Melatonin, sometimes called the “hormone of darkness,” is secreted by the pineal gland in your brain. It helps regulate sleep and wake cycles. It plays a major role in having a good night’s sleep as it enables you to fall asleep and stay asleep. However, melatonin can also negatively affect your health if you take it in excess or don’t supplement with enough of it. Here are some ways to know how much melatonin to take and what happens if you take too much.
How does it affect sleep?
Melatonin is essential for sleep. It helps regulate the circadian rhythm or your body’s sleep/wake cycle. Circadian rhythms are controlled by your body’s internal clock and are affected by external factors such as light, temperature, and even food intake. The pineal gland controls melatonin production in the brain, which is stimulated by darkness. When you’re exposed to bright light during the day (such as from a computer screen), melatonin production decreases. Your body then secretes less melatonin into your bloodstream, which can make it harder to fall asleep at night and stay asleep during the night. In addition, too little melatonin can cause insomnia and wakefulness at night.
What happens if you take too much?
Melatonin is a hormone and can be coursed through your bloodstream. When you take melatonin wellness products, it’s coursed through your bloodstream to the pineal gland in the brain. In this way, you can build up a tolerance to taking melatonin. This means that you need more melatonin to get the same results as before. If you take too much melatonin (more than 3 mg), it can cause drowsiness or sleepiness in some people and make them feel dizzy or tired later on in the day. Side effects of taking too much melatonin include:
- Drowsiness
- Sleepiness
- Fatigue during the day/afternoon fatigue
- Headache as a side effect
Talk to your doctor if you’re taking melatonin to help you sleep and it isn’t working. They may recommend changing the dosage or may prescribe a different medication.
How does it affect wake cycles?
Melatonin makes you sleepy, so it should make you sleepy if you are taking it to help you sleep. However, melatonin can also affect wake cycles. This may be because of how melatonin interacts with the brain’s sleep-wake centers. For example, melatonin may affect the release of serotonin in the brain (which is a neurotransmitter involved in sleep), which can affect wake cycles.
How does it work?
There are two forms of melatonin: “melatonin receptors” and “melatonin receptor agonists”. Melatonin receptors are found in nerve cells throughout the body. Melatonin receptor agonists bind to melatonin receptors and affect the brain.
Conclusion
Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland in the brain. Melatonin helps regulate sleep and wake cycles and is one of the most potent antioxidants. Melatonin has been used for centuries to treat insomnia and other sleep disorders. Melatonin is available in a pill (Melatonin) and liquid forms such as melatonin drops. So make your decision before buying.