The Effects of Melatonin

on Physical Performance

Drew D’Allaird
What is Melatonin and What Does it do?

● Melatonin is the hormone produced in the body

● It can be taken to improve sleep in form of gummies or pills
● Melatonin will make your body tired and cause you to sleep.
Pro’s and Con’s to taking Melatonin

Pro’s: Con’s:

● Better Sleep at night ● Can become Sluggish

● Wake up feeling refreshed ● Possible headache
● If in a unknown area, fall asleep ● Daytime Drowsiness
easily
Why I chose this topic

● I used to take Melatonin every night

● Started playing inconsistent at practice
● Wanted to see if there was a correlation
Study 1

● A group of mice were split into two groups, the control group and
experimental
● The control group were kept under standard daylight conditions
● Experimental Group was under 24hr Illumination and given melatonin for 14
days
Study 1 Continued...

The Experimental group was found to have increased lean body mass and total
body water on day seven without affecting fat mass.

On day 14, the total lean body mass was higher than that of the control group.

Showing that Melatonin can help in more than just sleep control
Study 2

● 12 Physically active participants were split into two groups and given either
5mg of melatonin or a placebo before going to bed
● The following morning they were tested on grip strength and a 4km trial on a
cycle ergometer
Study 2 Continued...

There was a difference of less than 1% between the two groups.

Resulting in the idea that 5 mg of melatonin the night before an activity will have
no major effect on performance.
Can Melatonin affect Physical Performance?

● Melatonin can impact physical performance depending on when and how

much is taken
● If too much is taken it will decrease performance
● If taken right before activity, it will decrease performance.
● If taken night before with right dosage it will result in no effect in
performance but can improve alertness and overall awakeness
Question For the Class

Why should Melatonin not be taken right before a physical activity?

Works Cited
Atkinson G, Buckley P, Edwards B, Reilly T, Waterhouse J. Are there hangover-effects on physical performance when melatonin is ingested by athletes before
nocturnal sleep? Int J Sports Med. 2001 Apr;22(3):232-4. doi: 10.1055/s-2001-16387. PMID: 11354528.

Michurina, S. V., Ishchenko, I. Y., Korolev, M. A., Letyagin, A. Y., Rachkovskaya, L. N., Khotskina, A. S., Khotskin, N. V., Maslennikova, S. O., & Zavjalov, E.

L. (2019). Effects of Melatonin on the Body Composition, Physical Performance, and Blood Erythrocyte Indexes of C57Bl/6J Mice Exposed to Continuous

Illumination. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 168(1), 28–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10517-019-04638-2

López-Flores, M., Luque-Nieto, R., Costa Moreira, O., Suárez-Iglesias, D., & Villa-Vicente, J. G. (2018). Effects of Melatonin on Sports Performance: A

Systematic Review. Journal of Exercise Physiology Online, 21(5), 121–138..