I think the issue is that your body produces melatonin naturally. So when you are taking a supplement it tells your body it doesn’t need to make it. And then it can end up stopping natural production and then you’re dependent on the supplement instead of being able to make it like you should.
One concern is that long-term use of melatonin may disrupt the body’s natural production of the hormone. Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland in the brain and is released in response to darkness. When melatonin is taken as a supplement, it can suppress the production of the hormone in the pineal gland, leading to a decrease in the body’s natural melatonin levels.
Another concern is that long-term use of melatonin may lead to tolerance, meaning that over time, the body may become less responsive to the hormone and higher doses may be needed to achieve the same effects.
However:
Melatonin supplements are thought to mimic the natural melatonin that the body produces, therefore, it’s unlikely that it would disrupt the body’s natural production of melatonin.
Research has shown that in most cases, tolerance does not occur with long-term use of melatonin, and that it remains effective for most people even when taken for an extended period of time.
The study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine in 2013, used a dose of 3mg of melatonin for the treatment of insomnia, which was found to be effective over a 12-month period, with no tolerance was observed.
The study published in Sleep Medicine Reviews in 2014, used a dose of 3-6mg of melatonin for the treatment of insomnia, which was found to be effective over a 6-month period, with no tolerance was observed.
Melatonin is good for telling your body when to be sleepy, but not for increasing sleep quality. I use it when I need to reset my body clock. Jet lag is the obvious one. But I also use it when I’ve been staying up late and need to get back to an earlier routine. Recently I’ve also used it when staying up late as you’ve ignored your body in not sleeping when your melatonin levels naturally rose.
I was told by a pediatrician that the issue is when people are taking well above the recommended dose over a long period of time that it messes up a person’s natural production. She said occasional use at the correct dose isn’t an issue.
I had a DLMO (Dim Light Melatonin Onset) test as part of a sleep study. Turns out I don’t really produce melatonin. So I get pharmaceutical grade melatonin from my sleep doctor and he imports it from other countries because we don’t have pharmaceutical grade melatonin here in Canada and the over the counter stuff is garbage. Talk about a total life changer for me! I never got tired at night. Anytime I was on vacay, I’d stay up later and later. Just felt like my days should have been 28-30 hours long instead of 24 hours. The very first night I took it (I did a single blind med trial with the melatonin and a placebo), I couldn’t believe how tired I felt. Never in my life have I wanted to go to bed like that. Never in my life have I fell asleep so easily. It was great! I will be taking this for the rest of my life.
I (m/72) was told by a very prominent doctor who is renowned for his work with ALS that melatonin is the only anti inflammatory that can penetrate the blood/brain barrier and that it attacks free radicals in the brain. I’ve been on 10mg at bedtime for 3 years with no negative side affects.
Our body’s produce melatonin naturally. Most people have bad sleep hygiene and basically try to fix their problem by using melatonin and increasing their melatonin levels. Like other substances the body gets flooded with synthetic melatonin and stops producing it’s natural supply. Tolerance increases over time and stops working as well and unfortunately, stopping and letting the body recover its natural supply takes some time. Sleep problems are solved by aligning with healthy sleep hygiene habits and most people do not like these suggestions because it messes with their other habits like screen time, not having tv/computer/devices in bedroom, sleeping and waking at the same time each night etc. #sleepytherapisthere
Melatonin helps get you to sleep, but doesn’t keep you asleep. It has a four hour efficacy Also, over the counter bought is unreliable. Apparently 2mg is correct dosage and then it’s a very good supp. Also the bio hackers use it for anti aging properties
It’s because you can become dependent on it, and make sleep issues worse in the long run
Also, most people seem to take melatonin incorrectly. It’s not a sleeping pill. It won’t make you tired, it is supplementing the natural hormone you produce in response to it being nighttime. If you take melatonin and then look at your phone, or watch tv, it won’t work. If you take it at 3am because you can’t sleep, it won’t work
Someone already mentioned how your body eventually depends on it so stops producing as much. That’s pretty much why, ideally, you shouldn’t depend on melatonin pills for that. Short term they’re ok but don’t take them long term!
I have been taking melatonin for three years. And I found I can’t fall asleep every night until I take at least one pill. I tried to withdraw melatonin based on my doctor’s advice, but it didn’t work out for me. During the withdrawal period, I feel like I am unable to concentrate and become sensitive. I am still struggling to get out of the addiction.
I can tell u that for me it didn’t do any wonders . I had a very bad sleep cycle due to years of abusing my sleeping pattern . I read a lot of melatonin and decided to give it a try. Firstly since my sleep pattern wasn’t fixed , no matter how long before I took, I would still end up staying awake or only fall asleep for a short while and then next day would be drowsy. If I wasn’t drowsy I would sleep in late and the vicious cycle continued. Then came the side effects where I started having nightmares and sleep paralysis. Which after researching a lot I realised is a common side effect to melatonin. So I stopped it and decided to go the alternate way. Magnesium citrate was good for a while since I was working out and it helped . Now I have tweaked my life style and I don’t need any such supplements