Melatonin - suggestions please?

[quietmorning]

You can get lots of melatonin with nothing else, but I don't know about slow release... the trick is to take it an hour before bed (not a lot closer to) and the effect should last the night.

I think I found some last night on Amazon.

This is 2mg and I really am looking for 1mg - and your not supposed to break slow release tabs . . . but maybe since it's slow release I'll get a smaller amount a little at a time. I will take a bottle with me to talk to my doc about it and see.

[quietmorning]

I have Melatonin that is the sublingual type, purchased from whole foods market-
the brand is Source Naturals- it works for me.

Here is a link on how to use Melatonin (from a google search):
http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/circadian ... rectly.htm

Ah! This is what I found last night. Thanks!

[quietmorning]

I just tried Unisom's Natural Nights, though I think the B6 kept me more awake than asleep. I really like the idea of a slow release Melatonin - that helps you all night to regulate sleep cycles.

Is there a Melatonin - JUST MELATONIN (no B6) out there that is slow release that you have tried and would recommend?

Thanks!

Why do you feel you are deficient in melatonin?

DreamStalker, (good morning! ) I think the brain injuries definitely messed up my sleep cycles - especially the first one, as I became a consummate insomniac afterward, but I also spent too long working two full time jobs back to back and only sleeping for four hours on Mondays. . . (ended up in the hospital with system shut down and septicemia - which disproved the common thought of the day that sleep had no real purpose.)

My sleep patterns are all over the place most of the time, and I never get more than a half of an hour of deep sleep. I've talked to my doc about it and melatonin was what he suggested.

[fredr500]

My sleep doc told me that 3-6mg of Melatonin probably wouldn't do anything, he recommended 9 or more. Even at 9 I don't see a difference so I quit.

That was before my first sleep study and CPAP. Tried a 6 and 9mg a few times on CPAP, still no discernible difference.

Just for the sake of seeing what it will do, would you consider taking a 1mg for a few nights to see if it might act differently?

Would you settle for 1.5mg? That's what my pills are, I can give that a try if you think it might make a difference.

[quietmorning]

My sleep doc told me that 3-6mg of Melatonin probably wouldn't do anything, he recommended 9 or more. Even at 9 I don't see a difference so I quit.

That was before my first sleep study and CPAP. Tried a 6 and 9mg a few times on CPAP, still no discernible difference.

Just for the sake of seeing what it will do, would you consider taking a 1mg for a few nights to see if it might act differently?

Would you settle for 1.5mg? That's what my pills are, I can give that a try if you think it might make a difference.

I think anything below 3mg's would do fine.

[bap40]

I actually talked to my doc about Melatonin for my husband. He did tell me that if you take it all the time, your body stops producing it naturally and you end up having to take it forever. Just something to think about. Now for my husband that is fine because he has had brain tumors removed and has to take many pills to keep his body functioning normally. Doc said taking this was better for him than using any of the sleep aids or more narcotics than he is already on.
Something to keep in the back of your mind. He takes 6mg which doc said was fine.

[DreamStalker]

I just tried Unisom's Natural Nights, though I think the B6 kept me more awake than asleep. I really like the idea of a slow release Melatonin - that helps you all night to regulate sleep cycles.

Is there a Melatonin - JUST MELATONIN (no B6) out there that is slow release that you have tried and would recommend?

Thanks!

Why do you feel you are deficient in melatonin?

DreamStalker, (good morning! ) I think the brain injuries definitely messed up my sleep cycles - especially the first one, as I became a consummate insomniac afterward, but I also spent too long working two full time jobs back to back and only sleeping for four hours on Mondays. . . (ended up in the hospital with system shut down and septicemia - which disproved the common thought of the day that sleep had no real purpose.)

My sleep patterns are all over the place most of the time, and I never get more than a half of an hour of deep sleep. I've talked to my doc about it and melatonin was what he suggested.

You should start off with a low dose (1 or 2 mg) for about a week and see what happens.

I tried taking it on an experimental basis a few years ago to enhance my dreams. So I was not actually deficient. With only a couple of mg per evening, I did indeed have intense vivid dreams but when I stopped after a week on the hormone, I experienced insommnia for about a week afterwards. As bap40 mentioned, your pineal gland will cut back production if you supplement when you don't have a melatonin deficiency. So do be careful. Try it for a week and then stop to see what happens so that you don't make things worse.

Melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland and the primary amino acid required for the production of melatonin is tryptophan. So if you are deficient in melatonin production you may try adding more protein into your diet. I pormote a low-carb diet and when you do eat your carbs, they are best taken in the evening with tryptophan rich protein ... the carb induced insulin spike packs the tryptophan where it is needed. Sunlight is another ingredient in the production of melotonin. The red end of the light spectrum striking the rods and cones of your eyes triggers the production of melatonin ... so get out and view the sunsets in the eveneing or get yourself an red/amber colored light for indoors if you are a night owl and prefer to stay up late.

On another note, melatonin is the precursor hormone for serotonin, another important hormone .... so if you are truely melatonin deficient, you will also be serotonin deficient.

[quietmorning]

I just tried Unisom's Natural Nights, though I think the B6 kept me more awake than asleep. I really like the idea of a slow release Melatonin - that helps you all night to regulate sleep cycles.

Is there a Melatonin - JUST MELATONIN (no B6) out there that is slow release that you have tried and would recommend?

Thanks!

Why do you feel you are deficient in melatonin?

DreamStalker, (good morning! ) I think the brain injuries definitely messed up my sleep cycles - especially the first one, as I became a consummate insomniac afterward, but I also spent too long working two full time jobs back to back and only sleeping for four hours on Mondays. . . (ended up in the hospital with system shut down and septicemia - which disproved the common thought of the day that sleep had no real purpose.)

My sleep patterns are all over the place most of the time, and I never get more than a half of an hour of deep sleep. I've talked to my doc about it and melatonin was what he suggested.

You should start off with a low dose (1 or 2 mg) for about a week and see what happens.

I tried taking it on an experimental basis a few years ago to enhance my dreams. So I was not actually deficient. With only a couple of mg per evening, I did indeed have intense vivid dreams but when I stopped after a week on the hormone, I experienced insommnia for about a week afterwards. As bap40 mentioned, your pineal gland will cut back production if you supplement when you don't have a melatonin deficiency. So do be careful. Try it for a week and then stop to see what happens so that you don't make things worse.

Melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland and the primary amino acid required for the production of melatonin is tryptophan. So if you are deficient in melatonin production you may try adding more protein into your diet. I pormote a low-carb diet and when you do eat your carbs, they are best taken in the evening with tryptophan rich protein ... the carb induced insulin spike packs the tryptophan where it is needed. Sunlight is another ingredient in the production of melotonin. The red end of the light spectrum striking the rods and cones of your eyes triggers the production of melatonin ... so get out and view the sunsets in the eveneing or get yourself an red/amber colored light for indoors if you are a night owl and prefer to stay up late.

On another note, melatonin is the precursor hormone for serotonin, another important hormone .... so if you are truely melatonin deficient, you will also be serotonin deficient.

Very interesting.
I think before I take any more of the melatonin, I'm going to do some significant research and talk to my new doc, and my sleep doc. I don't want to mess myself up more. . .but I'm really wanting my sleep to get straightened out. . .I'm always so very tired. **sigh**

But it's worth being patient and doing this right.

[fredr500]

My sleep doc told me that 3-6mg of Melatonin probably wouldn't do anything, he recommended 9 or more. Even at 9 I don't see a difference so I quit.

That was before my first sleep study and CPAP. Tried a 6 and 9mg a few times on CPAP, still no discernible difference.

Just for the sake of seeing what it will do, would you consider taking a 1mg for a few nights to see if it might act differently?

Would you settle for 1.5mg? That's what my pills are, I can give that a try if you think it might make a difference.

Took one pill before bed last night. Went to sleep quickly, AHI=1.4, one OA the rest CAs.

Still awoke around 2am, tossed and turned for about an hour before getting back to sleep. The majority of my CAs were in a 5 minute cluster around 5am.

Will continue taking 1 pill/day and see if it helps over time.

[FL andy]

Melatonin: Necessary human hormone that decreases naturally with age.

Other uses include: existing Cancer treatment (and possibly slows risk), Memory and Alzheimer Disease, Prostate, Thyroid, ringing in the ears, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, migraine and other headaches, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bone loss (osteoporosis), as an anti-aging agent, for menopause.

http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatme ... /melatonin[American Cancer Society]
“Researchers at Yale University first discovered melatonin and its connection to the pineal gland in the late 1950s. Its link to sleep and hormonal influences and its possible link to cancer have been studied since that time. Melatonin became available as a dietary supplement in the 1990s. [Many countries require a doctor’s prescription]

“Some recent research has suggested that low melatonin levels in the body may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer….Melatonin has been shown to slow or stop the growth of several types of cancer cells when studied in the laboratory. Whether this same effect occurs in the body is unknown.”

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/drug ... l/940.html
“Melatonin is a hormone found naturally in the body. Melatonin used as medicine is usually made synthetically in a laboratory. It is most commonly available in pill form, but melatonin is also available in forms that can be placed in the cheek or under the tongue. This allows the melatonin to be absorbed directly into the body.

“People use melatonin to adjust the body’s internal clock. It is used for jet lag, for adjusting sleep-wake cycles in people whose daily work schedule changes (shift-work disorder), and for helping blind people establish a day and night cycle.

“Melatonin is also used for the inability to fall asleep (insomnia); delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS); insomnia associated with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); insomnia due to certain high blood pressure medications called beta-blockers; and sleep problems in children with developmental disorders including autism, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation. It is also used as a sleep aid after discontinuing the use of benzodiazepine drugs and to reduce the side effects of stopping smoking.

“Some people use melatonin for Alzheimer’s disease, ringing in the ears, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, migraine and other headaches, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bone loss (osteoporosis), a movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia (TD), epilepsy, as an anti-aging agent, for menopause, and for birth control.

“Other uses include breast cancer, brain cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, head cancer, neck cancer, and gastrointestinal cancer. Melatonin is also used for some of the side effects of cancer treatment (chemotherapy) including weight loss, nerve pain, weakness, and a lowered number of clot-forming cells (thrombocytopenia).”