Do Bodybuilders Take Melatonin?
If you’re a bodybuilder or a fitness enthusiast, you’re likely looking for tools to improve the efficacy of your workouts. And we’re here to tell you it can be as simple as getting a good night’s sleep.
Melatonin plays a significant role in regulating your circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock. It can help you sleep faster and longer, allowing you to experience energized mornings. But should you take melatonin?
Some bodybuilders swear by melatonin, while some entirely avoid it. So, this article will review its effects on exercise and health. We will also look at how the hormone affects your body weight.
Melatonin For Bodybuilders
Melatonin is a buzzword among bodybuilders. It is the secret ingredient that complements the diet and intense exercises they perform.
Since melatonin levels increase during nighttime and decrease during the day, people with sleep disorders will likely use it to bring their sleep schedule back on track.
Sleep is one of the most essential and safe ways to facilitate muscle recovery. So, melatonin will develop a desirable environment to further enhance the effects of your workouts. You can include additional melatonin in your diet through melatonin-rich foods or dietary supplements.
What Effect Does Melatonin Have On Exercise?
A good night’s sleep energizes your body to perform the day’s activities better. So, having a balanced melatonin level in your system is essential to achieving a successful exercise regime.
Before going into the benefits it has on exercise, let’s study the general functions of melatonin:
- Promotes restful sleep.
- Enhances immunity.
- Reduces pain and inflammation.
- Protects muscles from oxidative stress.
- Maintains a healthy gut microbiome.
- Reduces anxiety and improves mood.
- Regulates the sleep/wake cycle and detoxifies the brain.
We can notice that melatonin has a diverse range of benefits. Its simple function of promoting quality sleep comes with multiple uses. As such, it is evident that the hormone associated with regulating sleep brings about many advantages.
Here’s how melatonin can boost your exercise routine:
Provides Restful Sleep
The primary function of melatonin in inducing sleep is not without benefit for bodybuilders. A healthy sleep schedule will ensure you wake up refreshed and energized to perform even better the following day.
Facilitates Muscle Recovery
Bodybuilding exercises are pretty intense when you compare them to regular workouts. So, it can leave your muscles sore and damaged. Inducing sleep with melatonin will help shorten the time needed to recover from all the injuries sustained from the previous workout.
Lowers Pain Sensitivity
Melatonin is often used for treating chronic pain like fibromyalgia, migraine, and inflammatory bowel syndrome. So, increasing melatonin levels can help you resist pain better, allowing you to exercise longer.(1)
Regulates Metabolism And Facilitates Fat Loss
An irregular and poor sleep cycle is responsible for metabolic issues such as an unhealthy increase in appetite, ultimately resulting in obesity. So, when your metabolism is back on track, you can eliminate the risk of obesity and make your workout sessions more productive.
Stimulates Protein Synthesis
Melatonin-induced sleep provides more room to increase muscle protein synthesis during sleep. This process improves your body’s lean mass, resulting in improved muscle structure.
Melatonin goes beyond correcting sleep disorders; this further substantiates how sleep solves many physical, mental, and emotional issues. So, bodybuilders can use this hormone orally to boost their physical performance without relying on complex supplements.
How To Improve The Potency Of Melatonin
Whether you’re looking forward to improving natural melatonin levels or considering incorporating tablets, it’s always an excellent option to include a few supporting practices.
Here are some simple ways to supplement and enhance the effects of melatonin:
- Follow a 60-25-15 diet comprising 60% carbs, 25% protein, and 15% fat. Doing so will provide you with the calories needed for bulking. Meanwhile, fats are essential to providing you with a fuel source for the intense workout sessions you’ll be undergoing.
- Use compression gear to your advantage. Bodybuilders are prone to muscle injuries, especially when a beginner. As such, compression garments will help minimize muscle strain by keeping your muscles in place. It will also allow you to exercise for longer without experiencing muscle soreness.
- Incorporate regular massage therapy to improve blood circulation and reduce inflammation. Doing this will also facilitate quick recovery from exercise-induced damage and aid in muscle growth.
Does Melatonin Cause Weight Gain Or Loss?
Melatonin is a significant factor when considering weight changes. While the hormone does not directly influence weight, its significance is like the first knock on a line of dominoes that produce a series of events.
Low melatonin levels will initiate mood disorders and increase appetite, triggering unhealthy calorie consumption. This will eventually result in weight gain and obesity. Further decrease in the level of melatonin may lead to significant health complications such as type-2 diabetes.
Conversely, higher melatonin levels are essential to maintaining a healthy weight. Melatonin helps in weight loss by regulating metabolism and maintaining a healthy appetite. This is because sufficient rest ensures better protein synthesis, helping metabolize excess fats into energy.
Now, it is apparent that melatonin levels can dictate minor and major changes in your body. As such, consider including foods rich in melatonin in your diet.
But if you are considering melatonin tablets, always consult a doctor to ensure the ingredients are safe for your body. They’re best consumed an hour before bedtime as they start working after 30 minutes.
Many melatonin supplements are packed with high serotonin levels, which is why you may feel tired and groggy in the mornings. So, you must study the ingredients before investing in one.
Summing Up
Melatonin can prove helpful in promoting sleep, but this simple function is responsible for increasing energy levels for better workouts. It’ll help reduce recovery time and synthesize protein for improved muscle mass.
So, if you struggle with low melatonin levels, consider consuming the hormone orally by including foods rich in melatonin or using high-quality dietary supplements.
Maintaining a balance between exercise, diet, and supplements will help establish a successful bodybuilding journey without significant health complications.
