These days, who doesn’t have trouble sleeping? Instead of lying awake for hours thinking about your day, you pop a couple of melatonin gummies and you’re on your way to sleep.
If you’re someone who treats the dosage instructions on the melatonin bottle as more of a suggestion, you may have wondered how much is too much? Can you overdose on melatonin? We’ll tell you how to know if you went a little overboard.
What Is Melatonin?
Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that our bodies produce to regulate our sleep cycles, but you can find it on the supplement shelf at the grocery store too. In our bodies, melatonin is produced by the pineal gland in the brain.
The level of melatonin that is produced fluctuates throughout the day, and as you might have guessed, the levels are higher in the evening when we are usually sleeping. In the morning, our melatonin levels fall back down so we can start our days. If you have trouble sleeping, you may turn to melatonin supplements to help you sleep through the night.
How Do I Know if I Took Too Much Melatonin?
Because it affects everyone differently, it can be hard to know what the right melatonin dosage is for your body. For some people, it doesn’t take much at all to help them fall asleep. Anything that we put into our bodies can be harmful if it’s consumed in excess, even naturally occurring hormones. Here’s how can you tell if you’re on melatonin overdose?
If you take too much of a melatonin supplement, you may experience symptoms like headache, vomiting, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, or drowsiness. And although melatonin is supposed to help you sleep, some people who take too much actually feel more awake.
Taking too much melatonin alone won’t kill you, but it can produce unpleasant or uncomfortable side effects. People usually start to feel these negative side effects when they reach 30 mg of melatonin; a normal dose is anywhere between 2 mg to 5 mg.
You should talk to your doctor about any medications you’re taking to see if any can negatively react with melatonin. Sometimes the melatonin dosage won’t cause a problem, but how it interacts with your other medications will.
Some medication interactions with melatonin result in more serious side effects like chest pain and shortness of breath. If you experience these, you should seek emergency care right away.
How Can I Take Melatonin Safely?
Like with any other vitamin or supplement, you should know how much to take. Most melatonin supplements that you buy at a drugstore are between 1 mg and 5 mg per tablet or gummy. It’s easiest to start out with a smaller dosage and increase gradually if you aren’t feeling any effects.
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