Is It Safe If You Take Melatonin Medication When Pregnant?

Medical Video: Pregnancy Health Tips : How to Sleep Better During Pregnancy

Many pregnant women experience difficulty sleeping at night. Of course this can affect his health condition. Some people might suggest taking melatonin medication. Yes, melatonin drugs are relied on for people who want to sleep better. However, what if the drug melatonin is taken during pregnancy? Is it safe to drink melatonin during pregnancy?

Melatonin drug to treat sleep disorders

Actually, melatonin is a hormone produced by the body naturally and is responsible for regulating biological clocks, including sleep time. So, this biological clock is a schedule your body has to make you sleep at night and wake up in the morning.

Dark conditions make the body produce more of the hormone melatonin, so this hormone will stimulate the brain to drowsiness. While when the environment is bright and lots of light, the amount of melatonin will decrease and give a signal to the brain to wake up.

Some people with sleep problems may have low amounts of melatonin in the body, so that when night falls, drowsiness does not come. Therefore, melatonin drugs are needed to increase the levels of these hormones in the body and ultimately make you sleep better.

Is it safe to drink melatonin during pregnancy?

If the drug melatonin is taken according to the recommendations and dosages prescribed by the doctor, it will not cause problems in pregnancy.

The recommended daily dose is three milligrams or less, depending on the condition of each mother. But be careful, drinking melatonin during pregnancy with high doses can increase the chance of developmental disorders in the fetus. So make sure that you take it according to the doctor's advice.

If a woman has certain medical conditions, such as depression, epilepsy, diabetes, low blood pressure, high blood pressure, or hemophilia, it may not be advisable to take melatonin during pregnancy. Certain drugs can interact with melatonin supplements, especially those used to prevent organ transplants.

Melatonin has also been found in breast milk, so it's important to avoid consuming it while breastfeeding. Side effects of melatonin include drowsiness, nausea, headache, mood disorders, abnormal heart rate, and dizziness.

Benefits of melatonin during pregnancy

Although still in further research, several studies have found the benefits of melatonin during pregnancy.

The following are some of the possible benefits of melatonin for the fetus:

Stimulating brain development becomes better.
Reduce riskintrauterine growth retardation.
Protects against oxidative stress (cell damage).
Protect from neurobehavioral disorders.

Possible benefits for pregnant women include:

Increase fertility.
Reducing the risk of preeclampsia, although human studies are still limited.
Reducing the risk of premature birth, although research is still needed in humans.
Improve placental function.
Improve sleep quality, especially for women who work shift and night.

Much human research is still needed to prove whether additional melatonin is safe to use and really needed.

Mothers have trouble sleeping? These tips can help

Problems with difficulty sleeping are often complained of by pregnant women. Therefore, to help make it easier to sleep for pregnant women, here are the tips:

1. Do a relaxation routine before going to bed

What can pregnant women do before going to bed? for example, can take a bath with warm water, listen to soothing music, drink warm tea or read a book.

2. Sleep on one side

Often times pregnant women are uncomfortable when sleeping on their backs, so you should sleep sideways to one side by hugging a bolster.

3. Patience and not stress

Many pregnant women have concerns about the baby they contain if they lack sleep. Therefore, it is necessary to relax and be patient if you have trouble sleeping. This is a common thing for pregnant women, so don't be stressed because of this condition.