlying anxiety you feel is just a cognitive response caused or made worse by the circadian rhythm issues that are contributing to your insomnia, and not withdrawal symptoms due to physical addiction.

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Melatonin is a complex hormone that manages your internal clock. Although managing your circadian rhythms is crucial to trigger sleeplessness, melatonin cannot treat chronic insomnia and doesn’t work well when taken at the wrong time. It is best used for delayed sleep phase or jet lag and cannot fix all sleep or anxiety-related issues. If you’re struggling to sleep, contact Metabolic Research Center Grand Junction today. One of our weight loss coaches will be in touch to discuss how you can get a good night’s sleep and still enjoy the weight loss benefits of a protein-first, low carb diet. After all, the quality of sleep you get isn’t just about getting through your daily grind; your gut-brain-melatonin axis is directly linked to increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, stroke, and obesity.

*NOTE: Generally speaking, melatonin supplementation should be avoided by pregnant or breastfeeding women, those with autoimmune disease, or individuals taking immunosuppressants, blood thinners, or certain blood pressure medications.