Can Melatonin Supplements Slow Down Aging?

Melatonin is a hormone produced in the body that some researchers have suggested has anti-aging properties. It also helps regulate your sleep cycle. When you are exposed to light in the morning, melatonin levels decrease. At night, when it is dark, these levels increase, making you sleepy and drowsy.

Studies show melatonin levels decrease with age. Research also suggests that this decrease may be the reason why older people might get less sleep or be more prone to sleep disorders.

As melatonin is an antioxidant, it helps protect cells from damage by the toxic byproducts of cell metabolism (free radicals) that can lead to aging effects. However, whether taking supplemental melatonin as an anti-aging hormone can reduce these effects is theoretical rather than proven.

This article will discuss considerations before taking supplemental melatonin, its use in certain conditions, and its side effects.

Considerations Before Use

Before thinking about using a supplement to fall asleep, spend about a week re-training your body’s sleep habits. Habits like drinking too much caffeine and not getting enough light exposure can result in sleep difficulty. Re-learn how to fall asleep.

If those tips don’t work, then you may have a medical condition or are taking a medication that interferes with sleep. You may also have a sleep disorder. Talk to a healthcare provider about the possibility of changing your medication or treating your sleep problem.

If a healthcare provider diagnoses insomnia, you may benefit from the first-line therapy for insomnia, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI). This non-medication service is provided by a trained therapist. It is the recommended initial treatment for chronic insomnia disorder in adults.

Dosage Warning

Small amounts of melatonin (0.1 to 0.5 milligrams) have improved sleep in some individuals. Over the counter, melatonin comes in low and high-dose milligrams. However, there is no research on the long-term effects of taking melatonin supplements, which are higher than naturally occurring melatonin.

Also, be aware that melatonin supplements can have high lot-to-lot variability in content. One study found that some melatonin products contained nearly five times above the amount stated on the label.

Side Effects

Common side effects of melatonin can include dizziness, headache, drowsiness, and nausea. Although rare, severe side effects may consist of other sleep-related adverse events, hypothermia, agitation, mood swings, nightmares, and skin irritation. There is also concern that melatonin may increase the risk of seizure.

People who have a history of depression, in particular, should discuss the use of melatonin with their healthcare providers before taking it.

Uses

Uses of melatonin include;

• Jet lag: Studies have shown that melatonin can help reset your body’s clock after jet lag.
• Delayed sleep phase syndrome: This is a condition in which a person sleeps a normal amount, but their sleep is delayed until late in the night (not because of TV or other reasons). Research shows melatonin is promising for treating this syndrome.
• Insomnia in older adults: Research is also promising (but not proven) that melatonin supplementation can help treat insomnia in older adults. Studies show trends that look good, but the studies were not well-designed and left many questions unanswered. Most studies only looked at short-term effects (a few days).
• Sleep problems in children with neuro-psychiatric disorders There is also some promising research that melatonin could help children with conditions such as autism, psychiatric disorders, or epilepsy improve their sleep. This use of melatonin is currently being investigated.

Some evidence shows melatonin can be used for:

• Improving sleep in people with Alzheimer’s disease
• Use as an antioxidant
• The treatment of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and ADHD-related sleep problems
• Bipolar disorder-related sleep problems (although there is mixed data on this)
• Treating cancer (not enough research to know about interference with other treatments and overall effect)
• Treatment of chemotherapy side effects
• Regulating circadian rhythms in blind persons
• Depression-related sleep disturbances
• Headache prevention

The Bottom Line

There is an increasing interest in using melatonin in many conditions. However, little is known about how high melatonin levels might interact with other therapies. The use of melatonin supplements to slow aging is only theoretical and not proven by research on humans.

For now, caution should be used. Be sure to talk with your healthcare provider before using melatonin (or any supplement), especially if you have an existing health condition.