Can you take melatonin while pregnant

Can You Take Melatonin While Pregnant?

Melatonin supplements are frequently used for aiding sleep from recent years. The use of these supplements for a more extended period and its outcomes are still under research. Women during pregnancy may have a problem of sleep, and it familiar; about 75% of pregnant women get the problem of insomnia. For some women, this disorder of wakefulness gets serious, and they need to have some aid for proper sleep. Most of these aids are not natural and hence have some side effects.

For this reason, women try to find some natural means of getting proper sleep and consider melatonin at priority. Although very little research about melatonin during pregnancy has been done, and it is found that it is safe to take melatonin during pregnancy. Some researchers view that taking melatonin during pregnancy will benefit the development of a fetus and, hence, be consumed with the proper advice of gynecologists.

Melatonin is a Hormone

As we all know that hormones are the materials that are produced by the body. And we have a hormone released by the pineal gland located in the brain; this hormone is responsible for making you sleep and controls the sleeping cycle. But due to some routine changes, physical changes in the body, and some other external factors disturb the level of these hormones, and you will encounter the problem of sleep. So, to get the desired level of this material some aids are used so that pineal gland can secrete melatonin properly or some aids include to take melatonin externally with the help of pills, injections, etc. one to three mg of melatonin medicine will increase the level of hormone twenty times more than the natural production level.

Production of Melatonin by Body During Pregnancy

No matter woman is in pregnancy or not, and her body produces enormous levels of this hormone. Moreover, the melatonin is present in the fluid produced during pregnancy (amniotic fluid). From this fluid baby will fulfil the requirement of melatonin at the starting days of pregnancy. The delivery is compelled by the melatonin along with oxytocin. This is the reason that many of women deliver baby during nighttime or in the early morning, because at that time the level of melatonin in body is high.

Relation Between Sleep and Pregnancy

While a sleeping disorder is a typical issue among pregnant ladies, it can cause entanglements now and again. An examination found that there were joins between the amount of sleep and the quality of sleep that pregnant ladies experience and potential birth problems. These problems can incorporate an expanded danger of low birth weight and premature birth. Scientists accept there is a likely connection between entanglements during childbirth and the patterns of sleep in pregnant ladies in light of changes in the usefulness of the body to fight against diseases. These progressions may be identified with bad quality rest or too short sleep, as indicated by scientists. Alongside birth complexities, an interruption in rest can likewise cause manifestations of despondency in pregnant ladies. Misery during pregnancy can have its own arrangement of expected impacts and lead to an expanded danger of complexities like preterm birth.

Can You Take Melatonin While Pregnant?

As it is already said that during pregnancy, the production of melatonin in the pregnant woman increases. This is produced in ovaries and placenta, and this production gets started soon after pregnancy and reaches its highest level at the 24th week of pregnancy. It keeps on increasing even after the 32nd week. This mass production results in an ample amount of melatonin in the body of a pregnant woman. From this, we can understand that melatonin in a pregnant woman is already high, yet it is questionable that a woman can take melatonin during pregnancy. Answer to this question needs some research, and till now, we do not have enough evidence of its usage or abandonment. However, some doctors allow to take melatonin in small quantities for shorter periods and prohibit its usage for prolonged periods because this can create a reason for complications in birth and after birth health of the kid.

Dosage Allowed During Pregnancy

It is always better to consult your doctor before taking any kind of medicine in general and especially during pregnancy. As we said earlier, a small quantity of melatonin is allowed by some doctors, and their recommended quantity is a minimum of one mg to a maximum of three mg. Using melatonin without doctor’s advice can create extreme complications, furthermore, if you are having the following problems then you should take melatonin

• Epilepsy
• Low blood pressure
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure

Benefits of Melatonin for Pregnancy

In the discussion, we explained that melatonin aids the pregnancy and helps the production of a fetus. In addition to this, it also helps babies who are in the uterus. Let us have a look at the benefits of melatonin on the baby as well as a pregnant woman.

Side Effects During Pregnancy

Despite the fact that devouring melatonin in modest quantities is viewed as sheltered and may not cause any reactions, it might antagonistically influence the pregnant lady in the shape of followings

• Hormonal Changes symptoms

Hormonal good and bad times are regular during pregnancy and can cause different changes in the body. Be that as it may, unnecessary melatonin in the body can cause a similar sort of indications. Side effects related to hormonal changes during pregnancy are skin inflammation, hot flushes, changes in visual perception, and so forth. Hence, if a pregnant lady is taking melatonin, the specialist will continue observing her hormones. It is critical to set up whether melatonin or the changing hormones that are causing the side effects.

• Symptoms like Nausea, Heartbeat rate problems, and Fatigue

A heavy dosage of melatonin can lead you to feel nausea, your heartbeat can go abnormal, feeling of fatigue, and bad mood are common side effects. Moreover, if the dosage is high and being pregnant, you could have memory problems. So before taking any quantity of melatonin, you need to consult the doctor.

• Effect on Blood Pressure and Sugar

Having a problem of high blood pressure and sugar during pregnancy will open the door for different complications. So, usage of melatonin aids to have a good sleep during pregnancy should be done with the advice of the doctor and you also need to check your blood pressure and sugar level after some intervals.

Other Ways to Have Melatonin

It is ideal to go the normal course with regards to wellbeing, and this is even more so when you are pregnant. In spite of the fact that melatonin supplements ensure a tranquil night's rest, here are a couple of characteristic methods of actuating rest and expanding melatonin levels in your body.

• Get ready intellectually and genuinely to hit the bed. Wash up, dress in your nightclothes, and take a stab at hitting the hay simultaneously consistently. Avoid keeping awake until late, as it can upset your rest plan.
• A body rub is an extraordinary method of loosening up your body. Ensure you complete your back rub from a specialist who is skillful at dealing with a pregnancy body.
• Keep your feelings of anxiety low by keeping yourself cheerful and loose. Tune in to great music or do contemplation or yoga to calm any sort of stress that you may be understanding. Stress is terrible for you as well as for the infant.
• Rather than awakening with a shock to irritating alarms, set an unwinding and serene tune to wake up to. Since pregnancy as of now, makes it hard to get great rest, a boisterous sounding caution may exacerbate the situation.
• Set the temperature of your room at a moderate level not so cold and not so hot so that you can have interruption less sleep.
• A warm bath is the best method of relaxing your body. If you are relaxed, then eventually you will fall asleep quickly and deeply. This will also reduce the mental stress as well as body stiffness.
• Abstain from utilizing your telephone, TV, or PC for an hour before sleep time. This will facilitate your mind and instigate better rest.
• Some food things are important for the creation of melatonin in the body and are likewise solid food choices for pregnant ladies. Include these food things in your day by day diet to see the best outcomes. A portion of these nourishments are nuts, entire grains, and green, verdant vegetables.

References

• https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/otc-abuse/melatonin-while-pregnant/
• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/melatonin-pregnancy
• https://womensmentalhealth.org/posts/you-asked-is-it-safe-to-take-melatonin-during-pregnancy/
• https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/taking-melatonin-during-pregnancy-benefits-and-side-effects/