Melatonin?

jcavanna2

I have not been sleeping well and most likely due to the tremendous amount of stress I am under. Have been up since 12:30 am, and been up for the day at 3:05 after tossing and turning. Leaving at 4:30 to meet my trainer and head to work. I have a feeling me and Starbucks will be BFFs today.

Considering taking melatonin tonight. It wasn't sure if it was ok to take after gastric bypass. Does anyone know?

StevenGarrigus

My wife has taken the melatonin for insomnia post-VSG. It didn't seem to cause her any issues, it just didn't work well for her. She picked up generic Wal-Som (from Walgreens) sleeping pills that worked ok for her.

Me, if I am having insomnia I usually go to good ole' Equate Night-Time Severe syrup (generic Nyquil). A little bit of that and I'm off to la-la land.

jcavanna2

Thanks @StevenGarrigus - unfortunately I am unable to take NyQuil anymore but that used to be my go to when I was able to take it. Will look into what your wife takes. I will be half asleep in my office by noon..lol

Ultima_Morpha

@jcavanna2 As far as I know, there are no contraindications for melatonin. I can't use it as it puts me into way too deep of a sleep considering that I still have two young kids at home. I do use it and other pharmaceuticals (like sleep aids) when I am on business trips otherwise I wouldn't get any sleep at all.

At home, I've been drinking chamomile tea in the evening to help me wind down--I actually make a double strength cup of tea using 1 chamomile bag and 1 of either peppermint or ginger to keep my stomach settled. It seems to be helping me get to sleep even if I still don't sleep reliably through the night (one of those young kids is a 3 year old...lol). Chamomile has the added benefit of a gentle laxative effect.

JamesAztec

I've taken melatonin before. It helped but I dreamt a lot. I eat popcorn before bed. The carbs seem to help me get tired.

Elyseinchi

I take 5mg of melatonin almost every day. My doctor said it was ok.

jcavanna2

Awesome - thanks everyone for your feedback and suggestions. I really need to get a decent night's sleep tonight!

NicoleL874

@jcavanna2 Hey Jen! Make sure you get the dissolvable ones (if you didn't buy them yesterday) I was out of commission myself yesterday. I'd start with 5mg, and if need be, wait about 30 minutes, then take another. The thing with melatonin is, it won't make you feel super sleepy like a sleeping pill. It helps quiet the brain so you can sleep. You have to actually lay down and try to sleep.

The OTC sleeping pills, take one, but make sure you have 8 hours to sleep or you will wake up like a truck hit you.

rpyle111

I tried using melatonin years ago to reset my body clock when I flew overseas. The suggestion was to take it when it was bedtime at the destination and it worked to put me to sleep, but like Aztec, I had really weird dreams, which wasn't fun when I woke up on a plane very disoriented and a little panicky. I decided to just deal with the jetlag! I think it works, but takes some getting used to.

Elyseinchi

It is true that you can get some wild dreams... for me, sometimes its like watching a movie! And yes, I always take the ones that dissolve under my tongue. The new ones I got were CVS brand in strawberry. Good luck!

jcavanna2

I didn't get dissolvable ones. I took 5 MG and felt a little funky at first but was so tired that I fell asleep. Still woke up in 3 1/2 to 4 hours but after 2 hours or so awake went back to sleep for another 2 hours or so. Depending how I feel later I may take it again tonight

Metamorph1959

I bought some melatonin in a spray bottle and take 1mg (a single squirt) every night 1-1/2 to 2 hours before bedtime. It definitely increases my sleep drive, and I readily fall asleep most nights and usually sleep through the night. My situation may be different from most -- I'm very sensitive to anything sedating -- but I have a hangover if I take the standard 3 mg dose. I also find that I need to take it well ahead of when I want to go to sleep. I'm taking it nightly, and it has been incredibly helpful. I've read that it's not good to take it for more than a month at a time, but my doc says it's okay. (Better to get the sleep!)

jcavanna2

@Metamorph1959 thanks for that! Haven't seen it in spray form but will keep an eye out.

What stinks is that I fell asleep last night and would have probably slept till I had to get up. It as luck would have it one of my dogs got sick at 2:30 am so was up for the day...ugh

Metamorph1959

I think the spray form is pretty new.

Sorry to hear about the night you had. Isn't that the way things go? Hope your pup is feeling better and that you got a good night's sleep last night.

jcavanna2

Thanks @Metamorph1959 - she is feeling better! Hopefully my life will calm down a bit so I can sleep better soon!