Will Melatonin Gummies Break Your Fast While Intermittent Fasting?

Will Melatonin Gummies Break Your Fast While Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting has become an extremely popular health and fitness trend. It involves cycling between periods of fasting and eating. Many people take supplements like melatonin while fasting to support sleep and circadian rhythms. This leads to an important question - will consuming melatonin gummies during your fasting period break your fast?

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that involves regular fasting periods. Common approaches include:

• 16/8 method - 16 hours fasting, 8 hours eating window
• 5:2 diet - Normal eating 5 days a week, restrict to 500-600 calories 2 days
• Alternate day fasting - Fast every other day
• One meal a day - Eat one meal within a 4 hour window

Some benefits of intermittent fasting may include weight loss, improved metabolic health, blood sugar regulation, brain function, and longevity. Fasting triggers a metabolic state called ketosis.

Staying in the Fasted State

To maintain the benefits of intermittent fasting, it is important to stay in the fasted state during your entire fasting window. Consuming calories from food, drinks, or supplements can take you out of ketosis.

Popular questions include whether supplements like BCAAs, MCT oil, bone broth, or melatonin will break your fast. The general rule of thumb is that any supplement under 50 calories is unlikely to break your fasted state.

What is Melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone produced naturally by the body's pineal gland to regulate sleep-wake cycles. Melatonin levels rise in the evening to induce sleepiness and fall in the morning to promote wakefulness.

Melatonin supplements aim to promote healthy sleep by mimicking the body's natural melatonin production. It is used to treat insomnia, jet lag, and shift work disorders. Melatonin comes in pills, gummies, liquids, and topical formulations.

Do Melatonin Gummies Have Calories?

Most melatonin gummies contain a small amount of calories, typically ranging from 5-15 calories per gummy. The calories come from sugars or carbohydrates used to give the gummies their chewy texture.

While the amount is relatively low, even 5 calories technically breaks the true fasted state. However, some functional medicine doctors argue that staying under 50 calories does not produce the same metabolic response as a high calorie meal.

Tips to Minimize Impact on Your Fast

If you wish to take melatonin while fasting but want to remain in a ketogenic state, here are some tips:

• Take a plain melatonin tablet instead of gummies.
• Opt for melatonin microlozenges which usually have less than 5 calories.
• Use liquid or sublingual melatonin drops without calories, flavors, or sweeteners.
• Time your melatonin dose early during your fasting period, farther from meals.
• Restrict yourself to the smallest effective dose, usually 0.5-1 mg.

Potential Impact on Intermittent Fasting Benefits

While melatonin gummies or other supplements with minimal calories are unlikely to diminish the benefits of intermittent fasting, it is worth being mindful of your goals:

• Weight loss - Any calories could potentially impact your calorie deficit for the day. But 5-15 calories will have a negligible effect.
• Insulin - A small amount of carbohydrates from gummies could minimally spike insulin levels. But overall insulin remains low.
• Ketosis - You may come out of ketosis briefly, but levels should remain elevated over baseline.
• Autophagy - This self-cleaning process is more closely linked to fasting duration than minor calorie intake.

For most people, melatonin gummies will not counteract the major benefits of intermittent fasting as long as they are kept to a minimum.

Other Tips for Supporting Sleep While Fasting

If you wish to be cautious, there are other ways to support sleep aside from melatonin supplements while fasting:

• Optimize sleep hygiene - avoid blue light, screens, and caffeine before bedtime and establish a relaxing pre-bed routine.
• Reduce artificial light and increase daylight exposure earlier to support circadian rhythm.
• Consume sleep-promoting foods like cherries, chamomile tea, and kiwis during your eating window.
• Take magnesium, calcium, or glycine which can provide relaxation.
• Try sleep-inducing essential oils like lavender.
• Keep your eating window earlier to allow digestion to complete before bed.

Speak with a Professional

As with adopting any new eating pattern like intermittent fasting, it is wise to speak with your healthcare provider, especially if you have any medical conditions or take medications. They can help assess safety and efficacy for your individual needs.

In the end, taking melatonin gummies during your fasting hours can be an acceptable compromise for some intermittent fasters who prioritize sleep support in their regimen.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.