Dear Mayo Clinic: Can melatonin supplements help insomnia? What are the side effects of melatonin supplements?
Melatonin supplements may help treat sleep problems in some adults. Melatonin is a natural hormone produced by your brain’s pineal gland. It’s normally synced with the rising and setting of the sun (circadian rhythm). Production increases as darkness approaches, peaks during the night and decreases as dawn arrives. Light exposure at night or when you normally would be sleeping — such as being in a different time zone or doing shift work — can throw off your circadian rhythm and melatonin production.
Melatonin supplements may help people whose melatonin levels are low. Multiple clinical trials suggest that melatonin can reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, increase total sleep time and improve quality of sleep. One study found that a relatively low dose of melatonin (0.3 milligrams) — one of the strengths available over the counter — was enough to improve nighttime sleep in older adults without drowsiness the next day.
Melatonin supplements generally have fewer side effects than do many prescription sleep drugs. For example, they don’t produce dependence. Among older adults, the risks of prescription sleep medications often outweigh the benefits. Side effects of melatonin are few but may include daytime sleepiness and tiredness on waking. Headaches and dizziness also can occur when taking melatonin supplements. Less common side effects can include abdominal pain, mild anxiety, irritability, confusion and feelings of depression. In general, however, melatonin supplements are considered fairly safe in the short term. More research is needed on the safety and effectiveness of long-term use.
If you’re considering taking a melatonin supplement to help you sleep, talk with your health care provider first. Melatonin can interact with certain drugs, including those taken for blood clotting disorders, high blood pressure and diabetes. Your health care provider may recommend adjusting medication or supplement dosages for the best effects on your overall health.
If you do decide to take melatonin, choose commercial supplements produced in a lab. Melatonin supplements made from animal sources may contain contaminants. In addition, avoid activities that require alertness, such as driving, for four to five hours after taking melatonin.
As school begins across the area, it is important to remember that school days bring congestion: yellow buses picking up kids, children on bikes hurrying to arrive before the bell rings and parents trying to drop their little ones off before work.
It is never more important for drivers to slow down and pay attention than when kids are present, especially before and after school. Every day, more than 500 children lose their lives in traffic crashes. In addition, tens of thousands are injured, sometimes suffering long-term disabilities.
Because of this, Dayton Children’s and Safe Kids Greater Dayton recommend four tips to be a safe driver:
1. Reduce distractions in your car so you can concentrate on the road and pedestrians.
2. Remember to be especially careful in school zones and other areas where children are being picked up and dropped off for school.
3. Do not pass a school bus with lights flashing.
4. Know and obey state laws that set a minimum distance behind a school bus.
Not only are children at risk in vehicles, on bicycles, and on motorcycles, they are vulnerable as pedestrians and are often injured or killed in the simple act of walking to school. Every day 44 kids are hit by a car while walking in the United States-that’s 16,000 kids hurt each year. With such alarming statistics, Dayton Children’s and Safe Kids Greater Dayton recommend parents teach kids these tips about safety while walking to school:
1. Teach kids at an early age to look left, right and left again before crossing the street. Then remind them to continue looking until safely across.
2. Teach kids to put phones, headphones and devices down when crossing the street. It is particularly important to reinforce this message with teenagers.
3. It’s always best to walk on sidewalks or paths and cross at street corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
4. Children under 10 need to cross the street with an adult. Every child is different, but developmentally, most kids are unable to judge the speed and distance of oncoming cars until age 10.
5. Be a good role model. Set a good example by putting your phone, headphones and devices down when walking around cars.
“As children go back to school it’s important that everyone — including school children, drivers and parents — know road and pedestrian safety rules,” says Abbey Rymarczyk, Safe Kids Greater Dayton Coordinator and Dayton Children’s Community Relations Prevention Coordinator.