Melatonin is an organic substance made by most organisms. In humans, it regulates the sleep/wake cycle. Many people take supplements of melatonin to control their sleep patterns, such as to recover from jet lag or to cure circadian rhythm disorders. While available in pill form, many people choose to take this compound in the form of melatonin tea.
One benefit of melatonin tea as compared to normal or herbal teas is that it can help people go to sleep earlier. People are also more likely to drink a pleasurable tea than to take a pill. It is easier to remember a ritual such as making and drinking tea than remembering to swallow a pill.
The dosage of melatonin can be an important factor in getting to sleep. Lower doses such as 0.2-0.5 milligrams are recommended as a starting point. Melatonin tea bags are available that have 0.5 milligrams of the active compound in them. This amount may be listed as 500 micrograms.
Taking the correct dosage is something that a consumer may need to figure out through trial and error. The high potency pills often contain so much melatonin that it does not have any effect on the person’s sleep patterns. Starting at a low dosage with melatonin tea is a much better approach. If necessary, one can increase to two tea bags, which would be a dosage of 1 milligram of melatonin.
Most of the melatonin tea available has other substances in it, such as peppermint and/or decaffeinated green tea. This should not interfere with the benefits of this tea. It may encourage the consumer to drink the tea more regularly, since it enhances the taste. The tea is generally drunk one hour before bed.
Many people have circadian rhythm disorders in which they are naturally energetic later in the day, stay up much later at night, and then wish to sleep much later in the morning. This can be a component of bipolar disorder. Such people have been found to produce melatonin later at night than people on normal sleep cycles. Supplementing diet with melatonin tea can help to regulate sleep patterns. This is thought to help preempt hypomanic or manic cycles from occurring.
Other people are forced to switch to night work as a result of their jobs. These people are another group prone to drink melatonin tea. Travelers who fly to the East have particular problems with jet lag. They may need to take higher doses of this compound to counteract the effects of travel. People who fly further may need to take even higher doses.