Melatonin is yet another hormone that we can find in our bodies naturally. Its main purpose is to regulate our sleep and wake cycle, which directly correlates to our night and day cycles too. If you have trouble falling asleep, you probably have lower melatonin levels. While melatonin is certainly powerful for situations like jet-lag, or daily sleep cycle changes; you should dose it appropriately. You can actually “overdose” on melatonin, so it is good to know how much melatonin should you take to gain the most benefits!
Can You Actually Overdose On Melatonin?
Taking too much of a melatonin dose from supplements can actually do the opposite of what you want – disrupt your sleep-wake cycle (circadian rhythm). Other than that, some negative side effects may occur. You may feel tired and very sleepy during the day because of the circadian rhythm disruption. Also, you may get some excessively vivid dreams during the night. Other common symptoms of too much melatonin are dizziness, headaches, nausea, anxiety, and muscle joint pain. One dangerous cause of too much melatonin is increased blood pressure.
Determining the melatonin overdose is often hard because it depends on several factors. These factors are age, body weight, and sensitivity to melatonin itself.
So, you can overdose on melatonin, technically. Of course, the overdose won’t be fatal, as this is just a hormone. Nevertheless, you should pay attention to your melatonin dosage.
So, How Much Melatonin Should You Take For Optimal Benefits?
Most studies conclude that taking melatonin in low doses is the most effective way to reduce insomnia and promote better sleep quality. Generally, you should start with doses between 0,2mg to 5mg, as this range is the safest starting dose. Make sure to dose melatonin an hour or hour and a half before sleep. That way, you will ensure the best sleep quality for yourself.
Of course, the recommended dose of melatonin depends on your age, your body weight and height ration, as well as your sensitivity to the hormone. If you don’t feel the benefits of melatonin on your sleep quality, you can increase your dose for a bit. Just don’t go over the top with the dosage, and always take the melatonin supplement before you go to sleep at night.
Also, please don’t take melatonin supplements with alcohol and caffeine, as these two substances interfere with your sleep-wake cycle and your natural production of melatonin.
Melatonin supplementation is certainly effective for increasing your sleep quality, and is actually one of the best approved supplements for depression! Nevertheless, for some people, melatonin will just make things harder. Some people are overly sensitive to its effects, even at low doses. If you notice that this supplement isn’t helping you sleep better, even with the higher dosage, you should consult with a specialist to determine the cause.
Anyway, we hope that now you know how much melatonin should you take to reap its benefits! It certainly has many benefits, from improving the sleep quality to boosting the moods.
