Many Functions of Melatonin
What Works for Sleep Is Variable
As far as a sleep aid, not everyone does well with taking melatonin as a sleep aid. Some people report great results and for other, not so much. I can think of two reasons. One is that when it comes to sleep, people just don't seem to respond the same to any remedy. The other is that some folks may be taking too much.
Most Will Take 1-6 mg
For most people, you will want 1-6 mg of melatonin as a sleep aid with 3 mg of less for most. More than this can actually interfere with natural sleep. Some references state that any more than 1 mg is too much but more recently (2019), the thinking is that 3-6 mg is closer to the upper limit. I personally have been experimenting with 4.5 mg of melatonin (along with other sleepy herbs and amino acids) with good results. This is consistent with a possible need for increased melatonin in older adults. Some research indicates this 6 mg dose can be safe and effective for these older adults. So there you go with your variability. You will have to experiment to see what works best for you.
Serotonin Can Be Converted to Melatonin
Melatonin is readily synthesized (made from) the neurotransmitter serotonin. One keyway to make sure you are getting enough melatonin is to keep your serotonin levels up to snuff. This assumes that you don't have problems converting serotonin to melatonin. We often recommend products like NeuroScience TravaCor. If you are having problems with anxiety, depression and/or insomnia, you are probably low in serotonin and some supplementation is in order. You will sometimes see 5-HTP as an ingredient. 5-HTP is converted into serotonin that can be used or converted to melatonin.
A few more facts about melatonin are worth mentioning. Melatonin has immune properties and can help with jet lag.
Melatonin Can Help Alleviate Jet Lag
Jet lag and melatonin has been studied with results published in peer reviewed journals. The recommendation has been summarized as 5 mg seems to be a common dose and should be taken at bedtime in the new time zone. Time released versions seem to be less effective. Seems the body wants the rapid increase that some from a non-time release supplement. People on epilepsy and blood thinner meds need to use caution as melatonin can interfere with some of these meds.
Melatonin Could Be Helpful in Battle Against Breast and/or Prostate Cancer
Some research indicates that melatonin can be an effective breast and prostate cancer prevention agent and also can help with cancer treatment. In one study, just adding melatonin increased the survival rate by a factor of 2. That is the control group had twice as many people surviving their cancers as those who didn't take melatonin. Melatonin also seems to calm some of the effects of chemotherapy. More study is needed but it seems hard to lose in the cancer arena by taking modest amounts of melatonin on a daily basis. Watch for a blog discussing this important topic in more detail.
Melatonin Can Help Slow the Aging Process
Deficient levels of melatonin have also been implicated in aging. Also linked to this is the melatonin rhythm meaning that melatonin should be peaking in mid sleep hours. Lack of ability to control the timing of the melatonin levels seems to contribute to accelerated aging. If you have any trouble sleeping, proper synthesis of melatonin could be a contributor and this could directly affect your aging process.
Melatonin Can Help Regulate the Immune Response
Much has been written about melatonin and the immune system. This topic gets complex quickly but to keep it as simple as possible, melatonin appears to have important regulatory effects on several aspects of the immune system. As just mentioned, melatonin can have profound effects the prevention and treatment of some cancers.
Personal Experience Is Necessary To Determine Best Dosage
Melatonin can be measured but some sources say this is problematic due to the tiny concentrations in the blood and saliva. It is probably sufficient to some self-diagnosis to determine if some melatonin supplementation is for you.
Don't be put off by synthetic melatonin by the way. Melatonin is readily made in the lab is chemically identical to natural forms.
Even if you don't need melatonin to sleep, you may need some for some of these other immune, prevention, anti-aging and jet lag reasons.
For stand-alone melatonin we recommend:
NuMedica 3 mg Lozenges or 2 oz Liquid.
DaVinci Laboratories Melatonin-3, see links below!
