Melatonin as a Natural Sleep Aid

Melatonin is a natural occurring hormone that your body produces to regulate your sleep cycles. It's also found in small amounts within some meats, fruits and vegetables. Melatonin is produced by your body at different intervals throughout the day. Your body produces more melatonin in the early evening hours when it's starting to get dark and keeps producing it until the early morning hours.

During winter months when there is less sunlight, the body usually produces less melatonin. The body also starts to produce less melatonin as you grow older therefore it is often recommended for elderly people to take melatonin supplements to aid in getting to sleep.

Melatonin supplements are used as a natural sleep aid to help decrease the time it takes to get to sleep and to stay asleep longer. These supplements can be found at drug stores, health food stores and online. Melatonin can also assist with jet lag, people who do shift work and those that suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder.

You do not need a prescription to buy melatonin supplements but you should consult your physician as there are some documented side affects to consider. Affects from melatonin sleep aids can include daytime sleepiness, dizziness, and headaches and sleep walking. Melatonin may also have a negative interaction with some other medications such as anticoagulants, immunosuppressants and birth control pills.

Melatonin can be an effective natural sleep aid when used properly and can assist in getting a restful sleep.

In fact, a study by MIT scientists in 2005 confirmed that melatonin is an effective sleep aid for insomniacs. The important thing that the researchers found is that only a small dose of melatonin, about .3 milligrams is needed for restful sleep. Commercially available pills usually contain 10 times the effective amount. When taken at the higher dose, it stops working after a few days.