Around 70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders. According to the CDC, around 35.2% of all adults sleep less than 7 hours, which is considered to be a short sleep duration.

Sleep disorders—conditions that affect one’s duration, timing, and quality of sleep—have been linked to stress, travel, illness, hectic schedules, and even genetic inheritances. There are several common sleep disorders that are regularly diagnosed: insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome, among others. There are different types of insomnia, but the disorder generally revolves around the trouble of falling asleep and staying asleep. This can be caused by poor sleep habits, depression, chronic illness, and lack of exercise among others. Sleep apnea is a disorder where your breathing continuously stops and restarts, and can be potentially dangerous. Narcolepsy causes daytime sleepiness, and restless leg syndrome is characterized by the irresistible urge to move your legs when lying down.

Our sleep cycle is regulated by a hormone our body produces: melatonin. Our brain produces it in response to darkness that comes at nightfall. Melatonin essentially aids our circadian rhythms, an internal body clock that we all have that regulates our sleep-wake cycles. “Your body produces melatonin naturally. It doesn’t make you sleep, but as melatonin levels rise in the evening it puts you into a state of quiet wakefulness that helps promote sleep,” sleep expert Luis F. Buenaver, Ph.D.. says.

Melatonin supplements have been rising in popularity to treat sleep disorders and problems. The supplement—normally a pill--is usually made scientifically in a laboratory. Current research has shown that “melatonin might provide relief from the inability to fall asleep and stay asleep (insomnia) by slightly improving your total sleep time, sleep quality and how long it takes you to fall asleep” (Mayo Clinic). Furthermore, it is seen that melatonin’s benefits are clearest in adults who suffer jet lag and Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder. 

Cathy Goldstein, MD., is an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Sleep Medicine Clinic, and she has studied the effects of taking melatonin supplements.  

“Say you are an extreme night owl who only begins to feel sleepy at 4 a.m. and likes to sleep until noon. You could take low-dose melatonin (0.5 milligrams) at 11 p.m., well before your natural melatonin kicks in. Not only will it help you feel sleepy earlier, it will start to pull your internal clock earlier too,” Goldstein states.

There are side effects to taking melatonin supplements. Daytime drowsiness, short-term feelings of depression, irritability, cramps, and headaches are among them. Buenaver suggests to take melatonin for a short period of time, and “If melatonin for sleep isn’t helping after a week or two, stop using it. Goldstein says that “We really don’t know yet if it’s safe to take long-term,” says Goldstein.

There is still further research going on about the effectiveness of melatonin as a medicine, and more is being found out about its side effect, and the correlation between melatonin pills and its effects on our sleep problems. However, melatonin use is to be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding. If you have chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, it is advised that melatonin use should be preceded by a  prior consultation with the health care provider. Melatonin supplements may also raise blood-sugar levels and increase blood pressure levels in people taking some hypertension medications.

There have even been studies on the relationship between COVID and melatonin, and whether or not melatonin can be used as a treatment. It can be said, then, that the evolution of melatonin research extends beyond our sleep problems or disorders. 

References:

https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/data_statistics.html

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/melatonin-for-sleep-does-it-work

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-melatonin/art-20363071

Goldstein CA, Burgess HJ. Hit or miss: the use of melatonin supplements. J Clin Sleep Med. 2020 Dec 17;16(S1):29-30. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.8896. PMID: 33054970; PMCID: PMC7792888.