Melatonin

Sir NoddinOff wrote:...I'm kind of low tech regarding my approach to lamp color in the bedroom. I have an old red pair of jockey shorts I put over the florescent desk-lamp next to my bed. It cuts the light emitted by about 90%, plus the red glow is warm and comforting... anyway, it's handy to deploy my 'red sleep boxers' fifteen minutes before I hit the sack, ... The neighbors probably think I'm running a bordello, but who cares what they think.

I think I'll check out the F.lux program, sounds like a good solution to nighttime use of my laptop.

OK, now I have an image in my head that I am having a hard time getting rid of.

But I completely agree with the whole color of light thing. We evolved over hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of years to cool light (3200 degrees) in the daytime and warm light (6500 degrees) at night from the fire that we slept in front of to keep warm. It became an integrated component of our circadian cycle. Only since the industrial revolution, ~1790, have we exposed ourselves to the wrong colors of light at the wrong times of day. So that is ingrained in us, and 225 years is not enough time for us to have evolved away from that.

I have accent strips of LEDs from IKEA that rotate slowly through the colors, but at night I click them over to solid red. I do not need F.lux, though; with just a couple of button presses I can change my monitor's color temp when the later hours of the day approach.

And you are correct; I would never suggest a "drug holiday" for anything that is prescribed, just for vitamins and supplements. Only your doc can guide you for the real stuff.

tlewis303 wrote: I'm trying 3mg around 10pm but still feel groggy in am.

The dosage you are taking is way too high.

How about practicing good sleep hygiene? Moderate, regular exercise? Good diet at the right hours? Those are three requirements for good sleep.

But too many people don't want to be "bothered" with doing the right things for their health. Look for an easy solution from a bottle. They seldom find a solution at all.

tlewis303 wrote:Best time to take this OTC? I'm trying 3mg around 10pm but still feel groggy in am. Dr says to take after dinner but I'm afraid I will feel sleepy in the early evening.
Anyone have success with this for helping them sleep solid through the night while on cpap?

That may be too large a dose for you. Get a pill cutter and cut the tablet in half then in half again.

You can even put the regular tablets under your tongue they melt quite easily. Try a quarter tablet 15-20 min before bed. If you wake then have trouble getting back to sleep try another quarter tablet to see if that helps if there is still more sleep time.

I wonder if your body doesn't adjust to the regular intake of melatonin and then expects it. . . much like Zolpidem (Ambien). Zolpidem is suppose to be non-addictive but everyone I know who has taken it for more than 2 weeks then needs it to sleep at all or go through several non-sleep days for the body to re-adjust back to normal.

SGearhart wrote:I wonder if your body doesn't adjust to the regular intake of melatonin and then expects it.

The amazing body adapts to many things both good & bad. It has adapted to the sleep disorders we have.

I use melatonin to help me adapt to the shift in time this crazy country does twice each year. Or when other things cause me to change my schedule. I always start with the lowest dosage possible so as not to take over what my body needs/wants to do.

I have been taking melatonin for the last month. Life is kind of stressful at the moment and no matter how much sleep hygiene I try I am still wired. It seems to take the edge off and has no residual effect in the morning.

Here is a link about the research showing the various treatments used for circadian rhythm disorders, including melatonin. It seems to be most effective for people with delayed phase syndrome:

http://www.aasmnet.org/resources/practi ... hythm2.pdf

I bought the liquid version of the Melatonin so I could take a lighter dose. It gives me a morning headache if I take too much. No need for a pill,splitter if you buy the liquid. It comes with an eye dropper.

sleeplessinaz wrote:It comes with an eye dropper.

Good idea. We all need shuteye.

ChicagoGranny wrote:

sleeplessinaz wrote:It comes with an eye dropper.

Good idea. We all need shuteye.

I would ask a doctor before putting it in my eyes.

Been taking melatonin for some time now. I take it 20-30 minutes before I go to bed, and use a .3mg dose. Seems to help me get to sleep, but I still wake up after about 6 hours of sleep and have variable results at getting back to sleep. When I wake up, it's too late to take more, so I either get back to sleep or don't. No luck this morning, heavy, noisy, gusty winds here close to the ocean. At least the power's still on, although don't know for how long *smile*.

RogerSC wrote: No luck this morning, heavy, noisy, gusty winds here close to the ocean. At least the power's still on, although don't know for how long *smile*.

Hi Roger. I'm in the same situation here on the CA coast envisioning a massive power failure scenario. I gotta say I'm a little surprised, mostly because you are so tech savvy... I thought you'd have your marine battery/inverter backup ready to go for the winter season.