There are many things to try before resorting to a melatonin supplement (see videos one and two, links below).
If you decide to try a melatonin supplement, this video covers what dose to start with, when to take it, what side effects to be aware of and thoughts on finding a safe supplement.
Note: You should check with your healthcare provider before starting any supplement to make sure it is safe with the other medications you are taking.
This is the third of a three-part video series from our interview with Dr. Witt-Enderby. In case you missed them, here are the first two parts: video #1: Understanding Melatonin for a Better Night’s Sleep and video #2: “Dos and Don’ts” for Better Sleep.
And in this written Q&A with Dr. Paula Witt-Enderby she reviews keys steps to take for better sleep and shares some recent research. Full transcript for the video below.
More on melatonin, the supplement in Common Supplements.
Transcript
Welcome to Interviews with experts, today we share the third in a 3-part series from our interview with Dr. Paula Witt-Enderby. Dr. Witt-Enderby is a Professor of Pharmacology at Duquesne University. She has a Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology and teaches pharmacy students about endocrinology and endocrine-based drug therapies. She also researches the effect of melatonin in the body as it relates to bone and breast cancer. She is Board Certified by the National Ayurvedic Medical Association.
In this clip, Dr. Witt-Enterby discusses when and how to supplement with melatonin, she covers checking levels, starting doses, when you should take it, side effects and finding a safe product.
As you watch this video, keep in mind, that while melatonin is best known as a supplement that people take to help with sleep. Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland in our brains. In today’s clip, we will be talking about this naturally occurring form made in our bodies.
Dr. Witt-Enderby’s thoughts on checking melatonin levels.
Some people ask me when it’s appropriate to take melatonin. First, try and get your endogenous nocturnal levels of melatonin up through natural means. What I mean by that is by eliminating any light source in the place that you sleep during the hours of darkness. If you have an alarm clock, television set, cell phones, night lights, you might want to remove those or cover them up with black tape. If you live on a street with a street light and you have light coming into the room where you sleep, you might want to use shades. If you are someone who likes to read or use your cell to check messages right before bed, I always recommend stopping doing that one to two hours before bed as light does inhibit melatonin. And also I do recommend using an eye mask. They are very effective.
If you have exhausted all of those. And you are trying to go to bed by 10 pm at night. And you have regulated your mealtime, meaning that you’re not eating too late into the night, that you are stopping at about 8 o’clock at night, assuming you are going to bed at 10. If those things haven’t worked for you, then I would recommend getting your melatonin levels checked.
If you decide to supplement with melatonin, here are some thoughts on starting dose and when during the day you should take your melatonin.
I always say start low. Start with the lowest dose. If you are starting low, with a half a milligram of melatonin, that’s what I would recommend. The most important thing about melatonin, take it right before bed, not 2 am bedtime but it has to be taken around 10 pm or 11 pm, you do not want that surge of melatonin to come too late in the morning.
Melatonin does definitely has effects on insulin and glucagon release. So insulin is what takes our glucose out of the bloodstream into our cells to make energy. And glucagon is the hormone that releases glucose into our body. Melatonin has effects on both. It can raise sugar levels and decrease sugar levels.
You want to have that melatonin to peak between 2 and 4 am. You don’t want spill over of melatonin into the morning. Because you will wake up with high sugar levels. Over time that could lead to some type of insulin resistance.
When light comes on in the morning, your melatonin levels shut down. If you are supplementing you want to mimic that peak.
What side effects do people report with melatonin?
There are three clinically reported effects of melatonin, the first is the vivid dreaming, when I ran clinical trials half of the women loved the vivid dreaming, half did not; the sedation; and the daytime grogginess is the 3rd effect. If you are feeling the daytime grogginess with 1 mg, just cut your pill in half. It usually takes about 2 weeks for the daytime grogginess to go away. If it does not, then that is when I would recommend cutting your dose in half.
How do you find a safe product?
These supplement companies are also putting other things in. They have to report what’s in the pills. So read the bottle. And make sure you are not getting any extra supplements. You just want pure melatonin. I do recommend melatonin that comes from a laboratory because it’s been synthesized. I don’t recommend animal glands because the dosing might be inconsistent. And any time you take an animal product it might cause some type of immune reaction in the body. If you read the bottle it should just say melatonin. You can go on Mayo clinic and they have a whole melatonin section. (add link) Talk to your primary care physician.
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