Melatonin Pills

Melatonin Sleeping Pills

Melatonin is a hormone that helps your body know when it is time to sleep and wake up.  Your body usually makes more melatonin during the night time hours, and less during the day.  Many people produce enough melatonin naturally in order to have a normal sleep cycle.  Some who suffer from insomnia or need to recover from jet lag can take melatonin sleeping pill supplements on a short term basis to help change their sleep cycle.  Even sound sleepers have trouble getting to sleep once in a while, and this is a good solution if getting to sleep is difficult for a night or two.  Using melatonin sleeping pills can also help those with delayed sleep phase syndrome, which occurs when an individual falls asleep very late and wakes up very late the next day.

Melatonin Pills for Sleep

Darkness triggers the body to make melatonin and the introduction of light signals that your body should stop producing melatonin.  Melatonin pills help people to fall asleep quicker because it gives a quick burst of this hormone to your body.  This signals to your body that it is time to sleep and helps you to fall asleep more easily.  This may help people who have trouble falling asleep, or who need to change their sleep schedule and fall asleep in the daytime.

How Many Melatonin Pills Should I Take?

Melatonin supplements are available in a wide range of dosages.  These dosages range from 1 milligram up to 10 milligrams.  If you haven't taken melatonin pills before, start with a 1 to 2 milligram dose, increasing by another 1 to 2 milligrams at a time.  The maximum recommended dosage for adults ranges from 5 to 10 milligrams.  The range is large due to the fact that different people respond to different amounts.  Starting with a small dosage and slowly increasing over time can allow you to determine your own personal dosage that works for you.

Melatonin Pills Side Effects

Short term use of melatonin is preferred due to the fact that an increase in an outside source of melatonin on a nightly basis may cause the body to slow down its own production of melatonin over time.  In addition, some side effects of using melatonin sleeping pills include nausea, headaches, dizziness, and excessive grogginess the next day.