Did you take too much melatonin last night and now you’re dealing with a melatonin hangover?
Having a hangover from melatonin isn’t as bad as a hangover from alcohol but it can be pretty rough.
I’ve had a few of these before and I’ve been able to get rid of it quite easily.
Why Does The Melatonin Hangover Happen?
There are many reasons why you could have got a melatonin hangover. It’s possible you took too high of a dose without easing into it. It’s also possible that if you don’t create melatonin endogenously (the natural way) through exposure to UVA and UVB rays from the sun, this could cause secretion timing issues.
Sunlight increases the production of serotonin which converts to melatonin later in the day. Your body stores these hormones and releases melatonin when it gets dark. Although it seems like melatonin is a hormone of darkness it’s actually created when it’s light. It is stored and then released when it gets dark.
If you don’t create it, there’s nothing to release, obviously.
Or if you create it but then are exposed to blue light, you’ll lose what you created. This is why it’s so important to regulte your light and dark environments.
It’s also possible that you took melatonin and exposed your eyes or skin to blue light after you took it. Blue light suppresses melatonin in the body. You need to block all blue light after sunset and sleep in total darkness in order for melatonin to be metabolized completely.
Some people are proponents of taking timed released melatonin but my strategy is to take small amounts of it throughout the night with the last dose about 1 hour before bed time.
If you have a hangover from taking melatonin it’s also possible that you lack ATP production at the mitochondrial level. Energy is needed for the body to metabolize melatonin.
Energy is created when electrons pass from complex 1 to complex 4 across the mitochondrial membrane.
Making sure electrons can move across the outer mitochondrial membrane properly to complex 4 cytochrome c-oxidase is critical for ATP production. If you don’t have enough energy, the body will compensate, but at your expense.
There are many vitamins and minerals needed for energy to be made (magnesium, b vitamins, CoQ10, copper, retinoic acid etc). There are many substances like chemicals, toxins and heavy metals that can prevent electrons from moving from complex 1 to complex 4 (where energy gets produced). That’s an entire book and a very complex subject but the short story is to avoid toxins and eat a diet rich in vitamins and minerals so you can generate energy more efficiently.
When you have more energy then your body can use that to feel more active, but also prevent disease, chelate toxins and metabolize melatonin.
How To Take Melatonin The Right Way
I don’t recommend people take melatonin unless they take it correctly. Melatonin doesn’t work if you do everything else wrong. If you take melatonin (for sleep) and are exposed to ANY light after sunset, you’re doing it wrong and it will not work.
The key is understanding that melatonin is not a sleeping pill but a circadian rhythm regulator. If you’re doing things to alter your circadian rhythm in the wrong way, and you take melatonin, it’s not going to work.
It would be like banging your head against the wall and wondering why the aspirin or in my case white willow bark isn’t working. Many times you can get rid of the headache just by avoiding hitting your head against the way and you don’t even need to take an aspirin.
Same is true with melatonin. If you live a nature based lifestyle, you will be able to fall asleep easily without melatonin.
I take 50mg per night as an anti cancer strategy. I don’t even take it for the sleep benefits. And when I take it the right way I never have side effects or feel exhausted the next morning.
Here’s how I take melatonin.
I’ll take it in phases after sunset when I’m at home and able to control my light environment.
Let’s say sunset happens at 7pm. I’ll take my first “phase” of melatonin around 8:30. Then I’ll take another melatonin pill around 9:30. I’ll normally go to bed around 10 or 10:30pm.
During the day, I’ve watched the sunrise and been outside off and on all day without sunglasses and without shoes to ground to the surface of the earth. When I’m indoors during the day, I’m wearing yellow lense blue blocking glasses and using Iris Tech non my devices. If I use my cell phone, it’s almost always on orange mode, unless I’m wearing eye protection.
When sunsets, I change my Iris Settings to emit 0 blue light which is at zero kelvin. Screen turns orange. Then I’ll wear my orange blue blocking glasses for a couple of hours while inside. Then 2 hours before bed, I switch to wearing my red blue blocking glasses.
I keep my eyes protected (that is, not one photon of light hits my eyes, unprotected after sunset until I close my eyes to sleep). I even keep an extra pair of red glasses on my nightstand.
I turn the red lights off, get into bed with in a pitch black room and then while my eyes are closed, I take off my red glasses and put on my sleep mask.
Literally not one photon of light hits my eye after sunset. It’s a total game changer.
Embrace bright days, and dark nights for great sleep and longevity.
2 Ways To Get Rid of The Melatonin Hangover
#1 – Proper Light Exposure
If you’ve supplemented melatonin the night before and you wake up groggy and tired, the first thing you need to do is to expose as much skin to natural sunlight as possible. I recommend watching the sunrise every single morning.
Melatonin is triggered by light. It’s created in the pineal gland of the brain. It then sends photons of light to the master clock in the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus. This clocks, runs all the circadian rhythms of your body.
Each cell has their own internal biological clock which communicates (via photons of light emitted from our mitochondria) to the suprachiasmatic nucleus every single second. This internal timing is why we are diurnal creatures living in a 24 hour light dark cycle. We call it our daily circadian rhythm.
If it’s off by a few hours daily, then your sleep is going to be impacted.
Natural sunlight (even though clouds) coming into your naked eyes and onto your skin is going to halt further release of melatonin. I DO NOT recommend being exposed to any light that’s not the sun in the morning.
This is the most important thing to do on a daily basis. Get your AM sun that’s high in infrared and UVA wavelengths of light. The result of this light exposure is going to cause hundreds of biological processes to start and operate inside your body.
The most notable one is the suppression of melatonin in the presence of light. This is why it’s critical to wear your blue blocking glasses after sunset and use proper circadian lighting that doesn’t alter melatonin production.
There are a couple of lights you can use to mimic AM sun but honestly I don’t recommend them.
Sun is King and darkness is Queen. Fully embrace them both for restful sleep and optimal health.
#2 – 1 Important Supplement
Usually I never have an issue with a melatonin hangover. I have experienced it a couple times, (I take 50mg of melatonin each night, and I make it endogenously by living a circadian lifestyle) and when I felt groggy from it I’ll always take 50-100mg of activated vitamin B6 also called Pyridoxine along with nattokinase. These two supplements seem to work extremely well together.
The most important supplement here is the P5P.
Vitamin B6 seems to enhance the synthesis of antioxidants like melatonin and managing excess melatonin circulating in the body. Pyridoxine really helps metabolize excess melatonin which when combined with proper exposure to natural sunlight, works like a freaking charm.
It’s amazing. I’ll notice a difference in 20 to 30 minutes.
Conclusion
If you want to get rid of a melatonin hangover, make sure you’re taking it correctly, getting natural light during the day and blocking blue light at night. Then if you still feel lethargic and fatigued then consider exposing your eyes and skin to sunlight upon waking.
If you combing that with taking P5P you’ll feel incredible. No more feeling woozy or sluggish.
I’ve found that works really well for me. I never get a melatonin hangover but I I do, light therapy always fixes it. 🙂
Questions:
- Do you take melatonin? If so, how much?
- Does it help you fall asleep?
- Does it help you stay asleep?
- If you felt sleepy and listless in the morning, what has worked for you?
Comment Below.
