Does taking melatonin capsules help you sleep? There are health risks, according to doctors

Sleep is one of the most important biological functions for humans . During this period of rest, the body remains inactive, the brain, muscles and other systems rest, allowing the rejuvenation of cells and ensuring good health.

The MedlinePlus portal of the National Library of Medicine of the United States says that “sleep gives the body and brain time to recover from the stress of the day. After a good night's sleep, you perform better and are better at making decisions.”

However, sleep problems affect millions of people around the world. The World Health Organization reports that, although sleep is one of the main biological functions, approximately 40% of the world's population suffers from sleep disorders.

Due to insomnia and other sleep problems, many people choose to take melatonin supplements and capsules, hormones that play an important role in the development of this biological function.

The Mayo Clinic explains that melatonin is a hormone that plays an important role in regulating sleep and is related to the time of day, as it increases when it is dark and decreases when there is light.

As mentioned above, many older adults turn to melatonin supplements when faced with sleep problems, but various studies have shown that consuming this hormone can be harmful to health.

Over the years, the natural production of melatonin decreases, but experts have focused their attention on the risks that the intake of this hormone can represent.

The researchers note that although melatonin use in the adult population is “relatively low,” the analyses show “a significant increase in melatonin use in recent years,” said sleep specialist Rebecca Robbins, an instructor in the division of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School, who was not involved in the study.

A study titled ' Trends in Melatonin Supplement Use Among US Adults, 1999–2018' published in the medical journal JAMA found that in 2018, adults consumed more than double the amount of melatonin they were taking a decade earlier.

According to specialist Rebecca Robbins, researchers are very concerned about the dependence of adults on these types of sleeping pills.

“Sleeping pill use has been linked in prospective studies to the development of dementia and early mortality ,” he said.

She also explained that melatonin consumption has been linked to: headaches, dizziness, nausea, stomach cramps, drowsiness, confusion or disorientation, irritability and mild anxiety, depression and tremors, as well as abnormally low blood pressure. In addition, it can cause allergies in some people.

ALEJANDRA HERNANDEZ TORRES

DIGITAL REACH EDITORIAL