Melatonin as a Sleep Aid

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  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Remember, melatonin is a hormone produced by the body to tell you it's sleepy time. If you're sleep problems aren't caused by a lack of melatonin, then melatonin will not do anything to help you.
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
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    Melatonin and Phenibut does a great job for a sleep aid. I also love and use 3z by AI Sports Nutrition. It's a bit more subtle then Melatonin and Phenibut but has taken me from 3-4 hours sleep on most nights to around 7-8 hours a night. Last night I didn't take it since I'm out and I had a hard time sleeping.
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
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    i need to give this a try as i have been having sleep issues for years. falling asleep initially is not a problem, it's staying asleep that is the issue.

    is melatonin available over the counter? what form is it in? liquid or pill?

    Yes supplement sites sell Melatonin, Phenibut (USA over the counter, in some countries its a prescription drug), and other sleep aid based supplements.
  • Cindym82
    Cindym82 Posts: 1,245 Member
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    That stuff is amazing and it's natural. Your body naturally produces it but sometimes we can't wind down enough before sleeping. Usually take it about 30mins before u plan to go to bed
  • cbarila
    cbarila Posts: 20 Member
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    I take one 3mg tablet at bedtime, and keep a half one on my nightstand. If I wake during the night, I take the half and go right back to sleep. That's not often, though. Usually the 3mg works well.

    Curiously, my vet recommended it to me when I was told to try it for my very anxious dog (60 pound dog, dose would be one 3mg tab twice a day). worked well for the dog! That was when the vet told me he uses it for sleep, and I tried it. Works really well.
  • BellydanceBliss
    BellydanceBliss Posts: 330
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    I have had a really hard time sleeping lately so i got this sleep aid thing from dollar tree it has melatonin and valerian in it. Smells like sin but works really well i have been burning more calories when I exercise since I have been taking it as well. they have done actual studies about melatonin speeding up metabolism and helps you lose weight
  • ackeebee
    ackeebee Posts: 1,042 Member
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    i need to give this a try as i have been having sleep issues for years. falling asleep initially is not a problem, it's staying asleep that is the issue.

    is melatonin available over the counter? what form is it in? liquid or pill?

    Yes supplement sites sell Melatonin, Phenibut (USA over the counter, in some countries its a prescription drug), and other sleep aid based supplements.

    I am in the UK. Will check at my local pharmacy tomorrow to see if it is over the counter. i fear it might be prescription only since i have never seen it
  • fisherlassie
    fisherlassie Posts: 542 Member
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    My son uses it and he has said that of all the things doctors have suggested this is the only thing that works.
  • oneIT
    oneIT Posts: 388 Member
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    I just got some from CVS. They are 10mg each and def work. It even says sleep aid on the bottle! LOL!
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
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    Its fine but don't use it every night, it can increase liklihood of depression.

    i only use when I know i'm in an insomnia phase. Two an hour before bed and two right before turning off the light.
  • KingdomHeiress5
    KingdomHeiress5 Posts: 28 Member
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    I have two Autistic children who use melatonin nightly and it works wonders. Their docs are much more comfortable with it because it is natural, safe, and something that the body already produces.
  • Dan_Lifts
    Dan_Lifts Posts: 22
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    It works ok for me for getting to sleep, not so much for staying asleep. I have tried it several different times, and on each I have stopped because of completely freaky dreams that bothered me more than lack of sleep.
  • verniedyer
    verniedyer Posts: 1
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    Irecently have started taking it myself and have found it works great....I have sleep apmea and it good for that as welll...I was having really bad nights as far as sleeping, now I sleep great and feel more rested...and not hung over feeling...good luck with it..
  • cessnaholly
    cessnaholly Posts: 784 Member
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    I use 3 or 5mg melatonin. I take it when I'm getting reafy for bed and then read for a bit. I'll also on occasion drink some valerian root tea with honey before bed too - that's great to take down anxiety and get to sleepy.

    If I am really wound up i'll take a half a xanax and melatonin at the same time.

    Dr. gave me low dose ambien for those nights when nothing else works.

    Plus - a white noise maker (rain) and a small fan help me too.
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
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    Um melatonin is the natural chemical your body makes to put you to sleep at night. For most people, the worst thing that will happen is you sleep too long or too deeply to be easily woken up. You just need to make sure you sleep long enough for it to process out of your system. There's no way to have an allergic reaction to something your body already creates. All it is is a natural muscle relaxant that promotes calmness and body relaxation.
  • SLaw4215
    SLaw4215 Posts: 596 Member
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    I keep a bottle of Melatonin on my night stand. It was recommended to me for my 13 year old daughter by her pediatrician. It's not expensivee and I often see deals at CVS and Rite Aid pharmacy for Buy 1 Get 1 Free.

    There are different dosages so I'd recommend starting off low. You can always take 2 pills if you need. And it's easier to add than to be cutting a pill in half.

    I also agree that one should take the pill at least an hour or so before you want to be sleeping. In my exprience, the Melatonin works in a very subtle way. If I take it and I'm not ready to go to sleep because I'm studying or finishing up house work I don't feel like I HAVE TO lay down like you get from Nyquil or Tylenol PM. But when I'm ready to climb into bed that period of time when I'm laying in bed verses being asleep is much shorter and after about a week I noticed I am staying asleep through the night and do not wake up until I hear my alarm clock or sometimes Ieven wake up just before my alarm clock --which is a sign of a good productive night of sleep.

    Hope this helps you...
  • adhillman01
    adhillman01 Posts: 206
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    My husband swears by it and I know several other people who really like it as well.

    However, I spoke with a sleep specialist at the hospital I work at about Melatonin and she said there is no research indicating that it actually assists with sleep.

    Regardless, whether its a placebo effect or not, it does seem to help some people!

    Melatonin is one of the hormones that regulates your sleep schedule. That would be rather odd of a sleep specialist is unaware of melatonin in the sleep cycle.

    She didn't say that the sleep specialist was unaware of melatonin the sleep cycle. She said that the scientific evidence doesn't support it's use for insomnia. That is true. There is a good bit of evidence supporting its use for jet-lag and people who are shift workers, but in the studies it didn't do any better than placebo at helping with insomnia.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Depends on the cause. If its insomnia that isn't caused by a melatonin imbalance, then of course melatonin won't help. If it is caused by a melatonin problem, then it will be beneficial. The thing to really keep in mind, is that most of the melatonin on the market is ridiculously overpowered. 5mg tablets? Normal melatonin levels in the sleep cycle are roughly 250 micrograms, or 0.25 milligrams. What most studies have shown is that taking 5 milligrams of melatonin has no more effect than taking 0.5 milligrams of melatonin, as both ways you are getting well over the amount the body needs, and like most things, more than you need doesn't help you, it just gets ignored.
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
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    Depends on the cause. If its insomnia that isn't caused by a melatonin imbalance, then of course melatonin won't help. If it is caused by a melatonin problem, then it will be beneficial. The thing to really keep in mind, is that most of the melatonin on the market is ridiculously overpowered. 5mg tablets? Normal melatonin levels in the sleep cycle are roughly 250 micrograms, or 0.25 milligrams. What most studies have shown is that taking 5 milligrams of melatonin has no more effect than taking 0.5 milligrams of melatonin, as both ways you are getting well over the amount the body needs, and like most things, more than you need doesn't help you, it just gets ignored.

    Wrong. Taken 30 to 90 minutes before bedtime, melatonin supplementation acts as a mild hypnotic. It causes melatonin levels in the blood to rise earlier than the brain's own production accomplishes. This usage is now common in sleep and relaxation drinks. It has nothing to do with If your body has enough or not, it has to do with forcing a spike earlier on. The higher doses are also used and are mainly for the other health benefits beyond sleep. (anti-cancer, and etc.) Between carbs becoming protein, and this you have some serious bro logic going on.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Carbs can become protein, seriously, Out of the 20 amino acids you need to survive, the body manufactures 11 of them from a combination of a glucose (usually broken down into different variations during glycolysis,) hydrogen, and oxygen. It's not really rocket science.

    As for melatonin, like I said, studies have been done, and they show no difference in effect between low and high doses. Melatonin supplementation is for retraining your circadian rhythm. It will change when your body produces melatonin, if you take it at a different time than is normal. Also, melatonin production is based on light and darkness, which is why shift workers can often have trouble producing enough melatonin to sleep properly, as their light and dark signals get mixed up.

    As for it's antioxidant properties, I haven't seen any studies that show more is better there, either. There are a lot of powerful antioxidants that lose effectiveness and can even be toxic at too high a dose. I'm not saying the dosages for melatonin are dangerous, just unnecessary. Why spend more money for a higher dose capsule, when you can save money with a lower dose that is just as effective? More is not always better.

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