Sweet Dreams: How Melatonin Can Help Kids Get the Rest They Need

Melatonin is a hormone, which is produced in the pineal gland present in the brain. Melatonin is also known as a sleep hormone, because the level of melatonin increases at night while sleeping and this helps in getting good sleep at night. At the same time, the level of melatonin in the body starts decreasing during the day. The production of melatonin in children's bodies also decreases at night. Because of this they may have to face the problem of insomnia or sleeplessness. In such a situation, melatonin supplement can be beneficial, that is, melatonin supplement can help in solving sleep problems in adults as well as small children.

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Melatonin is necessary for everyone, whether adult or child. Melatonin hormone is produced naturally in the body. This is necessary for sleep. The benefits of melatonin for small children are as follows –

Many times, melatonin hormone is not produced properly in the body of children. In such a situation, their sleeping and waking cycle gets completely affected. Low levels of melatonin can cause sleep problems . If your child also does not sleep at night, then you can give him a melatonin supplement. Melatonin can treat children who have difficulty sleeping. Melatonin can help children fall asleep faster. It can also improve the quality of sleep.

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A 2017 study demonstrated that melatonin may also be effective in treating chronic sleep onset insomnia (SOI) in children. In this condition children have difficulty sleeping at night. In this situation, giving 3 mg melatonin daily to the child can be beneficial.

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Melatonin plays an important role in many other functions besides sleep. Melatonin may also help treat problems like blood pressure, body temperature and circadian rhythm disorders. Apart from this, melatonin can also be given to the child if he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, asthma, autism spectrum disorder and atopic dermatitis. This helps the child to sleep easily.

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Studies show that low doses of melatonin are safe for children. At the same time, if children are given melatonin supplements in large quantities for a long time, they may experience some mild side effects. These disadvantages are as follows -

• Headache
• Peeing The Bed
• Dizziness
• Stomach Ache
• Excessive Sweating
• Nausea

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Melatonin can be given in liquid form to children. If children are deficient in melatonin and have difficulty in sleeping, then a 5 mg melatonin dose can be given daily. Giving more melatonin than this can harm the child. Melatonin can be given to children 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.

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Many researches show that melatonin can help children suffering from insomnia. Apart from this, one can also get some relief from problems like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, asthma, autism spectrum disorder and atopic dermatitis. At the same time, if given in excess dose, the child may face problems like headache, nausea and excessive sweating. Therefore, melatonin should not be given to children without doctor's advice.