How long does it take for Melatonin to work? Side-effects explored as study reveals increased use in US adults

American adults are reportedly using increased doses of melatonin to fall asleep. According to a latest study published in the medical journal JAMA, usage of the sleep aid doubled in the U.S. by 2018, compared to the previous decade.

Harvard Medical School Sleep Specialist Rebecca Robbins told CNN that while the overall usage of the supplement among American adults is still "relatively low," the study has successfully highlighted "a significant many-fold increase" in the use of the pill over the past few years.

Melatonin is originally a natural hormone produced by the brain in dark conditions that helps to maintain sleep cycles in humans. However, it is also commercially produced and is considered to be a dietary supplement in the U.S.

The sleep aid can be bought over-the-counter and is allowed for “short-term” use to treat insomnia caused due to lifestyle changes like jet lag or work shift. The recommended dose of the supplement is 5 milligrams per day, but the study found that several adult individuals have been taking an exceeded dose since 2006.

Researchers also suggested that over-the-counter pills might contain higher levels of the product than the quantity advertised on the label. The supplement is not completely regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and hence there are no federal requirements for prior testing of the product.

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A closer look at Melatonin and the period it takes to work

Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland of the brain that helps to regulate circadian rhythms or the 24-hour internal body clock. The hormone gets triggered in darkness and maintains the sleep cycle by signaling the body to sleep.

Meanwhile, light decreases the secretion of the hormone and signals the body to remain awake. People often experience sleep troubles due to low levels of the hormone in the body. As a result, they turn to melatonin created chemically in the lab as a dietary supplement to induce sleep.

According to Healthline, users are recommended to use melatonin nearly 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime as it reportedly starts working 30 minutes after consumption. Another study has shown that supplements can help to induce sleep if they are taken at least two hours before bed.

However, Dr. Cora Collette Breuner from Seattle Children's Hospital's Department of Pediatrics told CNN that the actual benefit of the supplement is relatively small. She further said that it only helps to decrease the amount of time adults take to fall asleep “by four to eight minutes.”

The supplement is often used to treat sleep disorders like insomnia and delayed sleep-wake disorder caused as a result of changing work shifts or jet lag. However, some people also use it to treat depression, anxiety, dementia and chronic pain, among other conditions.

There is reportedly no scientific proof to support the effect of the supplement on the aforementioned conditions.

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A look into the side-effects of Melatonin

Studies have shown that long-term and high dose usage of melatonin can have potential side-effects (Image via Getty Images)

The Journal of the American Medical Association recently conducted a study to showcase the increased usage of melatonin among U.S. adults. Researchers warned that there was no scientific evidence to determine the dangers associated with the long-term overuse of the supplement.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, short-term use of the supplement has been considered safe. However, the pill has not yet been tested for safety in relation to high-dose usage.

The center argued that previous studies showed 26% of the supplement pills contained serotonin, a hormone that is likely have “harmful effects even at relatively low levels."

Meanwhile, the latest JAMA study pointed out that the quantity of the chemical product inside a pill can raise safety concerns as it is not regulated by the FDA:

"These estimates may raise safety concerns, especially given that the actual content of melatonin in marketed supplements may be up to 478% higher than the labeled content and that evidence supporting melatonin use for sleep disturbances is weak."

Earlier studies have reportedly considered dizziness, headache, drowsiness, nausea, confusion or disorientation, stomach cramps, irritability, mild anxiety, depression and tremors, as well as low blood pressure as some of the possible side-effects of melatonin supplements.

According to CNN, taking a high dose of the supplement combined with antidepressants and migraine medications can lead to a serious drug reaction. The pill can also cause allergies after interacting with common medications.

Other mild symptoms also include shivering and diarrhea. The publication noted that studies have also shown that a severe reaction can lead to “muscle rigidity, fever, seizures and even death if not treated.”

Harvard Medical School sleep medicine instructor also told the network that consecutive use of sleep aids has been linked to the “development of dementia and early mortality" in prospective studies.

Doctors have often suggested using sleep exercises and making lifestyle changes to train the brain to sleep rather than the use of over-the-counter sleep aids and supplements.