Melatonin Is Not a Sleeping Pill…Side Effects When Misused

Melatonin acts as an aid to correct biological rhythms rather than directly inducing sleep. Therefore, when taking it, it is important to avoid strong lighting and use yellow lighting to create a sleep-appropriate environment. It is good to develop a habit of engaging in relaxing activities such as reading or stretching until you feel sleepy, then going to bed. Shin Won-cheol, Professor, emphasized, "If you go to bed when you're sleepy, your biological rhythm will stabilize in about one to two weeks, and you'll be able to sleep without it," suggesting that consistent effort for one to two weeks can help establish a stable sleep rhythm without the aid.

If melatonin is taken in excessive amounts, the liver's processing speed has its limits, which can result in drowsiness or dizziness persisting until the next morning. In addition, gastrointestinal problems and nightmares can occur, and patients with hypothermia or hypothyroidism should be particularly cautious. Shin Won-cheol, Professor, explained, "If you take too much, it swells up and then drops, then swells up again and again, wouldn't that just increase side effects?" He stated that there is a fixed number of melatonin receptors, so high-dose intake does not increase its effectiveness. On the contrary, excessive intake can confuse biological rhythms and lead to counterproductive effects.

Melatonin is not a panacea for insomnia and is primarily specialized for fixing biological rhythms. Shin Won-cheol, Professor, stated, "The best thing is its effect of fixing biological rhythms. That's it. The effect on insomnia is merely lowering body temperature. That's all it does," clarifying that melatonin's effect on sleep onset is very weak. It is useful for adjusting to jet lag or advancing irregular sleep times, and taking it for 3-5 days after international travel can be an appropriate example of its use.

The new sleeping pill 'Dayvigo' is a prescription-only medication that requires a specialist's prescription, and it has the advantage of lower addiction potential compared to existing sleeping pills. However, Shin Won-cheol, Professor, warned, "Patients should not have too many illusions about the medication. For example, people with very high anxiety or very bad lifestyle habits should not think that taking this one pill will solve everything." He emphasized that Dayvigo cannot fundamentally resolve anxiety or poor lifestyle habits. It is crucial to be wary of excessive illusions about medication and to understand the root cause of one's sleep problems.

Both Dayvigo and melatonin are drugs with low dependence or addiction potential, so taking them together can lead to synergistic effects. Shin Won-cheol, Professor, explained, "Since neither causes dependence or addiction, it would be good for older people to take them together, and it can also be helpful when the effect of existing sleeping pills has decreased and it's difficult to increase the dosage." It can be particularly helpful for older patients and can serve as a complementary solution when existing sleeping pills become less effective or when reducing their dosage to mitigate side effects.