Melatonin, a sleep supplement, comes in many different strengths. But experts recommend that you get started with a dose ranging in 0.2-5mg of melatonin per day. Starting at a low dose enables your body to adjust the internal mechanisms and get used to the extra hormone. In this article, you’ll learn more about melatonin 3 mg tablets.
What is Melatonin?
Released by the pineal gland, melatonin regulates the circadian clock. Essentially, it is responsible for inducing sleep.
A melatonin deficiency may lead to medical conditions such as insomnia. It can also cause other sleep disorders, which are very difficult to treat.
And since our body relies on the circadian clock to ensure a regular sleep pattern, a lack of melatonin can throw off this clock and worsen our quality of life.
Why is Melatonin Supplement used?
There are many reasons, but two of them are the most important.
Device use: 21st century is defined by long term use of devices such as smartphones and laptops. These screens emit blue light, which inhibits the release of melatonin in our brain.
Stress and anxiety: when your brain experiences stress or anxiety, it releases cortisol (stress hormone) and fires up the amygdala. We go into a fight-flight-freeze response, which again diminishes the amount of melatonin available in the brain.
While you can rely on melatonin to reset your sleep cycle and go to sleep faster, we recommend that you fix the aforementioned problems too.
To reduce stress and anxiety, you can try grounding exercises and mindfulness meditation. And even if you are overly reliant on screens, ensure to stop using these devices at least 1 hour before going to bed.
Sleep disorders and melatonin
Melatonin is created naturally by our body and available in trace amounts through some fruits and vegetables.
Melatonin supplements, however, induce sleep much faster than what you get from consuming specific food types or follow regular sleep cycles. So they’re very effective at providing relief from sleep disturbances.
Here are some sleep disorders that you can find relief from by consuming melatonin 3mg tablets:
Insomnia
Do you stay awake for long moments at night, waiting for sleep to envelop your mind? If yes, then you may have insomnia, which causes an inability to fall or stay asleep.
Insomnia can result from:
- Anxiety and stress
- Depression
- Jet lag
- Hormonal disbalance
Symptoms of insomnia include:
- Anxiety and irritability
- Depression
- Weight gain
- Impaired cognitive function
Taking melatonin supplements can restore the balance of hormones in your brain and help you to fall asleep faster.
Non-24-hour Sleep-Wake Disorder
We all have a circadian rhythm, which helps to manage the sleep-wake cycle. But in people with this disorder, the circadian rhythm goes out of sync, leading to problems in falling asleep at a specific time and building a sleep routine.
You may notice that you have insomnia and hypersomnia like symptoms.
When you take melatonin, it resets your circadian rhythm and helps people with this sleep disorder in following a proper sleep schedule.
Headaches
Melatonin is found to be effective against certain types of headaches. And it is most useful for cluster headaches and migraines.
As migraine can cause severe headaches that keep on returning, people often rely on pain medications including opioids, which are addictive and harmful in the long run.
On the other hand, cluster headaches occur several times throughout the day and are very painful.
Instead of relying on pain medications, you can try melatonin and adjust its dosage to meet your requirements.
May Relieve symptoms of Tinnitus
Tinnitus causes people to hear a ringing sound in their ears. While many people experience this, the problem is quite ephemeral for most.
However, in some cases people experience non-stop sound that interferes with their lives and leads to stress, irritability, insomnia, anxiety and depression.
Melatonin, with its antioxidative properties, has proven to be effective in ameliorating symptoms of tinnitus.
Other Health Benefits
Melatonin can be taken for a host of other conditions including:
- Delayed sleep=wake phase disorder (DSWPD)
- Jet Lag
- Anxiety
- Sleep problems in children with ADHD
Is Melatonin Addictive?
According to experts, melatonin isn’t addictive, as it doesn’t cause symptoms of withdrawal when usage is stopped.
Since withdrawal symptoms and tolerance are the main criteria of addiction, it can be concluded that melatonin will not cause addiction.
Other Medical Conditions
Apart from sleep disorders, melatonin may be effective against some other medical conditions including:
- Restless leg syndrome
- Headaches
- Cluster headaches
- Migraines
- Tinnitus
Also, if you have problems in falling or staying asleep because of generalized anxiety disorder, then melatonin can help to calm you down and fall asleep.
What is the recommended dose for the supplement?
Since melatonin is naturally created by our body, you should start off with very low doses in order to discover the right dose that helps you to fall asleep fast.
3mg/day of melatonin may be the right amount to start with. But usually you can be in the range of 0.2-5mg/day of melatonin.
As your body gets used to the smaller doses, you can incrementally increase your dose until you reach 10mg/day.
At what time to take melatonin?
Take melatonin supplement 30 minutes before going to bed.
Symptoms of Melatonin Overdose
Too much melatonin may cause toxicity and side effects. But because most scientific studies have only analyzed doses running from 1mg to 10 mg, it can be difficult to know the levels at which melatonin becomes harmful.
However, many experts believe that consuming more than 30mg/day of melatonin may lead to serious side effects.
Starting Dose for Melatonin
Start low and increase the dosage over time.
0.2 to 5 mg of melatonin per day is a good range to start at. Taking low doses of this supplement enables your body to get used to the extra amount of melatonin.
When you feel that you’re comfortable with increasing the dose, do so until you’re taking 10mg/day of melatonin.
Symptoms of Melatonin Overdose
Taking more melatonin than your body can handle, especially anything above 30mg/day can lead to side effects and toxicity.
Melatonin – Recommended Dose
Starting off with melatonin 3mg tablets is best because it provides your body the time to adjust to the dosage.
Later, you can go for a higher dose of 10mg of melatonin per day.
However, it is recommended to not consume more than 30mg/day of melatonin, as it may lead to toxicity.
Take melatonin 30 minutes before going to sleep to get the best effect.
Conclusion
Melatonin, along with good sleeping habits and a daily exercise schedule, can enhance your sleep and make you feel more energised during the day. To start off, you can go with melatonin 3mg tablets and incrementally increase your dose.
FAQs
- Are melatonin supplements addictive?
- Melatonin isn’t addictive. It doesn’t build up tolerance nor does it present any withdrawal symptoms.
- Should I use melatonin on a regular basis?
- Most people should rely on melatonin to reset their sleep-wake cycle. So take it for about a week or two until you get into a good schedule.
- When should I take melatonin?
- Take it 30 minutes before heading to bed. Your body will be able to absorb the melatonin supplement properly.
- Is melatonin a focus boosting supplement?
- melatonin supports good cognitive health by ensuring that you’re well rested when you wake up. However, it does not boost your focus.
