If you've been experiencing nightmares there could be several causes. The typical culprits of stress, scary movies, or anxiety could cause nightmares, but your sleep supplement might be triggering them too.
Excessively High Melatonin
Melatonin is good, but too much of a good thing is a bad thing. The average person needs less than 0.5mg of melatonin in their system to benefit from the effects. Unfortunately, most melatonin supplements contain too much melatonin, which can lead to nightmares.
Keep in mind that not all the melatonin within a supplement makes it to your system. The portion that does make it is called the "bioavailable" amount. The bioavailable amount varies depending on the ingredients and method of delivery (gummy, pill, etc.) but generally, 1mg is enough for the average person taking melatonin through a sleep gummy.
Unfortunately, it's difficult to actually find a 1mg gummy. Most sleep supplements try to fool the consumer into thinking more is better, which is why they've been racing to put more and more melatonin in their gummies. It feels like a better deal when you get more melatonin, but it's actually a bad thing. Today, it's not unusual to find 5mg and 10mg gummies, which is far more than the average person needs and could be reducing your sleep length, quality, and causing nightmares!
Although supplements containing low doses of melatonin such as Nature's Sleep Gummies may help you sleep better, excessively high doses - like those found in typical sleep aids - can have the opposite effect and cause nightmares. Dr. Kin Yuen, Sleep Medicine Specialist at the University of California San Francisco, says higher doses of melatonin can cause nightmares and dreams to be more vivid, and make us more likely to remember them after waking.
Although symptoms of melatonin overdose are typically mild (headache, nausea, drowsiness), you should avoid high-dose supplements to avoid that possibility.
If you're worried about melatonin overdose try taking a low-dose melatonin supplement instead, such as Nature's Sleep Gummies, which contain 1mg of melatonin per gummy. That way you can easily increase the dose if needed, instead of being forced to automatically overdose by taking a supplement with excessive amounts of melatonin.
Should I Avoid Melatonin All-together?
No, melatonin is naturally produced by your body. It tells your brain when to go to bed, so you actually need a certain amount of melatonin to sleep well. Those with low melatonin production, sleep disorders, and seniors, often benefit from melatonin supplementation. However, the key is to start with a low-dose, not an excessively high one.
Vitamin B12 Could Cause Nightmares
Vitamin B12 is a common ingredient in sleep supplements. Unfortunately, many people react badly to increased doses of Vitamin B12. There aren't many studies on the effect B12 has on sleep, so the jury is out. But people have begun to notice the effects and have been discussing it online for years.
The experts are starting to take note. Board Certified Sleep Specialist Dr. Michael Breus wrote:
Some...studies show higher levels of Vitamin B12 are linked to sleep disruption and shorter sleep times.
So it seems that some people react negatively to Vitamin B12, especially in higher doses, which could be disrupting their sleep and causing them to have nightmares.
If you're looking for a sleep supplement that doesn't include Vitamin B12, try Nature's Sleep Gummies. Their formula is designed to help you fall asleep and stay asleep, without the nasty nightmares and next-day drowsiness.
Opmerkingen