Melatonin Side Effects

Learn the most common Melatonin Side Effects and How Melatonin Influences Sleep

You probably heard that some people take melatonin tablets for stress relief and a sounder sleep. However, you need to consider important melatonin side effects that may appear in some cases. 

In this page you'll learn what is melatonin, why people use the tablets, and what are its side effects.


What is Melatonin?

We all have an internal body clock that has a schedule for our hormone production and other biological activities.

Melatonin has the important task to control your internal clock, and to help you get a good night's sleep. It also helps reduce your core body temperature, which helps to induce sleep.

Melatonin hormone is secreted by the pineal gland, which lies at the base of the brain. This hormone is produced almost exclusively during the night, when it's dark.

The secretion of the hormone usually peaks between midnight and 2am, then starts to fall beginning at about 4-5am.

In this video you will learn why melatonin is so important for a good sleep:

Is Melatonin the Secret to a Good Night's Sleep?


Melatonin Side Effects

Now that you learn how melatonin works on your body, you should know also the other side of the story. You probably wonder if it's wise to take melatonin pills if you have a shift work disorder or another sleeping condition.

Here is what you should know before taking melatonin pills:

The Side Effects of Melatonin

Reducing alertness - the most important thing is that melatonin can reduce alertness and induce sleepiness. So you should be very careful once you have take it and avoid driving and other dangerous operations.

Headache and Nausea - headache, sleepiness and nausea are also very common side effects in people who take melatonin pills - you should always use a quality product of melatonin, with license and quality-controlled verification.

Increased Blood Sugar Levels - melatonin may reduce the sensitivity of the body to insulin, resulting in increased blood sugar levels.

Biological Clock Function - Melatonin directly affects the timing of your biological clock.

Unwanted substances - Always read the label carefully to avoid unwanted wheat, gluten, egg, milk or animal derivatives. Also check for such inactive ingredients as corn or rice starch, gelatin, methycellulose or talc.

Toxic danger - researches advise caution and only short-term administration of melatonin in children, since toxicity and other side effects have not been determined.

Depression - is another melatonin side effect in people who have had episodes of depression.

Autoimmune disease complications - people with autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, or with diabetes, epilepsy, leukemia, eye diseases and headaches should also avoid melatonin.

Abnormal sleeping habits - some people have strange reactions to melatonin: Instead of getting sleepy at nighttime, they get sleepy during the day.

Interestingly enough, melatonin is starting to be more and more recommended by doctors, as you can see in this video:

The Uses and Doses of Melatonin


In conclusion, you should realize that melatonin is a powerful hormone, and even in small doses, it may affect a number of different body processes. That's why you should always talk to your doctor before taking any sleeping aid, including melatonin.


Some more interesting pages for you to check out:

Sleep Apnea Questionnaire



› › Melatonin Side Effects
Share this page:
Enjoy this sleep apnea page? Please pay it forward. Here's how..

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.