Insomnia & Fish Oil

When considering the relationship between fish oil supplements and insomnia, there are two schools of thought: fish oil either causes insomnia or it treats it.
It is common for fish oil to interfere with sleep when someone has a sensitivity to fish products or when too much has been taken. However, in Dr. David Y. Wong and Deborah Mitchell's "Healing What Hurts: Fast Ways to Get Safe Relief from Aches and Pains and Other Everyday Ailments," they state there is more proof that lends to fish oil actually relieving restlessness.

Causes of Insomnia

Insomnia can be triggered by both physical and psychological factors, such as anxiety, depression and stress. Insomniacs could suffer from a medical condition, such as high blood pressure, hormonal changes and even a decreased level of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep cycles. Or insomnia could just be related to getting older.

According to studies in the American Journal Clinical Nutrition, or AJCN, fish oil enhances melatonin secretion in a normal manner which leads to better sleep.

Fish Oil Benefits

Fish oil contains both omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, and eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA. Each cell of our body, especially brain cells and nerve cells, are composed mainly of DHA fats. While most studies in the AJCN have shown that the fish oil health benefits range from relieving arthritis and reducing the risk heart disease to combating depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, Wong and Mitchell write that a deficiency in these omega-3 acids can actually cause insomnia.

Food Sensitivities

Not every supplement is for every person. People with allergy or hypersensitivity to fish should avoid taking fish oil or any products derived from fish because they can experience a wide variety of symptoms, including restlessness.

Diabetic patients should avoid fish oil because of a risk of increased blood sugar level. Certain fish meat may contain mercury, and thus caution is warranted for young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Other Factors

Since one of the benefits to taking fish oil is improved mental awareness, it would suggest that the mind could be overactive when a person wants to fall asleep. But Wong and Mitchell note that the symptoms of sleeplessness stem from other factors and only coincide with the ingestion of fish oil. Stress at work or in a relationship or anxiety over a recent major event in your life could be constantly on your mind, while at the same time you are taking fish oil supplements to fight off depression.

Medical Opinion

Even the Food and Drug Administration recommends a daily intake of fish oils to fulfill the omega-3 needs of your body. But the dosage amount of fish oils or omega-3 supplements is critical. Wong and Mitchell report that an overdose of fish oils has led to insomnia or sleeplessness in certain cases. By sticking to a daily regimen of 800 mg, you should see an improvement to your sleep pattern without restlessness.