For decades, Melatonin sleeping pills occupy the leading positions in the market of drugs for the insomnia treatment. This is not surprising. This medication is effective, fast, safe and, most importantly, reduces the time for the sleep onset and promotes a stable sleep.
Today, you may buy Melatonin sleeping pills on the online pharmacies, normal pharmacies, large and small retail stores. Melatonin seldom causes side effects (even at high doses), so it is available without prescription.
The hormone Melatonin is synthesized naturally in humans. When it starts to get dark, the pineal gland (epiphysis) begins to produce this hormone. It is through this process, people feel the “wave” of sleepiness in the evening.
The older a person is, the less hormones the pineal gland produces. For example, the epiphysis of people aged 40 produces a 2 times less Melatonin than in children of 9 years of age. Unhealthy lifestyle may cause a decrease in the production of hormones in people of any age.
Reduced Melatonin level in the blood plasma leads to various sleep disturbances. If this hormone is taken orally, the ability to quickly fall asleep and not wake up during the night will return to the body.
Melatonin was first isolated in 1955 and has been studied well since then. It is being actively researched up till now, first and foremost as a hormone that affects the circadian rhythm.
Clinical researches
Melatonin efficacy and safety is beyond doubt today. Nevertheless, many people, who plan to buy Melatonin sleeping pills, want to know the details about the benefits of this drug.
The properties and benefits of oral administration of the pineal gland hormones have been studied in a variety of clinical trials. One of the studies involved 50 people, in whom the alternating work schedule was causing problems with sleep. The participants were taking Melatonin 3mg about half an hour before the anticipated bedtime.
After Melatonin therapy:
- Sleep onset latency (SOL) was reduced to 12 minutes on average.
- Sleep efficiency (SE) increased to 85.5% on average.
The results of the studies allowed concluding that Melatonin sleeping pills are effective for treating sleep problems in people with alternating work schedules.
Some scholars argue that Melatonin has an anti-cancer and anti-aging effect. At this point, no completed clinical studies exist to support such claims, but the research is ongoing.
How to take Melatonin?
At present, you may buy Melatonin sleeping pills online with varying strength. As a rule, the average Melatonin dose of 2mg is used for the insomnia treatment. Yet, it may be reduced to 0.5 mg, and increased up to 5 mg, if necessary.
To obtain a stable sleep, you should take 0.5 to 5 mg of Melatonin 30-40 minutes before going to bed. Some people feel a “wave” of sleepiness 20 minutes after the administration of sleeping pills.
Sleep disorders treatment may also include sleeping pills Melatonin with a prolonged sedative effect. Such tablets slowly dissolve in the gastrointestinal tract, and maintain the desired blood plasma level of hormones for a long time. As a rule, they are taken 60-120 minutes before bedtime.
Melatonin should not be taken with other sleep aids, even those available without a prescription. Melatonin sleeping pills enhances the sedative effect of non-prescription and prescription soporific drugs (e.g., Zopiclone, Zolpidem and Zaleplon). Combined use of different sleeping pills may cause drowsiness, impaired memory and attention.
Side effects
In one clinical trial, which involved more than 1,900 patients with sleep disorders, frequent, common and rare side effects of Melatonin sleeping pills have been identified.
People, who took part in clinical trials, more often complained of nasal mucosal inflammation, joint pain, headaches and back pain.
Less common adverse reactions are nervousness, anxiety, migraine, lethargy, nausea, dry mouth or dizziness. In very rare cases, Melatonin sleeping pills cause paradoxical reaction – insomnia.
If you take an extremely high dose of Melatonin, an overdose is possible. In this case, you may expect prolonged sleepiness (12 hours or more). No special treatment is required in overdose.
However, if you bought Melatonin sleeping pills online, you may be certain that it is much safer than other drugs for the anti-insomnia treatment. Participants of one trial received 300 mg of Melatonin without causing clinically significant adverse effects.