Melatonin - Experiences?

[Lepeu63]

Occasionally I'll suffer from Sunday night insomnia - stress related. The stuff works great for me when i do.

[socknitster]

JQP,

It is well documented that good sleep begets good sleep. 6.5 hours of quality sleep in NOT ENOUGH, no matter the quality, which you discovered after two days of good sleep. You need to sleep off the deficit to really feel good all the time.

I would highly recommend you budget 8 hours for sleep before your wakeup time. That means you may need to go to bed 8.5 hours or more before your wakeup time. And taking melatonin to make that possible would be a good idea--it sounds like you have already found your optimal dose that maintains a good sleep cycle for a good duration. With time and good sleep hygiene you may not need to sleep in on the weekends because 8 hours is enough to give you that good feeling you experienced--all the time! Don't you deserve that?

I bet after a couple of weeks of this (or even a couple of days) you won't need the melatonin anymore. You will have retrained your body how to sleep better.

Scientific studies done on college students in the 90's revealed that for problems with sleep latency (falling asleep) the optimal dose is 300 mcg (3/10 of the 1 mg dose you took). 300 and 500 mcg is commonly available. I have seen it at Walmart and Trader Jo's. The 1-6 mg doses are for keeping you asleep, as Snoredog mentioned. 6 mg is the largest recommended dose.

I used to take it for sleep latency issues related to poor sleep hygiene and insomnia--and probably apnea. I was still occasionally taking it until recently when my husband and I decided to start attempting to conceive. It isn't recommended during pregnancy due to it being a hormone.

I believe, but could be totally wrong, that it gets converted to seratonin in the morning.

Light shining on the retina sends a signal to the brain to break down the melatonin. So if you feel groggy in the morning you can just open the curtains first thing or use a special lamp to help you wake up that simulates dawn called the sunriser or sunrizer or sunrizr--something like that. I used one for years.

My husband has tried this and ambien when traveling to China (time difference is 12 hours) and he prefers melatonin, but has to open the window in the morning first thing to shake off the groggy feeling. It quickly leaves him and makes him feel alert and ready to attack the mission at hand--important on such a critical business trip!

Don't sell yourself short. 6.5 hours is not enough. As americans we have tricked ourselves into thinking sleep isn't important or necessary despite being told over and over again that 8 hours is really the minimum we need. As a sleep disordered patient, you really need to budget that amount for yourself to live an optimal life. Sounds like it increased your desire for physical activity--another way to make you healthier. Add a balanced diet and you will be in optimal health!

Jen

Now, if only I could always follow my own advice. . . (I try!)

[jqp]

Thanks for the encouragment. I didn't take any Melatonin last night, and at 4:30am this morning, wide awake again.

Lately, I don't have any trouble falling asleep (it's a low stress time of life), my body just thinks it's done in the middle of the night (no sunlight to be found). I guess the 1mg dose of Melatonin the other nights kept me asleep.

This is strange business.

JQP

[TXKajun]

Holy cow. So I took my walk this morning... then took the wife out to go shopping since she's been couped up after her surgery for a couple of weeks.

Got home, felt like some more exercise (huh?)... so I hopped on my bike and rode 5 miles.

Is this what 9 hours of sleep feels like?

I know my legs are going to revolt tomorrow though.

JQP

Stop that!! You're making the rest of us look bad!! LOLOL

Seriously, congratulations on finding something that works for you.

Kajun

[IBJammin]

I was also having problems getting to sleep and my mother in law suggested I start drinking about 4 oz. of black cherry juice right before going to bed. This juice has melatonin in it. I could not beleive it but it worked. Right after hitting the pillow I would be out cold. But as someone else posted, dosage is important. One night I got the wrong size glass and filled it where I normally would in the smaller glass and woke up that night with nightmares. I'll never do that again.

[grunge]

Latest stuff on the web has melotonin as life-prolonging substance, those who take it regularly live 5-10 years longer than predicted, based on health and age.

Other recent research says that, taken as sleep aid, .5-.6mg should be maximum dosage. I had been taking one 3mg pill, but changed both timing (half hour before bedtime) and dosage (cut pill into thirds, will buy small size next week) and believe I see improvement. I have Remstar Pro with humidifier, courtesy of the VA, and after Dr. said 14 in/merc, I got instructions online and started setting the machine myself, starting with 8inches, , and am now running 13.5 with apparent success. But adding melotonin to the regimen a month ago seems to have really helped (providing I don't drink a gallon of fluid an hour before bedtime).

[Babette]

Day 2 for me. Slept pretty good, not too groggy this AM, and actually accomplished some stuff this afternoon at work. I'm contemplating cleaning my living room right now. Significant improvement, though not EARTH SHATTERING. Think I'll keep on it for a few days and see how it goes. I think my sleep hours are about the same as with Benadryl.

Cheers,
Barbara