According to estimates by the (SEN), between 20 and 48% of Spaniards have difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep. And of these, 10% of cases are due to some chronic and serious sleep disorder.
Insomnia is the most frequent sleep disorder, affecting between 25-35% of the population. But the most worrying fact is that some four million adults in our country suffer chronic insomnia.
Figures that could even be higher due to the high number of patients who are not diagnosed.
Environmental conditions, such as room temperature, noise or light, play a fundamental role when it comes to having a good or poor quality of sleep.
And it is that, in most cases of insomnia, stress, bad habits and even jet lagged are the main triggers of the absence of rest.
The usual treatments for insomnia, as highlighted by (SES), are, in this order:
- sleep hygiene measures. It consists of a series of healthy behavior habits that help improve sleep, favoring its initiation and maintenance.
- psychological interventionswhich may be aimed at managing and modifying thoughts or behaviors that maintain or promote insomnia.
- Medication. Hypnotics are the drugs used to treat insomnia and are the last resort if sleep hygiene measures and psychological interventions are not responded to. The family doctor is the health professional indicated to prescribe the most convenient drug to the patient, the necessary time and warn of possible side effects
To combat insomnia, there is a very effective remedy: , which is known as the sleep hormone, although it is really the hormone of darkness, since it induces sleep when ambient darkness is detected.
What is it and for whom is it indicated?
Melatonin is a secreted by an endocrine gland that is essential for sleep regulation. It is the fundamental compound of the pills that are on the market to combat difficulty sleeping. But its benefits go further, as it has antioxidant properties and strengthens the immune system.
The doctor Ainhoa Alvarezcoordinator of the SES Insomnia working group, explains to this portal that this hormone can be used in both the child and adult population.
With age, “the production of melatonin is lower and it has been seen to have fewer side effects than other types of drugs used to fall asleep.”
However, in the case of children, it can be used in those with neurodevelopmental problems, since they have a lower production of melatonin, making it an ideal treatment for this type of patient, as long as it is indicated by a health professional. .
Melatonin has two uses, “as a chronoregulator, so that every 24 hours we fall asleep, generally during the dark phase of the day, and another as a hypnotic, with immediate release, to induce sleep.”
For which patients is melatonin not recommended?
Patients with other types of sleep disorders, such as insomnia comorbid with depression or bipolar disorder, “it is not the ideal drug, since it will not have the expected efficacy.”
Melatonin is a hormone that is produced between eight and nine at night, so it should not be taken if the person has woken up in the middle of the night. Furthermore, it is contraindicated in those with hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients.
The million dollar question: does it really work?
It is important to clarify that melatonin is not a sleeping pill, but to fall asleep. But, as the doctor points out, it does work to regulate sleep. “Melatonin is a good time regulator and sometimes works as a hypnotic, but it is not a magic pill to sleep eight hours straight.”
Melatonin plays a fundamental role in reducing the time needed to fall asleep, and its beneficial effect is obtained by taking 1 mg.
This hormone is produced at night by the pineal gland, which is located in the center of the brain when serotonin levels are highly concentrated. But beware, its production is only stimulated by darkness.
Its secretion increases in the evening and reaches its peak between two and four in the morning. During the second half of the night, it gradually reduces as dawn approaches, between seven and eight in the morning.
For how long can you take melatonin?
Melatonin is available in two formats:
-
Dietary supplement.
-
Drug.
Melatonin is safe for health, but it is recommended that, in the case of a food supplement in children, it should not be prolonged “beyond four weeks, unless under strict medical supervision.”
In the case of children with neurodevelopmental problems, “it has been proven that there is no type of problem if it is taken for two years in a row.”
With respect to adults, both in food supplement and drug, there are studies that have shown that it does not have any type of side effect if it lasts for a whole year, but “it is true that the data sheet always indicates that it is not recommended use for more than three months.
Do you need a prescription?
Melatonin for medical use does require a prescription, as well as a doctor’s control, regarding the time it should be taken and whether to opt for a prolonged or immediate release. “But, many times it is sold without a prescription because it is not financed by Social Security, and it is one of the main complaints in the sector.”
However, there are other over-the-counter options, which are dietary supplements. Although Dr. Álvarez recommends “that it always be advised by a health professional and that there be a medical control.”
Does melatonin cause addiction?
According to…