Is melatonin a safe sleeping pill?

I took melatonin regularly for a while, but started to have queries and doubts so have recently gone off it. If you have autoimmune issues and have turned to melatonin for sleep perhaps see if the below resonates.

Image by Mark Borthwick
Image by Mark Borthwick

The deal with melatonin 

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland that helps control your sleep and wake cycles. It’s taken in supplement form to adjust the body’s internal clock, especially for long flights, jet lag and adjusting sleep-wake cycles in people whose work schedule fluctuates regularly.

The thing is:

It’s a hormone. Hormone therapy is a complicated topic. Taking extra hormones when you don’t need them can cause dysfunctional communication between the hypothalamus and the pituitary, which is the master hormone regulation centre in the body. This will lead to further hormone imbalances.

The science is still out 

Very little scientific research has been done on melatonin supplements as a sleep aid, especially for adults. Although some studies conclude it’s not dangerous in the short term, several conclude that melatonin

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