Melatonin is a hormone produced by your body to help regulate your sleep cycles. Because of its function, people can also take melatonin supplements for insomnia. According to MayoClinic.com, though melatonin may help with insomnia caused by jet lag, there is little evidence that it can treat insomnia in general, and it may also cause a host of side effects.
Sleep Problems
Even if melatonin does prove effective against your insomnia, it can cause other sleep-related side effects. Because it helps regulate your circadian rhythm--your so-called "body clock"--melatonin can cause daytime drowsiness if you take it during the day or if you take too much of it at night. Users have also reported vivid dreams, nightmares and sleepwalking while taking melatonin.
Mental and Cognitive Problems
Melatonin use can cause you to experience headaches, dizziness, confusion and irritability. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, some studies have shown melatonin use to exacerbate the symptoms of depression, and animal studies have shown that melatonin reduces the effectiveness of certain antidepressant medications.
Reproductive and Sexual Problems
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, melatonin use can lead to decreased sperm count, loss of sexual desire and breast enlargement in men. Melatonin may also interfere with fertility in women, and the University of Maryland Medical Center recommends that pregnant or nursing women should avoid taking melatonin supplements.
Other Side Effects
A common side effect of melatonin use, according to MayoClinic.com, is stomach upset. More rare side effects, according to Drugs.com, are tightness in the chest, rapid heartbeat and hypothermia. Melatonin may also cause an allergic reaction.
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