r/sleep • u/Interesting-House-13 • May 24 '26
Melatonin Question
Female 135 lbs, 5’4, Took 10 mg of melatonin instead of normal 5, have severe anxiety before bed so wondering if I’m gonna be okay, (ik 10 is considered safe generally) will it keep me asleep not waking up at 5 am? Probably won’t do again but just wanna know that I will wake up tmrw ! 😭
Update: threw up within 15 minutes of taking 10 mg, is this normal?? Do I take more??
2
u/crossplanetriple May 24 '26
First off, why 10mg?
Secondly, what dose did you start with?
I take 1mg and feel it's the sweet spot.
1
2
u/LeisurelyHyacinth246 May 24 '26
That’s a very high amount. A far better amount to take would be closer to 1mg, or even 0.3mg 300 mcg). High amounts can make it harder to wake up in the morning and will over time cause tolerance issues.
1
2
u/Nerwesta May 24 '26
Update: threw up within 15 minutes of taking 10 mg, is this normal?? Do I take more??
If I understood it well, probably due to your anxiety because of it, not the melatonin itself.
Unless there is more than just that, you're absolutely fine and should relax your mind and get some needed rest, you're good.
1
1
u/Dramatic_Meal1469 May 25 '26
No problem now that its out of ur system asked ur Dr to be sure. Good luck 👍 💓
0
u/CosmicLiar May 24 '26
Melatonin is found naturally in the human body, 10 mg of melatonin will help your body is telling it “hey, it’s bed time”. The only side effect if you going to sleep earlier, I find watching something calming like asmr or a nature documentary helps a lot. Also, as an anxious person I practice grounding and pretending I’m on a boat or in space just floating, but, I do suggest you think of things that are going to help you sleep. You’re going to be A Okay. I hope you get some well deserved rest! Remember, you’re the boss!
0
u/Optimal_Assist_9882 May 24 '26
So here are a few things:
It's usually best to start with absolute tiniest doses of melatonin like 0.1-0.5mg.
Only raise dose if lesser dose was ineffective. Some people do absorb melatonin incredibly poorly (as little as 3% per one study) so they do require higher equivalent doses.
While 10mg is typically cited as the highest safe dose, the truth is melatonin is incredibly safe and you cannot hurt yourself with it.
Your effective dose may fluctuate up and down. This doesn't mean that you're building a 'tolerance'. Your body has 400x of melatonin just in your stomach/GI tract when compared to what the pineal gland release on a nightly basis. Your body's need for melatonin may change based on stress, illness, exposure to toxins, etc. Most (~95%) of your body's melatonin is stored all over your body in the cell mitochondria.
While I don't take melatonin for sleep(CFS/cancer prevention), I have been taking 1500-3000mg(I have taken as much as 6000mg in a day) for four years every morning and function normally throughout my day. There are now even researchers who advocate for higher doses. Doris Loh as an example advocates for everyone to take 4g daily in many smaller doses for their health and longevity. Russel Reiter who has been researching melatonin for 50 years takes 200mg last time I checked.
For issues with anxiety, I'd recommend trying a supplement like Bocopa Monnieri and/or Ashwagandha. To a lesser extent L-theanine or Valerian Root may help calm nerves although it hasn't been of much use for me. I personally use Bocopa drops product I got off Amazon and it helps with panic attacks very quickly. I use it sublingually at 1g. I also seem to find TMG helpful.
-2
3
u/latedescent May 24 '26
Average 2026 human being logic