Melatonin is a popular supplement among those experiencing sleep issues, but is taking melatonin a good approach for sleep apnea? While melatonin can be an effective sleep aid for many, it can produce varied results for those dealing with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
In some cases, melatonin can aid the body to relax enough for a more decent night’s sleep. But in other instances, melatonin can have a minimal impact and may even complicate sleep apnea. It’s best to consult with a doctor before taking melatonin.
You can also explore other types of sleep apnea vitamins, such as castor oil for sleep apnea, or medication like Xanax for sleep apnea under the supervision of a healthcare provider to see what works best for you!
In this article, we’ll dive into everything you should know about melatonin and its possible effects on those living with sleep apnea.
What Is Melatonin?
Melatonin is a natural hormone known for sleep. It is produced by the mitochondria in cells locally and acts as an antioxidant to fight inflammation as one of it’s lesser known roles. As a sleep hormone, melatonin is released into your cerebral spinal fluid and the bloodstrem by your pineal gland–a small gland in your brain that is part of your endocrine system. It plays a role in regulating your body’s circadian rhythm–the changes that the body experiences in a twenty-four-hour cycle. It particularly concerns your sleep and wake cycles.
How Does Melatonin Work?
Darkness triggers melatonin production in the body. When night time comes, melatonin release signals the body to sleep by relaxing the body. Light (especially blue light), on the other hand, decreases melatonin levels and tells the body to wake up.
Melatonin is commonly prescribed to people who have a hard time falling asleep at night. By taking melatonin, it’s believed that it’ll be easier for the body and mind to wind down to fall asleep. This is a huge topic – melatonin for insomnia – and not something we’ll get into fully here.
Some of the most important things to know are that melatonin for regulating sleep wake cycles, is released into the brain and bloodstream from the pineal gland. Taking melatonin as a supplement, means melatonin passing through the gut and into the blood at levels many times greater than what it would be normally. This doesn’t mimick what normally happens in the body. And it doesn’t take into account the meaning of the mitochondria in the melatonin not being able to properly produce enough melatonin in the first place. These are very important concepts to appreciate.
Can Melatonin Help With Sleep Apnea?
There’s still a lot of research that needs to be done to understand the impact of melatonin supplements on the body, and even more research is needed to see how it impacts sleep apnea. That said, current trials show promising results.
A clinical trial on the effect of melatonin on patients with obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia found that a ten-milligram dose of melatonin can “improve sleep latency, reduce mid-night wakeups, and enhance subjective sleep quality, insomnia, and sleep efficiency.” This emphasizes the importance of considering melatonin to help people with sleep apnea as a tool that could potentially improving sleep quality and overall well-being. It’s also important to think about why melatonin is “insufficient” in people with sleep apnea in the first place. Supplementing melatonin is one option but also considering other ways to accomplish the same outcome naturally that don’t mean increasing melatonin blood levels exceedingly higher than what they’d normally be.
In another review on the neuroprotective effect of melatonin on sleep disorders associated with Parkinson’s disease, research found that melatonin could be a promising neuroprotector to improve sleep disorders, particularly for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Conversely, some sources claim that melatonin and sleep apnea don’t mix and that you should avoid taking it as it can worsen your symptoms. As OSA is caused by relaxed airway muscles or hypotonia, melatonin could actually complicate sleep apnea because it also further relaxes your body. It could possibly help you stay asleep, but your sleep apnea won’t go away and could worsen, which could be catastrophic.
The Best Vitamins for Sleep Apnea
Several supplements can help support sleep apnea and there’s our blog on that. If you’re looking to learn more about natural methods to maximize melatonin and support easier breathing and sleep, check out the Sleep Apnea Solution!
