Today I want to share an important information with you. We all know that proper sleep is the mark of a healthy lifestyle. However, what we see today is that many people are not getting enough seep. According to a survey, it is proved that nowadays many people are suffering from insomnia. So, mostly people are attracted towards the various sleeping pills. Sleeping pills are good for short-term use, but if you are taking pills on a daily basis it can be harmful too. Mostly people prefer melatonin instead of other pills. So I decided to share some important facts about melatonin that you need to know before taking melatonin.

Although melatonin can be purchased as a supplement over the counter, it is important to remember that it is a natural hormone that our bodies produce naturally in the system to regulate sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the pineal gland that is situated in the brain, is responsible for the making of this hormone.

During the day, the pineal gland is mostly inactive and therefore the melatonin levels are virtually undetectable. However, as it gets darker, the pineal gland starts getting active and starts producing this hormone. As a result, we start feeling sleepy. That’s how the body uses melatonin naturally to regulate sleep.

During puberty the body goes through a lot of changes and therefore, it is always advised to take caution of the supplements that you give to your teenage kids. Melatonin affects many regions of the body and the brain including the hypothalamus and pituitary glands which are vital during the pubertal development of the body.

Therefore, if your children are having troubles sleeping, it is better to see a doctor and to try to find out the reasons behind this. There may be other contributing factors affecting sleep and it is wiser to pay heed to them instead of choosing melatonin for the same, which can potentially cause harm in a developing body.

Since melatonin is a supplement and not a prescribed medication, there is no single recognised dose for this according to various age groups. Therefore, you should not take what it you feel is right as that may be too little or too much and could end up having various side effects on your body.

As with all things, you should consult with a physician or more preferably a sleep physician and tell them about your condition so that they can suggest you the exact dosage to take based on the various factors involved. Also, if you begin to see any side effects, you should immediately stop taking the melatonin and go back to the physician for further consultation.

You need to remember that melatonin is not a prescribed drug and is an over-the-counter supplement and hence, it does not require FDA approval. You can imagine what this could mean for the various companies manufacturing this supplement.

Since there are no stringent rules, companies may cut corners and the melatonin you may buy may contain unknown additives, which may not only cause various side effects but also cause allergies. Hence you should always purchase from a reputable pharmacy and after proper consultation with the physicians or other people who know are taking melatonin of a trusted brand.