Some nights I’m just to wound for sound to even think about sleeping even though I know I have to get up early the next morning. I lay in bed, toss and turn, and my brain is going a thousand miles an hour. After months of doing this, I decided to try some melatonin.
If you don’t already know what melatonin is, it’s a chemical in your body that tells your body that it is time to go to sleep once it starts getting dark. Once I started taking it on a nightly basis, I came to the conclusion that my body just wasn’t producing enough melatonin to make me fall asleep.
After months of taking it, I began to wonder if I could overdose on melatonin. I did hours of research and can now tell you the truth.
Disclaimer: Please consult a physician before taking any supplements.
How Does Melatonin Work?
Our internal clocks tell us when it is time to go to sleep and it also controls how much melatonin our bodies make. Our melatonin levels start to increase as it gets darker and once it starts to get light, our levels decrease.People who can’t seem to produce the right amount of melatonin may end up using the supplements for sleep. Melatonin also has other uses such as:
Treating Seasonal Affective Disorder
Reducing Cluster Headaches That Are Chronic
Preventing problems with sleeping and confusion after surgery
Controlling sleep patterns for those who work night shifts.
It seems like a miracle cure, but some are asking if it is safe to take and does it have side effects? Like all medications, it does have side effects that include:
A decrease in body temperature
Vivid dreams
Grogginess in the morning
Blood pressure changes
Sleepiness
Melatonin Supplements
If you are considering taking melatonin “sleeping pills”, I have to tell you one thing, they aren’t just made in one form. While I was walking down the supplement aisle, I noticed that there were a bunch of different forms of melatonin which are:
Strips
Gummies
Tablets
Drops
Liquid Melatonin
Bio Melatonin
Usually, adult doses range from 0.2 mg to 20.0 mg, depending on what you are using them for. Although, I have seen them in higher dosages, talk to your doctor before you take anything higher than that to make sure it is right for you.
Can You Overdose On Melatonin And Alcohol?
If taking melatonin is a nightly ritual and you know you will be drinking alcohol, you may be wondering if something bad happen when you mix the two. The answer is simply, no. If anything, you’ll just sleep more than normal and may need your stomach pumped at the hospital depending on severity and amount ingested.
I found a study conducted in Hong Kong that showed multiple people being brought into the hospital due to an attempted overdose on alcohol and melatonin, all of which left completely normal, in a physical sense. Overdosing on alcohol alone, that is a totally different story.
Can You Overdose On Melatonin And Benadryl?
- Take Too Much Benadryl
- Take Benadryl and Melatonin At The Same Time
I did not personally do this, but while I was researching my other issue, I came across this one. If you take too much Benadryl, yes, you can overdose, This can cause seizures, blurred vision, wide pupils, flushing, fever, hallucinations, and death.
Can You Overdose On Melatonin?
Here is the big question, can you overdose on melatonin, just melatonin and nothing else? The answer is technically yes, because of unwanted side effects from taking too much but it’s difficult to define what an overdose is because there isn’t an official safe dosage for everyone. If you think you have overdosed on melatonin call the poison helpline.
You may want to read: The Best Sleep Aid Non-Habit-Forming
A Quick Conclusion
I honestly hope that you are reading this for education purposes and not for other reasons. If you are reading this for other reasons, please talk to your doctor.
For those who are reading this just for a good read, I hope that this was informative and engaging. As a user of melatonin, I can say that I have never had a problem with it. I take it half an hour to an hour before bedtime and I find myself safely drifting off to sleep.
If you know someone who is considering taking melatonin or have questions that are answered here, feel free to share it with them. If you have any other comments, questions, or concerns, please feel free to reach out.