Sleep. Is It Keeping You Awake At Night?

Sleep.  Is it keeping you awake at night?  Do you dream of sleep with your eyes open?

Lying awake at night waiting for sleep to happen is stressful and let's face it, no one needs more stress while horizontal!  Dr. Chris Zaino and Trina Felber discuss the importance of sleep and how taking the right supplement can help you sleep deeper, burn fat, spare muscle and wake up refreshed and happy.

Melatonin is the hormone your body makes to initiate your sleep cycle.  As it gets darker at night, the brain’s pineal gland gradually releases melatonin, which makes us drowsy as bedtime approaches. As the sun rises and our wake time approaches, melatonin levels gradually decrease. Our brains can only make melatonin in dim light — bright light stops its release.  Blue light from cell phones, lap tops, computers and other devices also stop the release of melatonin.  It is wise to shut all devices off 3-4 hours before bedtime to give your body time to get you naturally ready for SLEEP.  

So the question becomes, if I take a melatonin supplement to help me sleep, will I stop producing my own melatonin?

There are no definitive studies that show taking a melatonin 

A few studies have investigated the safety of melatonin, but none have revealed any serious side effects. It also doesn’t seem to cause any dependence or withdrawal symptoms.

Nonetheless, some medical practitioners are concerned that it may reduce the natural production of melatonin in the body, but short-term studies suggest no such effects.

Several studies have reported general symptoms, including dizziness, headache, nausea or agitation. However, these were equally common in the treatment and placebo groups and couldn’t be attributed to melatonin.

There are other reasons that you will stop producing your own melatonin. Blue light from laptops and other devices will prevent you from producing melatonin. 

People that work the night-shift get mixed up because they're always in the light and the light is going to prevent you from producing your own melatonin.  

Am I going to be dependent on taking melatonin to go to sleep from now on? You cannot become addicted to melatonin. Your body will produce its own.

You need to establish healthy bed-time habits, get out in the sun, make sure that you are keeping your body healthy and active to produce your own melatonin hormone. Taking the supplement will not prevent you from making your own melatonin.

The next question I get is a good one. Will I wake up groggy with melatonin, if I take it? The answer is a both yes or no.

• Yes, you could wake up groggy and sleepy if you take your melatonin in pill form.  Here's why:  If you are taking it as a pill, at bedtime you gut starts to slow down.  Since digestion slows, it could take up to 4 hours  for the melatonin pill to be absorbed by your body and travel to your brain to create sleep.   It takes between 5-6 hours for your body to metabolize melatonin.  The time starts when you absorb the pill, NOT when you take it.  If you took your melatonin pill at 10 pm, but you don't absorb it until 3 am, it will be in effect until 8 am.  If your alarm goes off at 6 am, you will be groggy because the melatonin is finally absorbed.
• No, you will not wake up groggy if you take it as a liquid under your tongue.  When you take melatonin (or any supplement) in liquid form under your tongue, you absorb the melatonin right away- so your 5-6 hour window starts at 10 pm when you take it.  You metabolize it by 4 am so when your alarm goes off at 6 am, you are alert, refreshed and ready to face the day!  No grogginess.  This is fool-proof!  That is why my sleep supplement is made in liquid form. 

Sunrise
Your body will see the sunlight, pineal gland will not produce melatonin, and when the sun starts to set, you will produce your own melatonin as long as you shut off the blue light devices, wear blue-light blocking glasses and turn down the lights. 

Yes, you can take melatonin every night. It's not going to suppress your body's ability to make your own melatonin.

But if you take the wrong form, the pill form of melatonin, you can wake up groggy. If you take a liquid form like in my sleep supplement, put it under your tongue. 30 minutes later, you will be tired and you will start to metabolize it right away.

That is how melatonin works... actually, that is how absorption works for all supplements. If you need help sleeping, give a liquid form of melatonin a try.  Take it 30 minutes before you go to bed, sleep peacefully all night and wake up fresh.