Are Melatonin Diffusers Safe?

If you’ve ever had trouble falling or staying asleep at night, chances are you’ve heard about treatment with melatonin to help solve your insomnia. These days more and more people are turning to diffusers, but are melatonin diffusers safe?

There are plenty of other melatonin products to choose from, such as creams, pills, and gummies, which all help to alleviate sleep problems. However, as an inexpensive ‘go to’ solution for sleep problems a melatonin diffuser is hard to beat, as it’s easy to take and offers rapid results.

Our increasingly busy lifestyles include ever more electric devices. They help us stay connected but, on the downside, our sleeping habits have suffered. Some of our physiological routines, such as our sleep patterns, need to be carefully maintained for us to function effectively.

Our Lifestyles Sabotage our Sleep and our Health.

For many, a combination of blurred boundaries between work and leisure, screen time when we should be relaxing, and too much alcohol creates a dangerous cocktail that can easily sabotage a good night’s rest.

The effects can be catastrophic and there is plenty of research to demonstrate that poor sleep over an extended period can often lead to serious implications. These include heart disease, mental health problems, Type II diabetes, obesity, and poor immune function.

In the past few years, this growing awareness of the importance of good sleep, has resulted in a surge in popularity among consumers looking for an alternative to traditional sleeping pills.

The melatonin diffuser has admirably filled this niche and in this article, we will discuss how the sleep deprived can use them to best effect, as well as discover the pros and cons about are melatonin diffusers safe? So, let’s get started!

What Is Melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone that is produced by the tiny pineal gland in your brain. The hormone is an ancient molecule, which has been around for a long time and still exists in primitive bacteria. Despite this lengthy history, it was only in 1958 that researchers isolated the hormone during studies into skin conditions.

Melatonin links closely with the body’s natural circadian rhythms, which control 24-hour cycles in the body’s functions and processes, such as the sleep-wake cycle. This explains why melatonin secretion from the pineal gland only takes place during night-time hours.

As you travel through different time zones you may have suffered from jet lag, with its familiar unpleasant symptoms. Similarly, if you have too many late nights or undergo a period of stress, then the associated lack of sleep is likely to throw your circadian rhythms, resulting in similar symptoms to jetlag.

Supplementing synthetic melatonin to your body’s natural production of the hormone helps to get the rhythms back into a natural balance. Although the body does naturally re-establish the correct rhythms by itself, so the symptoms of jetlag subside.

Melatonin is also a powerful antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties. It means one of its main functions is to protect cells from oxidative stress. It does this by scavenging and destroying dangerous free radical molecules, which can cause cells to become cancerous. Stress can lead to serious health problems, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

Melatonin has a long History in Microbes and Foods

The hormone exists naturally in a wide range of foods including fruits, berries, nuts, milk, and eggs. For some unexplained reason, tart cherries and goji berries have two of the highest natural concentrations of melatonin.

In nuts, almonds, and pistachios are high, while fatty fish such as salmon and sardines are also good sources. Milk also is a reliable source and it’s interesting to note that warm milk as a bedtime drink or cherries are both seen as natural aids for a good night’s sleep.

So, we can see some foods are a natural source of melatonin. However, using a melatonin diffuser is a more convenient and measured method of introducing melatonin to your body. However, let’s take a closer look at the product and answer the question. Are melatonin diffusers safe?

What are Melatonin Diffusers?

If you have tried using melatonin before, in the form of a gummy or a topical cream, try out a melatonin diffuser. The surge in uptake demonstrates that an increasing number of people enjoy using a melatonin diffuser as part of their night-time rituals.

It is straightforward to regulate your intake of melatonin by the number of inhalations you take. When starting out it’s advisable to start well below the recommended dose and to increase the dose from there as desired.

The melatonin diffuser contains a small reservoir of propylene glycol, melatonin, and supplemental ingredients, such as essential oils. A pump system allows a fine mist or vapor to be created over the diffuser. This mixes with the air and the mist can be inhaled.

The synthetic melatonin is identical to the natural molecules of melatonin that are synthesised in the brain. So, inhaling the vapor is well tolerated by the body. The natural effects of the melatonin help you to drop off to sleep but also provides more profound sleep, which feels more refreshing in the morning.

The body’s production of melatonin takes place in the brain during the hours of darkness and so any supplemental melatonin from the diffuser will help to ensure you have well-regulated sleep patterns.

Some Melatonin Diffusers include Essential Oils

Some melatonin diffuser products have supplemental ingredients, which can help with a variety of sleep-related issues. For example, some diffuser products contain essential oils or supplements which block the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin, that is responsible for regulating mood.

As with any product that you introduce to the body it is important to buy the best quality that you can afford. This will ensure that not only the active ingredients but also the ancillary ones and the equipment itself is made to the highest standards.

It’s always a good idea to check with different suppliers to see if they are members of any national quality assurance accreditation. This will ensure that their ingredients and equipment supply, manufacturing and overall processes are to a high standard.

Using a supplier that maintains these high-quality standards will ensure that you are buying a melatonin diffuser that is safe and 100% legal.

Are Melatonin Diffusers Safe for Everyone?

Melatonin diffuser products aren’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and without that level of control it’s always best to exert a little caution.

Inhaling melatonin via a diffuser is still a new technology and consequently there is very little peer-reviewed research from which you can make an informed decision about safety. However, research does confirm that melatonin products are well tolerated by the body with few unwanted side effects.

So, are melatonin diffusers safe? The melatonin you inhale from a diffuser is going to be in smaller concentrations than the vapor you inhale from a vape pen. Additionally, a diffuser is different from vape pens because they don’t contain the more controversial ingredients of typical vape pens, such as nicotine and vitamin E acetate.

If you are starting any new program, it is always best to check with your doctor at the beginning. This is especially the case if you already take prescription medication or have an existing medical problem.

Melatonin diffuser regulation isn’t particularly clear, but most manufacturers use an advisory lower age of at least 18 or 21 years. While on the one hand the benign ingredients make a melatonin diffuser safe, the lungs of teenagers are not biologically mature.

So, the true effects of the melatonin vapor are unknown. Once again always check with your doctor for the best advice.

Just how safe are Melatonin Diffusers?

In the US 50 to 70 million people claim to have problems falling asleep or staying asleep according to the National Institutes of Health. Of that proportion more and more people are choosing to use one of the available melatonin products as a remedy.

The hormone melatonin is already naturally produced in the body, which makes many people more comfortable with the idea of taking synthesised melatonin instead of a sleeping pill. Melatonin also has the advantage that it is not addictive and has minimal side effects.

The suggested dose to inhale from a melatonin diffuser varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, so always read the user instructions. The maximum daily dose is often quoted at 5 mg per day, so when first using the diffuser, try out half this dose and adjust it depending on the effects you experience.

Melatonin Diffuser: How do you use them?

One of the main advantages of a diffuser is that the way the melatonin is introduced to the body is very quick. When you inhale the vapor into your lungs the melatonin molecules quickly find their way into the smallest branches of your lungs, where they can transfer across the membrane directly into your blood supply.

This route is much quicker compared, for example, to taking a melatonin pill. Here the pill needs to negotiate the stomach, transfer to the bloodstream and the liver, before finally being transferred again to the bloodstream.

The effects of melatonin from a diffuser will start to affect the user in seconds and minutes, while the effects of taking a pill are likely to be measured in minutes and hours. So, using a melatonin diffuser as part of your bedtime ritual is convenient and rapid.

For use, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Start by removing the stopper that accompanies the diffuser and place it at the other end of the diffuser.

Pump the diffuser to create the melatonin vapor or mist that sprays from the diffuser.
This vapor is very fine and hangs in the air, so you can easily inhale it and allow the melatonin to take effect.

You remain in control of the diffuser pump and the melatonin mist it emits, so if you fall asleep there is no danger of the diffuser pump continuing to operate.

Conclusion

So, what can we conclude about melatonin and the question, are melatonin diffusers safe?

Firstly, melatonin is a natural hormone produced in the brain to help control the body’s natural cycles and sleep patterns. Synthetic melatonin, used in diffusers and other melatonin products has exactly the same chemical structure as naturally produced melatonin.

Secondly, because the market for melatonin diffusers is still so new there has been little research to discover the effects of long-term use on the body. However, research has showed that melatonin is well tolerated by the body and that it has additional benefits beyond working as a sleep aid. These include improved immunology and its ability to remove harmful free radicals from cells.

As with using any new product it’s best to keep to the manufacturer’s recommendations, starting with the smallest dose and working up from there if necessary. Hopefully, using the information in this article you will be better informed and able to establish, are melatonin diffusers safe?

If you are already taking prescribed medication or have existing medical issues, then consult with your doctor to get approval. For safety, melatonin is not recommended for use by pregnant women and nursing mothers.

Are Melatonin Diffusers Safe?

Pros

• Melatonin is a natural hormone produced in the brain.
• Research shows that melatonin is well tolerated by the body and is non-addictive.
• Melatonin has been proved to aid sleep, improve immunity, and reduce free radicals.
• The additional ingredients in a melatonin diffuser are thought to be safer than typical ingredients in a vape pen.

Cons

• The long-term effects of inhaling mists from diffusers and vape pens are still unsure.