Melatonin is a hormone that your brain creates in reaction to darkness. It helps with the timing of your circadian rhythms (24-hour internal clock) and is effective in promoting sound sleep. With blocked calendars and tight targets, stress takes the centre stage in our frantic life.

Many of us are striving to get sleep and falling in the bracket of purchasing melatonin sleeping tablets. Amidst the rising awareness of the goodness of yoga and sleeping therapies, the brow-raising question is - are melatonin pills a better option?

Read on to find out how melatonin actually works!

What Is Melatonin?

Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that is predominantly secreted by the pineal gland in the brain. The presence of darkness causes the body to produce more melatonin, which signals the body to hit the hay. On the contrary, light reduces melatonin production and alerts the body to the fact that it is awake.

Given the stress and busy lives, added to Netflix and other OTT platforms, there is an increasing number of sleeplessness issues being reported. Apart from insomnia where there are biologically reduced levels of melatonin in the body, conditions like jet lags and night shifts, etc contribute to difficulty sleeping.

One thing common in all the given situations is reduced melatonin levels. Studies suggest that supplementing with melatonin may help you sleep.

💡 Did You Know?

Up to 60% of college students reported having problems falling asleep, and 7.7% of them reported having insomnia.

How Do Melatonin Supplements Help?

Melatonin is a safe sleeping pill that helps to induce a regular sleep cycle. It is relatively risk-free in terms of side effects, but taking it in high concentration can cause drowsiness, daytime sleepiness, headaches, or nausea. According to a study, melatonin supplements users fell asleep an average of 7X faster and slept an additional 8 minutes.

💡 Did You Know?

Melatonin may not be as helpful as over-the-counter sleep aids in treating insomnia, yet it was reported to be used by 27.5% of NHIS survey participants.

How To Increase Melatonin Naturally?

Our melatonin levels can be increased naturally simply by knowing our biological clock. The levels generally rise roughly two hours before bed. So establishing favourable sleeping conditions help to boost the levels to their peak.

1. Dim the lights before bed
2. Refrain from using a computer, smartphone, or tablet at least an hour before bed
3. Maintain at least six feet distance from the TV screen
4. Turn off the night lamps

Additionally, expose yourself to daylight in the morning and afternoon to train your body to naturally make melatonin. Exercise more often during the day to exhaust your body and avoid taking needless naps! These act as tiny steps towards training your body and mind strong enough to get disciplined to avoid troublesome sleepless nights.

💡 Did You Know?

A two-hour night time exposure to blue light lowers melatonin and can cause insomnia!

Conclusion

Though melatonin is a naturally occurring sleep hormone, lifestyle issues impact the hormonal balance giving rise to trouble sleeping in half a chunk of the crowd. While melatonin supplements come to the rescue, the dose, duration, and doctor supervision are absolutely recommended.

Furthermore, if melatonin supplements do not improve your sleeplessness, you can consider having a discussion with the psychiatrist to rule out the possibility of any underlying disorders.

 

Book an Appointment with a Psychologist

 

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Dhanunjay Reddy B