Melatonin and melatonin supplements, what are the side effects, contraindications and when to use them for children?
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousLa melatonin is a hormone secreted mainly byepiphysis (pineal gland) and is important because it marks the Cicardian rhythm of our organism, that is regulates the sleep-wake cycle.
It is precisely for this reason that, under medical advice - a can be used for sleep disorders supplements based on melatonin. But what are theirs side effects and contraindications? And you can also use them for i children and when?
What needs to be said first of all is that melatonin is characterized by the fact of being synthesized when it is dark, that is in the evening and at night with a peak between 2 and 4 in the morning. It then goes into a decreasing phase and with the arrival of light it reaches very low levels again.
However, not always everything works so regularly and the dark-light circadian rhythm can undergo alterations, especially in some situations such as jet lag due to long journeys by plane or for shifts particular work. Hence, melatonin supplements - extracted from plants or animals and marketed in the form of tablets, syrups or herbal teas - are recommended for those who, for various reasons, suffer from sleep disorders or insomnia to those who simply have difficulty falling asleep. And not only, melatonin is also used for delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS), for insomnia caused by beta blockers and for sleep problems in children with developmental disorders such as autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation.
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However, even melatonin supplements, although natural, may have contraindications.
First, it is good to know that it will be your doctor or herbalist to recommend doses and above all the right way to use the supplement: it is very likely, in fact, that if melatonin is taken too shortly after the time you go to sleep, the risk is that it will not be assimilated, the effect could be even unfavorable and sleep may be delayed
The side effects and contraindications of melatonin
The side effects of melatonin supplements stand out among those Most common and less common ones. Among the first there are certainly the drowsiness in the day following the hiring and that is why we must pay close attention especially on the basis of the type of work that takes place.
Furthermore, the tachycardia and trough, so those who are already taking heart and mood-modulating medications should not take melatonin.
Among slightly less frequent side effects of melatonin there are movement disorders, hypertension, anxiety and restlessness, decreased salivation, weakness, inflammation of the skin or yellow skin and yellow eyes due to a change in blood composition and psychosis. Sometimes allergic or pseudo-allergic reactions, increased sex drive, mood swings, fainting, altered blood values, and night cramps can also occur.
In any case, those suffering from liver failure, pregnant or breastfeeding women and those with chronic allergies or immune diseases should avoid melatonin supplements.
Melatonin, when to use it with children
Some studies have shown that taking melatonin by mouth is effective for alterations in the sleep-wake cycle in children and adolescents with autism and other diseases of the central nervous system and it would also be effective in reducing the time to fall asleep in children with intellectual disabilities, such as cerebral palsy and mental retardation.
As for children's insomnia, however, we must be very cautious and evaluate case by case always with the help of the pediatrician. Some doctors, for example, might recommend melatonin supplements as a treatment for children suffering from chronic insomnia. On the other hand, in the case of sleep problems related to attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome (ADHD), some research has shown that melatonin does not relieve insomnia in children with this syndrome.
In general, therefore, it is advisable not to give melatonin to children unless prescribed by the pediatrician.
Germana Carillo
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