Alcohol & Health
Treatment
Helping Alcoholics
Medically Reviewed by Dr P. E. Pancoast, MD
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You shouldn’t take melatonin with alcohol in your system. Both melatonin and alcohol have sedative effects. Combining them can amplify each other’s side effects while reducing melatonin’s effectiveness.
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Side effects of taking melatonin with alcohol include:
Mixing alcohol with melatonin can also affect your liver’s ability to produce enzymes, increasing the risk of liver problems.
Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced in the brain and regulates your sleeping patterns. It’s produced in the pineal gland, releases around 9 p.m., and rises steadily until 1 to 3 a.m.
Higher melatonin levels make you drowsy and put you in a deeper sleep state. Melatonin supplements are available as an over-the-counter (OTC) drug in the U.S. In other countries, it’s only available as a prescription.
Melatonin is a natural sleep aid for insomnia and other sleep problems. If you have trouble falling or staying asleep, melatonin may help.
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Certain people are at risk when combining alcohol and melatonin, including those who:4
Women are also at risk when combining alcohol and melatonin because they can reach a higher blood alcohol concentration (BAC) than men. The higher BAC means more alcohol will be available to interact with medications in their system.
It’s best to take melatonin when there’s no alcohol in your body. You can also take it if it’s been long since your last drink. Generally, you should wait 2 to 3 hours after your last drink before you take melatonin.
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In addition to interacting with melatonin, drinking alcohol negatively impacts your sleep patterns. Alcohol disrupts the circadian rhythm, interfering with your body’s ability to synchronize its biological clock.
Circadian rhythms are the 24-hour cycle of the body’s internal clock. It helps regulate essential cognitive functions, metabolism, and sleep.
Alcohol’s effect on sleep can cause:
Moderate alcohol use can also affect your sleep cycle by reducing rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM sleep is the deepest sleep you can reach and is the most rejuvenating sleep you can get.
It’s important in:
Many people use alcohol to help them sleep, often due to its sedative effects. However, alcohol affects REM sleep, which can cause sleep disorders, disturbances, and problems.
Even if alcohol makes you fall asleep easier, you’ll still feel sleepy the next day. Drinking alcohol regularly to help with insomnia can lead to alcohol abuse or alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Doctors recommend taking 1 to 5 milligrams 2 hours before bed.9 Each brand of melatonin will have its own set of instructions on the label, and you should use it as suggested.
Melatonin is typically recommended for people who:
Additionally, melatonin is sometimes used to manage headaches.
Melatonin is generally considered a safe sleep aid. Most people who use melatonin will not experience adverse side effects.
It has not been shown to cause addiction or withdrawal symptoms. However, you should still use it with caution.
Common side effects of melatonin include:
There have been other concerns that melatonin interacts with other medications, increasing adverse effects of:
Research is limited on these potential side effects. Consult your healthcare provider before taking melatonin if you take other medications.
You should consider seeing a doctor for your insomnia if you experience the following:
If melatonin does not help your sleep-wake cycle after a week of use, stop taking it and speak to your doctor.
Drinking alcohol while taking melatonin supplements can reduce melatonin’s effectiveness and exacerbate side effects. It can cause extreme drowsiness, poor sleep quality, and liver damage.
Alcohol disrupts sleep cycles by affecting your circadian rhythm and REM sleep. Using alcohol as a sleep aid can lead to a sleep disorder or addiction.
Melatonin on its own is generally considered safe. However, you should contact a doctor if you’re experiencing breathing problems, fatigue, and other adverse side effects.
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