Millions of Americans suffer with insomnia. They have trouble falling asleep, or they wake in the middle of the night and toss and turn when they can’t get back to sleep. When they stumble out of bed in the morning, they may not feel refreshed. Often, people turn to sleeping pills for help with insomnia, but these can cause next-day drowsiness as well as other, more alarming, side effects. Could you get relief from insomnia by slipping melatonin under your tongue?
Melatonin Under Your Tongue:
Q. I have suffered with chronic insomnia my entire life. A few years ago, I heard about a melatonin supplement (GNC Melatonin 1 mg) that is held under the tongue until it dissolves. To my surprise it worked and changed my life.
What Is Melatonin?
A. Melatonin is a natural hormone produced by the brain. It helps to regulate the body’s natural sleep-wake rhythm.
Research supports the role of melatonin in helping people overcome jet lag. Night shift workers sometimes find it helpful in combatting sleep disorders (Burman, FP Essentials, Sept. 2017).
Controlled-release melatonin has been recommended for chronic insomnia (Matheson & Hainer, American Family Physician, July 1, 2017). Although we could find no clinical research on the use of sublingual melatonin for insomnia, the 1 mg dose that you are using appears to be safe.
Melatonin is used to correct problems with the circadian clock that controls day-night rhythms. You can learn more about that from our interview with Dr. Russell G. Foster, Director of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at Oxford University.
