Something to Consider Prior to Taking Melatonin

It’s baffling to me that something extremely small can throw off our entire lives in an instant. In that regard, I want to share my experiences taking Melatonin with you, as I didn’t realize how much Melatonin was hurting my life until I stopped taking it. I’ve used Melatonin within moderation for years, generally without issue. In my experiences, it’s been a great tool for me while I’m traveling, as it can help me fall asleep in the vastly dramatically different time zones that I wind up in without issue. I always thought it was a natural hormone, so there wasn’t much issue with using it. And honestly, I didn’t notice any issues while using it in moderation (pretty much only while I traveled) for years. But things quickly changed.

In late 2022, things took a turn for the worst. At a work conference in Vegas, I wound up picking up more Melatonin, and the only kind they had available at the store was the Extra Strength 10 mg gummies. I figured these would suffice, but this turned out to be a big mistake. I was working more than usual at this point in my life, working for about 3 jobs and working late into the night every day because of it. I would work daily for months until about 10pm, 11pm, and sometimes midnight, finding myself with little time to wind down before I had to repeat it all again the next day. So, in order to wind down, I’d take one of those extra strength Melatonins daily. Then, I’d force myself to sleep and wake up extra early to do it all over again. Honestly, this may sound silly, but I didn’t think much of it. Most of the things I read on the topic said Melatonin was safe and natural when used in moderation, and in my mind, I was still using it in moderation, though at this point that didn’t really seem to be true anymore.

Throughout the entirety of September and October, I found myself completely and fully depressed, unmotivated to do anything. Now, anyone who knows me knows that one of my main personality traits is ‘motivated’. The fact that I wasn’t feeling up to doing anything, even things for myself, was very out of character, and I recognized that immediately. I also had no inspiration to write anything and couldn’t come up with topics to write about for work, which put me very behind.

I could see all the wonderful things going on around me that I should be grateful for, the things I should be truly happy about… but there was a disconnect in translating that thought into any real feelings at all. I felt dead inside. Every day, I struggled to move forward, and I would burst into tears regularly. After the second month of this, it was clear that whatever was happening to me was related to my hormonal cycle, as it was on very distinct days the depression would worsen, and they always fell on the same time of the month. This urged me to take a hormone test.

After receiving my results from the hormone test, it was clear my hormones were out of whack and one, in particular, was quite high. One that could be linked to mood disorders. Finally, I had found some kind of answer. But why was it high? I began researching what could make this hormone level high and started looking into the things I ingested regularly and how they affected hormone levels. Lo and behold, Melatonin could be the culprit. Apparently, many people online had come forth saying that Melatonin had made them feel depressed, sad, etc, and even one sleep doctor I found discussed how people with depression have notably experienced longer and more intense REM cycles, and with Melatonin supposedly helping people to get more REM sleep, there could be a correlation there. So, problem solved… hopefully! My next step was to stop taking the Melatonin and see if I started to feel better.

Five days after coming off of Melatonin, I was a new person. I felt motivated for the first time in months. I was happy! It felt like a miracle! The sun shone through the trees, and I could see the light once again! So, if you’re curious how Melatonin could affect you or if you’re feeling uncharacteristically depressed and you’re regularly taking Melatonin, think about coming off of it to see how you feel. We all react differently to different supplements, so it’s important to note how your body reacts to things. It’s also important to note the age old saying- everything in moderation. That proved to be true for me, and I’m so happy that I was able to figure out what threw me off so dramatically. I hope my experiences with Melatonin can serve as a teachable moment for someone or can help others who may be experiencing what I went through.