Have you ever taken Melatonin and Alcohol together? Do you feel any difference in your body? These are some of the questions that everybody must know when you have taken both accidentally. And, in the worst case, if you are taking both purposely, what are the things that you should keep in mind for the future.
Though many of us assume that intake of sleep supplements is safe. However, you should know about their use, how these affect your body system. Moreover,what are precautions you should take while intake these supplements.
Alcohol can cause severe issues when taken with sleep supplements like Melatonin. Also, it will affect you severely if you ever meet with an accident. Moreover, intake of alcohol disturbs sleep patterns and also decreases the effect of Melatonin in the body.
To know the function of Melatonin and how it affects one’s health if taken together with alcohol. Read the entire article. Furthermore, in this article, you will learn about Melatonin and alcohol individually. and how to use Melatonin to get the best result.
Is Melatonin a drug?
The brain’s pineal gland releases melatonin. A hormone that releases when exposed to darkness. Light affects the release of Melatonin. Thus, the production of Melatonin is highest at night. People with low levels of Melatonin in their bodies suffer irregular sleep patterns. Some will take melatonin supplements advised by the doctor to cure this problem.
As a nutritious supplement, Melatonin is used to treat problems like insomnia, jet lag disorder, and other sleep disorders. However, no such strong evidence is available regarding the benefits of the hormone. Melatonin plays a very significant part in our bodies.
Melatonin and Alcohol: Uses of Melatonin
Nowadays, the younger generation falls asleep very late at night. It is the reason for an irregular sleep cycle resulting from low levels of Melatonin present in the body. And as you read earlier, the brain release melatonin hormone that helps in regular sleep cycles,. So, what are the other possible benefits of Melatonin?
Below are the mentioned points where Melatonin is likely to be more effective:
- Suppose you feel trouble falling asleep at a regular time, or you face Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder. In that case, taking Melatonin helps you to shorten the duration one needs to fall asleep in children and younger generations.
- It is also effective for a circadian rhythm sleep disorder or Non 24 hour sleep-wake disorder. Taking melatonin supplement orally before bedtime helps to improve the irregular sleep patterns in blind adults and is also likely to be effective in children.
- Melatonin is also helpful in jet lag disorder. It is a kind of disorder present mainly in those people who travel a lot across different time zones. This kind of disorder happens due to fatigue ness, concentration difficulty. Moreover, due to the body’s internal clock.
Besides melatonin supplements, light therapy, medication, and somewhere yoga also helps irregular sleep cycles.
Melatonin’s possible effects on our body:
- Suppose you are a patient with blood pressure. In that case, the intake of blood pressure medicines that contain beta-blocker drugs can cause disturbance in sleep. Taking a supplement might help in sleep disorders in people who are taking beta-antagonists or beta-blocker drugs.
- Melatonin supplements might also help in endometriosis, a uterus disorder, by reducing the pain and also helps to reduce pain during the periods(menstrual cycle).
- It may also help in cancer. For patients who are undergoing chemotherapy and taking proper medication for the treatment of cancer, doctors advise taking a high dose of melatonin supplement through the mouth may reduce tumor size, which also increases the survival chances people.
- Under some circumstances, Migraine is turned into a severe problem. Taking melatonin supplements before bed can intercept migraine problems in kids and adults. However, it is not a proven fact that helps to treat the problem.
- Kids who have taken anesthesia during any kind of surgery might show after-effects like agitation, confusion, anxiety, etc. To prevent these after effects, taking Melatonin orally before anesthesia can be beneficial while waking up. And in adults, these can be helpful to reduce anxiety tension before surgery when taken orally or placed under the tongue.
- Melatonin gel can also be helpful in sunburn. Using gel on the skin before exposure to sunlight can prevent sunburn.
- For women who are suffering from TMD(Temporomandibular Disorders), a condition of suffering and difficulty in movement of the jaw joint along with surrounding muscles, intake of melatonin supplements can reduce the suffering in women.
- Suppose a person is facing low platelets level in the blood due to cancer treatments other various disorders. In that case, intake of Melatonin orally can improve the condition of low platelets in blood-related to cancer.
Melatonin and alcohol: Side effects of Melatonin
Every drug has side effects on our bodies. However, it also depends on the dosage of the drug. Higher dosage chances are severe side effects on the body. Sometimes these side effects go away as the body gets used to it. Moreover, if the side effects remain the same for a very long time, then it is advisable to consult a doctor; either the doctor will reduce the dosage of the drug or will change the drug. Similarly, Melatonin also has side effects. These effects are mentioned below:
- Melatonin’s side effects are minimal in ordinary doses when taken for a short duration.
- Melatonin side effects are rare. It is seen in upto 10% of 1000 patients.
- The side effects include irritability, Migraine, headaches, nervousness, anxiety, diarrhea, freaky dreams, nausea, chest pain.
- Side effects continue to show in the complete body, like increased weight which also causes other diseases in the body. Also, the effects of Melatonin cause the skin dry.
- Melatonin can also cause sugar levels and protein in the urine. In medical terms, they are known as glycosuria and proteinuria, respectively. It can cause excess mood swings in an individual. You can also feel aggression and sleeplessness as the body will stop responding to the drug.
- It can be a source of abdominal pain, heartburn, and abnormal function of the liver.
Note: Women should not take the Melatonin dosage during breastfeeding and pregnancy. And also for those who suffer from liver disease.
Are Melatonin and Alcohol dangerous if taken together?
As you have seen, the effects caused by the drug on our body. Now the question is if Melatonin and alcohol is consumed by mistake or purposely. Then, what are the effects these two can show as a result?
It is clearly advisable not to take Melatonin and alcohol together. We are familiar with the fact that alcohol affects the effectiveness of medicines and supplements, and similarly, it also hampers the effectiveness of Melatonin. However, it cannot be predicted as strengthening or weakening, which effect will alcohol show with Melatonin. When Melatonin and alcohol are consumed together; then you might face some issues like difficulty in breathing, tiredness in the body, collapsing, nausea, blurred vision. In addition, it includes difficulty in driving and walking. These side effects can be severe and give threatening results. Also, they put a person’s health at risk and also a risk of losing consciousness.
What are the complications that you can face?
You can face some complications when you consume together. This complication happens because alcohol decreases the effect of Melatonin which results in irritation, poor sleep pattern, increased heartbeat, blurred thinking, increase in anxiety, swelling on hands and feet, reddishness on the face, earnest dreams, etc.
Dosage of Melatonin
There is no fixed dosage; however, a range of 0.5 mg-5 mg seems to be safe and productive. For adults, take the dosage 1 hour before going to bed. Whereas for children, the effective range for intake of Melatonin is 0.05mg-5 mg to improve their condition of autism spectrum disorder, insomnia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Numerous studies show that intake of Melatonin can improve sleep hours by 25- 48 minutes.
As a matter of fact, melatonin production decreases in the body as age increases. People whose ages are 55-77 years can take the melatonin dosage between 0.1mg-50mg.
Melatonin overdose: is it harmful
While intake of Melatonin is usually safe, it is common to take too much of it. There is no proper dosage recommended, and people’s bodies respond differently to it. Therefore, finding an accurate dosage is really challenging. However, the overdose (majorly considered the dosage of 10mg or more) can cause drowsiness, nightmares, headaches, etc.
When to see a medical professional?
Before using any drug on your visit for medical help, you should visit a doctor if you are experiencing any kind of improper sleep patterns. Medical professionals will properly diagnose you and give proper medication according to the condition. Without a proper recommendation, one must not take Melatonin dosage or any kind of drug dosage. It can cause severe health problems in the body.
As you read earlier, always avoid Melatonin with alcohol. If you have taken it accidentally, you should take a medical check-up immediately. Moreover, if you have noticed some kind of side effects in your body, take proper medication as advised by your medical professional.
Melatonin and Alcohol: Conclusion
Now you are aware that Melatonin and alcohol should not be consumed together. Their consequences can cause severe health problems. Moreover, If you notice irregular sleep patterns, then visit to take medical help.
Sometimes doctors also prescribe Melatonin to depression patients to improve the condition. However, no such clear evidence is available for the same. This article is all about Melatonin and Alcohol, their uses, after effects, and all information about the dosage. For more such articles, please bookmark us and save the page for more updates!!