If you’re one of the 70 million people in the U.S. with chronic sleep problems, consider taking a melatonin supplement in hopes of drifting into dreamland faster and staying asleep longer. Probability is high.
Before you start taking supplements, it’s important to know about side effects involving melatonin. Additionally, if you struggle with both sleep and weight loss at the same time, it’s natural to wonder if there’s a relationship between the two. Lack of sleep is scientifically linked to obesity. So can melatonin help you maintain a healthy weight? Keep reading for everything you need to know.
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What is melatonin and when can melatonin supplements help me sleep?
“Melatonin is a hormone produced by the brain in response to darkness,” explains a functional medicine doctor. Dr. Wendy Warner, MD, founder of Medicine In Balance. She explains that melatonin regulates sleep and circadian rhythms. This is why so many people with sleep problems consider taking melatonin supplements.
Dr. Sarah Wilson, ND, A naturopathic physician and founder and clinical director of Advanced Women’s Health, he explains that there are several ways in which taking melatonin supplements may help you sleep. One is if someone’s body has low levels of melatonin. The other is whether someone’s body responds well to high levels of melatonin.
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“The important thing to remember is that melatonin and cortisol [aka the ‘stress hormone’] at both ends of the seesaw. High cortisol levels lead to low melatonin levels,” says Dr. Wilson. “So when you want to induce sleep, you need to get cortisol levels right and low.” Besides cortisol, Dr. Wilson says there are other hormones involved in sleep regulation: norepinephrine and epinephrine. These hormones are also involved in the “fight or flight response,” and high levels can make you feel relaxed and sleep less well.
Dr. Wilson says taking a melatonin supplement in these cases may help you fall asleep, but it won’t help you stay asleep. If you want to take a melatonin supplement for sleep, Dr. Warner says it’s best to take it regularly rather than intermittently. . The reason for this, she says, is that melatonin supplements are expected to help normalize the circadian rhythms that occur over time.
Both doctors say melatonin’s role in the body isn’t limited to sleep regulation. Both say it’s related to reducing inflammation and even preventing cancer. Here are other reasons to consider taking a melatonin supplement.
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What are the side effects of melatonin and what causes weight gain?
Before taking any supplements, it is advisable to consult with your doctor, especially if you have an underlying medical condition or are taking any medications. If you take too little, says Dr. Warner, you are likely not to notice any effect at all. , can cause dizziness,” she said, adding that typical doses are between 1 and 10 milligrams.
As to whether melatonin can cause weight gain, both doctors say there is no evidence for this. It may indirectly lead to healthy weight loss. can support weight loss as a health goal.
Dr. Wilson points out that many people looking for melatonin supplements likely have circadian rhythm disruptions, which means they probably have high cortisol levels. have shown a relationship between high cortisol levels and weight gain, especially in the form of abdominal fat. One thing makes sense.
“The circadian rhythm is your body’s 24-hour clock, and scientific studies show that people with altered circadian rhythms, such as night shift workers, tend to gain weight due to various hormonal changes due to malfunctioning circadian rhythms. have been suggested to be higher,” says Dr. Wilson.
She adds that night shift workers aren’t the only people who can experience these disruptions. It’s someone who inherently experiences changes in their circadian rhythm,” explains Dr. Wilson. Whatever the reason for your circadian rhythm being disrupted, Dr. Wilson says this is likely the cause of your weight gain rather than not taking melatonin supplements.
Melatonin supplements may help you sleep, but other habits can have an impact as well. Not coincidentally, all of these are also associated with healthy weight loss. To this end, there are many factors that affect both weight and sleep. If you focus on sleeping well, you are more likely to continue healthy weight loss, and you will win it all.
Next, find out how sleep experts actually want you to use melatonin. (It’s not what you think!)
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