Melatonin is in practically every sleep aid on the market today. Lots of people use it on a daily basis. But is it safe to take melatonin every single day? Are there any dangers to using melatonin daily? Let’s find out!
Melatonin is probably one of the most commonly used sleep aids in existence. It is typically used to help hasten the onset of sleep at night time. People who struggle to get any solid, deep, restful sleep are the most common group to use melatonin. This is because melatonin is most useful for putting you into a deep state of sleep and keeping you there.
Many people also use melatonin for curing jet lag or insomnia. For a lot of people, synthetic sleeping pills are too harsh, too unpredictable, and too side effect-prone to even contemplate. So they use melatonin to trigger sleep at their desired time.
With so many people around the world using melatonin to get a better night’s sleep, it’s worth considering melatonin’s side effect risks.
Is it safe to use melatonin every day?
What kind of side effects might melatonin cause if you use it every night?
Let’s look at the science and find out together!
What is melatonin?
If you read our article on melatonin and sleep, you’ll learn that it is a completely natural substance produced by the human body.
Melatonin is the hormone which controls your sleeping patterns. Almost all of you will have the same melatonin release schedule (in other words, the same circadian rhythm).
At around 9pm, your pineal gland will start producing melatonin. It keeps being released, eventually peaking at around 1-3am. This is when most of you will be in the most restful, deepest stages of sleep.
After about 3am, your melatonin levels begin to decline rapidly. By 7am, your melatonin levels will be at near 0, and you’ll be at peak alertness (once you get a nice cortisol kick that is).
Does supplementing with melatonin work?
Normally, oral hormone supplementation doesn’t work. Hormones aren’t meant to be absorbed by the gut. When we consume oral hormone supplements, usually the hormone is largely destroyed, and anything that does enter the body needs to first be processed by the liver, which causes damage.
Melatonin is different.
Oral melatonin supplements are readily absorbed in the gut, and the melatonin that is absorbed can easily cross the blood brain barrier.
This is why melatonin supplements are so popular – they work!
Does melatonin cause side effects?
Melatonin is not known to cause any side effects whatsoever.
There have been dozens of high-quality clinical trials on melatonin. Typically, researcher report no participants complaining of side effects. Just check out some of the major studies done on melatonin and sleep. You’ll see that side effects – even mild ones – are rare. Most people just report seeing improvements in sleep quality while using melatonin.
The only real safety concerns with regards to melatonin is when mixing it with other substances. Melatonin and alcohol don’t mix well. Melatonin should also be avoided if you’re planning on driving or using any potentially dangerous machinery any time soon!
But if used properly, melatonin is perfectly safe for the vast majority of people.
Is it safe to use melatonin daily?
One question we get asked a lot is: “can I use melatonin every day?”
In answering this question, all we can draw on the available scientific literature.
Studies looking at melatonin and sleep have typically lasted about 14 to 28 days.
There are few trials which last longer than 60 days.
However, there are a couple of long-term studies on melatonin and sleep which focused on safety. These studies have invariably found melatonin to be safe for long-term daily use.
Take this study for example. Here researchers gave participants 2mg of prolonged release melatonin for 6 months. The researchers noted no adverse effects or withdrawal symptoms over the 6 month period.
So yes, melatonin is safe to use every day. You can use melatonin every night for at least 6 months without worrying about long-term health risks or withdrawals.