Can You Overdose on Melatonin?

Melatonin is one of the most popular substances used to aid sleeping, but can you overdose on it?

A popular answer on google is “yes” - but what does that actually mean in context of melatonin? Let’s find out.

What is a Standard Melatonin Dosage?

Most melatonin dosing comes in 1-3mg tablets that you can take together or separate. This is still at least 10x more than your body produces naturally on a nightly basis.

What’s Considered A Larger Melatonin Overdose

A larger melatonin dose would be considered anything over 5mg+. When you get to 20mg - you’re getting into an area where people would consider it a super dose or “overdose”/

What Does a Melatonin Overdose Look Like?

This is where the rubber meets the road. While people may refer to excessive melatonin consumption as an “overdose” - melatonin is generally not toxic. In other words - your body will likely clear it naturally overtime as the half life of melatonin progresses.

Clarifying the “Melatonin Overdose” terminology

Many people are confused by the melatonin overdose terminology because a melatonin overdose is not the same as overdosing on other sleep aids. With melatonin - while not usually toxic, you may experience uncomfortable effects including:

  • Sleepiness
  • Headaches
  • General discomfort
  • Nausea
  • Agitation

What To Use For Sleep Instead of Melatonin

Because of the side effect profile of melatonin, instead of supplementing with melatonin, we recommend drinking electrolytes to hydrate yourself throughout the day and concocting a sleep cocktail of natural ingredients that actually promote rest.

Impossible Sleep is an all-natural sleep drink designed for top performers.

Melatonin Resources & Citations

For more resources on melatonin overdosing, check out the following references:

Photo by lilartsy on Unsplash

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