Sleep, that sometimes elusive healer of the day's wear and tear. It is so incredibly important for brain function and physical wellbeing. Sleep takes out the mental trash we store up during the day and gives the body an overall reset to an optimal state to face the next day. However, if you’ve ever had poor sleep, you know it’s an experience that can throw your whole day into disarray. If this experience becomes a common one, you may, like many, search for something to facilitate better sleep. Melatonin is often at the top of the list when it comes to natural supplements you can take to increase your chances of getting a good night’s rest. Melatonin is a hormone made in the pineal gland in the brain. It is released into the rest of the body via the bloodstream. This hormone helps to induce sleep and when taken, it has been shown to help you get to sleep faster on average. So, what’s the problem? Well, simply put, when you introduce artificial melatonin into the body it can affect your body’s ability to produce melatonin on its own and it can have an impact on your glucose levels. The body produces a very small amount of melatonin naturally, but even the smallest common dosage, about 3mg, can be 5 or 6 times what the body needs. This flood of a synthetic hormone is thought to be part of the reason why a meal eaten close to bedtime has a greater negative impact on your glucose levels and thus overall weight than an identical meal eaten at the beginning of the day. That said, most research supports the idea that a small amount of melatonin taken occasionally to smooth an adjustment in one’s sleeping cycle will probably have few lasting effects beyond making you a bit sleepy the next day. Notably the small dosage is key even in this limited usage so when shopping for a melatonin supplement, it is important to find a product whose labeling is clear and free of misleading information.
While we do not endorse or recommend any specific product or company, the evaluation process used by the sleep foundation might give you an idea of what to look for if you choose to use a melatonin supplement. Check out their list here.
If you would like to read more about melatonin and its impact on the body, including glucose production, check out this article.