Is Melatonin Safe? - Nature's Sleep Aid

Is melatonin safe? This is the number one question among (1) those who inquire about the hormone as a non-prescription insomnia sleep aid, (2) those who work the night shift, and (3) those work in the health industry. The short answer to this question is yes. Melatonin is a safe insomnia sleep aid and there have been no significant findings to indicate that the health effects of melatonin are dangerous to the body.

The longer answer however, addresses the fact that for the most part, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has ignored melatonin supplements as insomnia sleep medication, and as a result, keeps very little data on a recommended dosage, how safe it is, its negative effects, or its potential dangers.

Melatonin is an internal hormone secreted by the pineal gland. And its reported benefits are many - ranging from alleviating depression to losing weight. However among these benefits, melatonin is probably best known for its ability to restore the natural circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is a daily cycle of activity in living organisms. Melatonin ensures that a significant part of that circadian cycle benefits sleep. And because the human body naturally produces it, it's widely regarded as one of the least toxic substances.

In fact, a number of large-scale studies report that melatonin - even when taken at a hundred to a thousand times the normal dosage (.01 grams) - shows no significant threat to the body (other than minor headaches in a few individuals). Nor does it produce a health problem or ill effects on the people who take it.

If it could be called a side effect, drowsiness is one reproducible result of taking melatonin. But for the hundreds of thousands of people suffering from insomnia, these kinds of side effects are actually, benefits.