Melatonin for Weight Loss: What’s the Real Story?

by Cathy Simmons, Weight Loss Consultant

Recent studies suggest a connection between how much sleep a person gets and their ability to maintain a healthy weight. As we get older, we may have more trouble getting a good night’s rest. When you don’t sleep well, you eat more. When you eat more, you gain weight.

While some of this weight gain may be a result of stress or other environmental factors, decreasing melatonin levels in the body can also play a role. By taking melatonin tablets for weight loss, you can get a better night’s sleep and make it easier for your body to stay slim.

A consistent sleep routine that produces quality sleep on a nightly basis can go a long way to helping you maintain a healthy weight, and can help to reduce the risks of serious health problems like type 2 diabetes and other disorders of the metabolism.

New research indicates that the sleep hormone melatonin may support weight loss by increasing the presence of a particular kind energy-burning fat. Thermogenic processes in the body supported by melatonin help raise its metabolic rate and lead to additional energy burn. This is similar to what happens when you drink green tea.

Melatonin and Sleep

Melatonin is produced naturally in the brain’s pineal gland. It makes us feel drowsy and tells our body when it’s time to go to sleep and when it’s time to wake up. When we feel sleepy in the evening, it’s because melatonin levels are rising as the body prepares itself for sleep.

Melatonin levels stay elevated during the night to help us stay asleep. Melatonin levels decrease as dawn approaches, which signals to the body that it’s time to wake up. The melatonin dose required for weight loss varies, depending on a person’s body weight.

Sufficient melatonin levels are needed for the body to properly regulate its sleeping and waking cycles. If melatonin levels in the body are too low, sleeplessness or insomnia can occur. Those persons lacking enough melatonin may notice they have trouble falling asleep or to staying asleep.

As human beings age, melatonin levels will gradually decrease, which makes sleeplessness more common. There are actually some older individuals whose bodies produce little or no melatonin at all.

Melatonin can be of benefit to people in the current high-stress, sleep-deprived modern world. Ask people how much better they feel after a good night’s sleep, and they’ll tell you it makes all the difference. Every aspect of life becomes easier when one’s mind and body have been refreshed after a good night’s sleep.

How Does Melatonin Cause Weight Loss?

Researchers have confirmed a connection between low levels of melatonin in the body and a tendency to gain weight, particularly in the abdominal region. Getting a good night’s rest is more difficult when melatonin levels are low. This lack of sleep leads to tiredness and irritability.

Chronic sleeplessness also increases the body’s secretion of hormones like cortisol, leptin and ghrelin. Elevated levels of these hormones can cause a person to gain weight and will also make losing weight a lot more difficult.

With regards to weight gain in middle age, melatonin production decreases as we get older. Since melatonin plays an important role in helping people to fall asleep, this could explain why older individuals gain weight as the years go by.

There is some evidence to suggest melatonin can be beneficial in slowing down the aging process. In addition, melatonin appears to provide cardiovascular health benefits. The healthy heart benefits of melatonin come from its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Factor in weight loss, and you can see why taking melatonin supplements is increasing in popularity.

How to Increase Melatonin Levels

Low melatonin levels in the body can be brought back to normal levels over time. Fundamentally, melatonin levels are affected by the amount of light the body receives. That’s why going outdoors in the sunshine naturally increases melatonin levels.

There are also certain foods that contain melatonin. Eating cottage cheese, tuna, oatmeal and soy nuts can help increase melatonin levels, so try to incorporate these into your diet. Remember that a healthy diet supports beautiful hair and skin.

Melatonin dietary supplement tables are also a good way to increase the amount of this hormone in the body. You may want to consult a medical professional before taking melatonin tablets to assure you understand the correct dosage for your particular circumstances.

Taking melatonin capsules can help people get a good night’s sleep of longer duration. But there is a risk of melatonin side effects. For example, some people say they feel groggy the following morning and have trouble concentrating. Some other side effects can include upset stomach, headaches and extremely vivid dreams while asleep.

What is the Melatonin Dosage for Weight Loss?

Doctors are still unsure how much melatonin you should take for weight loss. It’s probably better to try and boost your body’s natural production of melatonin through regular exercise, using a blue light filter at night when surfing the internet and trying to time exposure to sunlight earlier in the day. You should also add melatonin-rich foods like walnuts, tomatoes and cherries to your diet.

Remember, getting a good night’s sleep is vital to maintaining a healthy body weight. Melatonin and weight loss are connected because when you sleep better, it is easier to lose weight due to the body being in a healthier and more balanced state.

When we don’t sleep well, food cravings and other unhealthy eating habits tend to emerge. When we feel tired or lacking energy during the day, we are tempted to reach for a candy bar or some other sugary “pick me up.” This leads directly to overeating and weight gain.

That’s why taking melatonin to help you sleep better is actually an effective and natural weight loss supplement. When you are well-rested and feeling fresh, you won’t binge on comfort foods or sugar-filled snacks.

(published October 15, 2017)

Summary

Reviewer

Wellness Team

Review Date

2017-10-15

Reviewed Item

Melatonin for Weight Loss

Author Rating

5