Why You Shouldn’t Take Melatonin Too Often | Chris Masterjohn Lite #116

I used to be addicted to melatonin. I couldn’t sleep without taking a time-release melatonin every night.

Well, it wasn’t really an addiction. It was that my sleep just sucked, so I was stuck using melatonin because my body wasn’t working right.

I haven’t needed melatonin to sleep for *years.* I regard it as a sign of the success of what I’ve done to fix my sleep that I don’t need it anymore.

Do you take melatonin?

I’m not against it. I think everyone should have some melatonin on hand in their bedroom and their travel bag. But taking it every night cannot replicate the natural rhythm inside your body. Taking a dual action immediate- and time-release can get close, but it just ain’t the same thing. So, use the melatonin when needed, but consider it part of the journey and not the destination. Until you’re off the melatonin, you still have fixing to do.

Tune in for the details!

This episode is brought to you by Ancestral Supplements' Grass Fed Beef Brain. Our Native American ancestors believed that eating the organs from a healthy animal would support the health of the corresponding organ of the individual. Ancestral Supplements has a nose-to-tail product line of grass-fed liver, organs, bone marrow and brain... all in the convenience of a capsule. For more information or to buy any of their products, go to https://AncestralSupplements.com

This episode is brought to you by Ample. Ample is a meal-in-a-bottle that takes a total of two minutes to prepare, consume, and clean up. It provides the right balance of nutrients needed for a single meal, all from a blend of natural ingredients. Ample is available in original, vegan, and keto versions, portioned as either 400 or 600 calories per meal. I'm an advisor to Ample, and I use it to save time when I'm working on major projects on a tight schedule. Head to https://amplemeal.com and enter the promo code “CHRIS15” at checkout for a 15% discount off your first order.

To get these episodes free of ads, with transcripts, and weeks or sometimes even months before they are released to the public, along with access to monthly live Q&A sessions, sign up for the CMJ Masterpass at https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/masterpass. Use the code LITE10 to get 10% off. To make it easier to get the discount, use this link, which has the coupon already activated: https://masterpass.chrismasterjohnphd.com/cmj-masterpass/2200/buy?coupon=LITE10

For more detail on the underlying science behind this episode, see part 4 of my Nutrition in Neuroscience series:  https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2019/02/01/nutrition-in-neuroscience-part-4/ Here’s a good dual-action melatonin you could take when needed. Purchasing it with my link will earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps support the free work I put out: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/amazon/dualactionmelatonin

Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.