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Is Melatonin Safe While Pregnant? 'Cause You Need Your Sleep

By Babe

The moment you find out you’re expecting a precious little munchkin, you have a lot on your mind. What name will you pick? How soon can you take an iconic bump photo and send it to literally everyone you know? Baby shower themes???

Besides those essentials, your OBGYN gives you what seems like a thousand pamphlets about pregnancy dos and don’ts. Looking at all those glossy papers, you’re pretty sure you could wallpaper the nursery with them. (Not exactly a Pintrest standard, but it’s definitely creative).

From the products you use to the foods you eat to medications you can and cannot take, there are different categories of items that change when you’re pregnant, and everyone seems to have an opinion. Your mother-in-law, your doctor, the lady in your prenatal yoga class — they all seem to have a very strong opinion, but somehow, none of them agree.

The only person who can make those choices for you is you. Make sure to chat with a doctor and do lots of research. A common complaint among pregnant women is sleepless nights. We all need restorative sleep, especially when growing a baby.

When it comes to sleep aids, melatonin is a popular choice among people who would like an easy and effective option. Let’s talk about what melatonin is and if it’s safe to use during pregnancy.

What Is Melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone your brain produces in your pineal gland that lets your body know it’s time to wind down and go to sleep. It also is responsible for helping regulate your sleep-wake cycle.

Usually, the hormone melatonin is released when the sun sets, and you turn off your lights inside. Since your brain releases melatonin when it’s dark, using your phone before bed could get in the way of your pleasant dreams. 

If you’re having a hard time falling asleep, this over-the-counter supplement may help encourage a good night’s rest. Melatonin supplements are the synthetic versions of the natural hormone your brain produces and are generally considered safe and effective according to the FDA (the Food and Drug Administration). Melatonin is also known for being an antioxidant (working against oxidative stress in your body) and an anti-inflammatory. 

How Does Melatonin Work?

Although it’s not meant to treat conditions such as insomnia and anxiety, it may work as a short-term solution to combat some of those symptoms and get some rest. 

Let’s review how melatonin works and how it could affect your body and sleep quality:

The role of melatonin is to work hand in hand with your circadian rhythm. It essentially binds with the receptors in your brain and body to help you fully relax and fall asleep. Amazingly, it could also help regulate blood pressure, body temperature, glucose levels, and more.

Why Is It Hard for Pregnant Women To Sleep?

Is your baby keeping you up at night, and they’re not even born yet? 

A number of conditions can make it challenging for pregnant women to indulge in their beauty sleep. Some sleep-interrupting conditions may include Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and snoring/sleep apnea from estrogen-induced swelling. 

How To Know if You May Need a Melatonin Supplement

Growing a small human being is incredibly tiring work that requires extra rest. If you notice trouble falling asleep regularly, you may need to take steps to help your body relax and fall asleep easier.

Many people with low natural maternal melatonin levels supplement with an over-the-counter melatonin supplement to help counteract their deficiency or sleep disorder. Several factors could reduce melatonin levels in your body, including caffeine consumption, shift work, age, alcohol consumption, smoking, blue light exposure at night, time change, and jet lag. 

These are the most common, although there can be more reasons why your body produces lower levels of melatonin. If you are experiencing a melatonin deficiency, you struggle to fall asleep and combat daytime tiredness, brain fog, and chronic exhaustion.

What Are the Side Effects of Melatonin?

Just like with anything you take or put into your body, there is a chance you could experience side effects. It’s always important to know what the effects of melatonin are in case you experience them. 

Commonly, those that take melatonin have reported side effects such as dizziness, nausea, headaches, anxiety, and irritability. If you happen to experience these or any others, make sure to contact your healthcare provider and have a conversation about your treatment plan.

No matter what, it’s still wise to talk to your doctor before starting any new supplement — including melatonin.

So… Is Melatonin Safe During Pregnancy?

There is mixed evidence on if melatonin is 100% safe to use and take during pregnancy. This is mainly due to the minimal number of studies on the subject. We’re all still waiting for the conclusive green light. 

Pubmed shares about fifteen studies that tested melatonin’s effect on pregnant or breastfeeding mothers. These studies included the use of exogenous melatonin (dietary supplement). The relevant animal studies suggest that melatonin might not be safe for pregnant individuals, but that evidence isn’t strong enough to inform humans of what we should do.

Interesting research shows that melatonin levels in pregnant women with preeclampsia are lower than in other groups. Additionally, the same lower levels were spotted in older pregnant women, according to the Sleep Foundation. 

As your melatonin levels naturally rise and fall throughout pregnancy, it’s been reported that nearly 80% of women experience insomnia in their third trimester. In contrast, many others struggle to sleep starting in the first trimester. 

Therefore, it’s difficult to determine if melatonin is safe for everyone to take. Sleep problems are never fun, especially when facing other pregnancy-related symptoms. So, if you’re having trouble sleeping, talk to your healthcare provider to see if melatonin is right for you. If it’s not for you, there are still other ways you can help your body get better rest.

Let’s talk about other ways to access some of that deep sleep we’ve been hearing so much about:

How To Get To Sleep Faster and Sleep Longer

If you’re looking for other natural approaches to getting better rest at night, there are plenty of options. From changes you can make during your day to simple activities you can implement in your night-time routine, there are ways to help your body unwind and get quality rest.

Acupuncture 

Since our bodies need to relax to fall asleep, it can feel difficult to fall asleep when we are tense and thinking about why we can’t sleep. Acupuncture can be very effective because it works to help our bodies relax, which promotes sleep. This is a great option if you want to try approaches that don’t include taking supplements.

Any physician or physical therapist certified in acupuncture therapy can give acupuncture treatment. This is a common treatment used for many reasons, not only sleep problems.

Mindfulness and Yoga

Just like with acupuncture, where relaxation is the goal, the same thing can be said for mindfulness and yoga practices. This practice is all about connecting with yourself and moving in a way that helps your body unwind and relax. 

If you’ve ever tried this or considered it, you might know that people who practice mindfulness and yoga are usually very relaxed and “zen” afterward. This is great to try before bedtime.

Put away your devices, get in some rockin’ maternity leggings and take some time to stretch and focus on becoming grounded and at peace. This will help your body transition into a time of rest.

Essential Oils

There are so many uses for essential oils, one being a sleep aid. If you know anything about essential oils, then you know there’s just about an oil for every possible need.

When it comes to promoting sleep, there are quite a few popular choices you can begin incorporating into your home and routines. When you’ve found an oil or two that really stands out to you, look into pillow sprays or essential oil diffusers. If you want to apply an oil topically, mix it with a carrier oil first (like olive oil or jojoba oil).

Lavender is a fan favorite when it comes to promoting sleep. Sprinkle some drops of pure grade lavender essential oil in a warm bath before bed to fully relax and melt away the stress from earlier that day. If lavender isn’t a pleasant aroma to you, there are other options such as chamomile, peppermint, bergamot, sandalwood, eucalyptus, and more. 

Or, make it easy with a Belly & Bath Soak specifically formulated to be safe and calming for pregnant mamas. 

Then, breathe deep and go to sleep!

Small Habits

There are plenty of small habits that can help you sleep better at night. To start with, do not look at any screens at least an hour before bed.

It’s suspected that the blue light from our screens tricks our brains into thinking we need to wake more up and be alert. It’s hard for our bodies to fall asleep when our brains say, “Stay awake and watch 15 more kitten videos.”

Or, perhaps you might want to shut off all lights and invest in some black-out curtains. Your body sleeps best in a fully dark room. Since light tells our brains to be awake, the darkness tells our bodies it’s time to fall asleep.

Rest and Destress

Make sure you’ve done everything you can think of to get comfortable and feel ready for bed. Changing into pregnancy pajamas, getting a glass of cold water, going to the bathroom, and fluffing your pregnancy pillow are all simple but easy ways to optimize your comfortability, especially as you get in those later months of pregnancy.

We are here to help make this season of life the best it can be. Sweet dreams, mamas!

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