dieseltrooper
Inactive
After reading the book "Melatonin Miracle", my wife and I have been taking 1.5mg at bedtime. Anyone familiar with this?
Melatonin Supplementation
- Thread starter dieseltrooper
- Start date
I've been using it for about the last year and it has made a huge difference in my nightly sleep pattern. I used to wake up for about 2 hrs every night - wide awake. Now, I may wake up but have no trouble falling back to sleep. I also take 1.5 mg at bedtime. I will though that I did try it earlier in life - like in late 30's and it didn't sit well with me. Now that I am older, it seems to work much better.
Genevieve
working on it
ok, this is just weird. Today while at Sam's club I bought two bottles to start using. LOL The bottles were only $4.89 each and I thought, what the heck. Give it a try. So everyone takes it at bedtime? Could I take it with supper or does it work better on an empty stomach? I don't like taking things on an empty stomach unless it says otherwise. Just me saving my gut.
the best time to take it is to put it on your night table and take it as you turn your lights out, because light falling on the skin disables melatonin. taking it at dinner is basically wasting it, its long gone before bedtime. I've never noticed any gut problems with it and i basically cant take anything without food, either Rx meds or vitamins. they do make sub-lingual tabs that dissolve under your tongue, if you're concerned about taking it on an empty stomach. or eat a cracker, drink some milk- whatever works for you.
Golden Eagle
Contributing Member
I have taken it and it works . . . but please note that a common side effect is weight gain.
missd
Senior Member
Now that I'm an older one, maybe it will work better, I'll give it a go. Think I took it early in the day too.
Leigh19717
Senior Member
I take 3mg a night and have for 4 years. I have always had trouble "settling" down at night, and this takes the edge off. My 9 year old daughter takes it as well. The dr. wanted to put her on an anxiety medication and I told him we would be doing a natural route with melatonin. Works like a charm. ADHD runs in my genes, so as my daughter says, it's hard to turn off her brain at night. It is a major part of my stockpile. By far GNC is a better supplier of it. I have tried them all out there it seems.
Melatonin is a hormone so unless you are deficient in it, supplementing it won't help your sleep problems. Also, taking Melatonin should be temporary as, ideally, you want your body to produce it naturally rather than supplementing it. If you are deficient in Melatonin, you may want to consider taking 5-HTP a bedtime instead. Your body converts 5-HTP ( 5-hydroxytryptophan) into serotonin helping to balance out serotonin to melatonin.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mi...sleep_b_820426.html?view=print&comm_ref=false
Melatonin: Not a Magic Bullet for Sleep
Many of you have made a New Year's Resolution to get more and better sleep. I hope you are having great success! But I want to address a topic I am asked about repeatedly, and it may be something many of you have tried or considered in your quest for a better night's sleep: Is Melatonin good to take to help with my sleep?
So exactly what is melatonin?
Melatonin is a hormone. It is not an herb, a vitamin or a mineral. Hormones are naturally produced by your body as you need them. This means that it is very unlikely that someone has a melatonin deficiency. While melatonin could be considered natural, in most cases it doesn't come from the earth. There are exceptions -- foods that contain melatonin in them -- but this is a different type of melatonin than what is produced in your brain.
Your melatonin levels can be tested with a blood test, urine test or saliva test. If you are concerned that you may actually be melatonin deficient, ask your doctor about testing. Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland and sends a signal to regulate the sleep-wake cycle in the sleep center of the brain. Interestingly, melatonin is also produced in the retina, the skin and the GI tract, but this is not the melatonin what affects your biological sleep clock.
This is the really important thing you should understand about melatonin: Melatonin is a sleep and body clock regulator, not a sleep initiator. Melatonin works with your biological clock by telling your brain when it is time to sleep. Melatonin does not increase your sleep drive or need for sleep.
Melatonin is called the "Vampire Hormone" because it is produced primarily in darkness and inhibited by light. The levels of your melatonin increase in the middle of the night and gradually fall as the night turns to morning, so exposure to light before bed can push your biological clock in the wrong direction, making melatonin ineffective.
Melatonin treats Circadian Rhythm Disorders (where you sleep the right amount of minutes but your body clock is at the wrong time), Shift Work Sleep Disorders and early morning awakenings -- all things that deal with the timing of your need to sleep. Melatonin is not considered an effective treatment for insomnia.
Melatonin in pill form does not function like your body's naturally produced melatonin; it effects the brain in bursts and rapidly leaves the system, instead of the slow build-up and slow wash-out that your body's naturally produced melatonin experiences.
The correct dosage of melatonin can be a problem. According to research conducted at M.I.T., the correct dosage of melatonin for it to be effective is 0.3-1.0 mg. Many commercially available forms of melatonin are in three to 10 times the amount your body would need. In fact, there is some evidence that higher doses may be less effective. In Europe, melatonin at very high doses has been used as a contraceptive.
Melatonin can have side effects. Melatonin (two to three milligrams or higher) has reported side effects of:
•Headaches
•Nausea
•Next-day grogginess
•Hormone fluctuations
•Vivid dreams and nightmares
Melatonin may also have some issues with safety. While melatonin is available over-the-counter, in the U.S. and Canada, melatonin is available only by prescription -- or not at all, in some countries. In the U.S., melatonin is sold as a dietary supplement, not a medication; so until recently, melatonin has not been subject to the same purity rules and standards as prescription medications. In June 2010, new F.D.A. rules went into effect that require all dietary supplements to comply with "good manufacturing practices," which include compliance in manufacturing standards and labeling.
So what does all this mean if you want to try melatonin as a supplement? Melatonin has been shown to be safe in healthy people when used for up to three months at the correct dosage.
Over The Counter Melatonin
•When taken several hours before sleep, Melatonin can shift the biological clock earlier, making a better environment for falling asleep and waking up on time.
•When taken in the correct dose (0.3-1 mg), it can be effective for shift workers and people with circadian rhythm disorders.
•However, most Melatonin sold over the counter is packaged in doses ranging from one milligram to 10 milligrams, with most doses containing double or triple the amount that is needed to be effective for the population that will benefit from its use.
Other Possible Uses for Melatonin
•As an anti-oxidant Melatonin acts upon free radicals. It may reduce damage caused by Parkinson's disease, and can have an anti-aging effect.
•In the elderly, it has shown some promise in managing a type of insomnia called early morning awakenings ; but this area needs more study and does not take into account medications that may interact with melatonin.
Caution Should Be Taken When Using Melatonin
•It should be used under the guidance of a doctor and sleep professional.
•It should be used at the correct dosage.
•It should be taken about 90 minutes before lights out.
•It should be used for a short time (less than three months).
•It should never be used in combination with other sleep inducing medications.
•It should never be used with alcohol.
•It should never be used with children younger than 18.
•There are possible interaction effects that could change the effectiveness of your current medication regimen.
There are new and exciting experiments with patches for delivery of melatonin for use by shift workers and others who have work environments that put their regular circadian clocks to the test. Tart cherries contain a natural melatonin, and there is research to show that drinking tart cherry juice can help with insomnia. There are vitamins and minerals -- vitamin D, the B vitamins, folic acid and calcium -- that have been shown to help with both energy and relaxation.
At the end of the day (no pun intended), your first line of defense for sleep problems is good health and good sleep hygiene. Make it a habit to prepare your body and your mind at the end of every day to get the rest you need. Try that first before you start looking for something else. And when you do look, be careful.
Michael J. Breus, Ph.D.
The Sleep Doctor™
njs7877
Senior Member
I have 3 kids, 3/5/10 yrs of age. None of them have ever had regular sleeping patterns, Dr doesn't know why, but they can sleep for 2 hours a night and on the go the next day like they had a full nights sleep. Well he suggested melatonin, and it's worked like a charm for them, mind you they only get .5 mg, but within 30 mins- 1 hr, they are out, and sleep a full night. This has greatly improved their moods, their abilities in school, etc. Just my 2 cents 
Nikki
Nikki