Melatonin induces sleep apnea?

Hi.

Has anyone been forbiden Malatonine by their doctor? Mine told me it relaxes my throat and therefore makes it colapse even more. I´m bommed ´cause I used to take it to regulate my sleep cycles.

John.

My sleep doctor TOLD me to take it.

I'm wondering if the warning about not using Melatonin is the same as for other meds that may cause the throat to relax more - important to those with untreated OSA, but not to those using a cpap unless it changes the pressure need.

Kathy

Anonymous wrote:Hi.

Has anyone been forbiden Malatonine by their doctor? Mine told me it relaxes my throat and therefore makes it colapse even more. I´m bommed ´cause I used to take it to regulate my sleep cycles.

John.

Even if it did, if the Doctor had gotten you a APAP, and it was set correctly, and you had the software to read the data, you would still be getting the correct treatment.

I would think any thing that would allow you to sleep deeper and longer would also cause more events, but with the correct treatment, you would have less events. Jim

Anonymous wrote:Hi.

...... Mine told me it relaxes my throat and therefore makes it colapse even more. .......

IMO, there is a convoluted truth in this statement. Sleep causes our "airway muscles" to relax and if melatonin causes you to sleep more then you could say melatonin is the cause of more airway muscle relation.

I read a lot about melatonin but never read that it directly causes any muscles to relax.

My opinion:

-you need to read up on melatonin yourself and come to your own decision with melatonin

i try and rely on well respected medical schools or research centers for the info I read about melatonin.

What I found is generally most doctors are against it for 1 reason:

- it is NOT regulated by the FDA and they cannot prescribe it.

end of reasons, as for "excuses" they claim it is uncontrolled and produced in sub-standard factories. They like to quote and use melatonin produced from animals, well supplemental melatonin hasn't been produced from animals for 50 years in the US.

I stick to using melatonin brands I can trust, that is Schiff brands produced here in the US and Wonder brands. It is all about who you trust and are comfortable with.

Melatonin is naturally produced in our bodies. How it gets regulated depends on how much sun light therapy you get. Research I have read ALL seem to suggest that levels go up and down depending on the time of the day, before all the distractions of TV, computers etc. people used to wake up at sunrise and go to bed at sunset. If you sit all day in doors at a desk you may not get the light you need to regulate your melatonin level properly.

Most research I've read on the topic (not one paper but many) indicate that melatonin levels peak out about 2AM in the morning and begin dropping off from there until 6AM when it is at its lowest where it remains until afternoon especially at 1-3 PM where those levels kick in and begin increasing towards evening.

Next, that same research seems to suggest that our melatonin levels go down as we age. So my theory behind supplemental melatonin is I am adding back serum melatonin that age has taken away.

I've taken supplemental melatonin since 1992, no 3rd arm growing out of my forehead or anything.

As for melatonin causing OSA? I'd be looking for a new doctor if I were you. I watched my dad die in my arms at age 51, got to watch him turn blue and take his last breath from a massive heart attack. He had just gotten up from an afternoon nap 30 minutes before. My brother in-laws 31 year old best friend died in his sleep, kid was skinny, I have another friend who lost his twin brother same thing, none of those that passed took melatonin they had OSA. My dad snored like a train, I know he had OSA, mom used to tell us he stopped breathing during the night all the time, she used to elbow him.

The point is you have to read and decide for yourself about melatonin, my opinion most medical doctors are biased against it from the start for reasons stated above.

The doctors that have taken the time to read the research and understand its meaning will suggest melatonin even over the popular fad drugs like Ambien and Lunesta.

Some reading:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entre ... d_RVDocSum

For you hackers:
http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/94/5/1773

If you are into grades:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/drug ... tonin.html

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/melato ... -melatonin

I USE it because it helps me get to sleep and stay asleep, I'm a night person anyway, I have to watch Leno, Conan and Carson and maybe play a bit of poker before falling asleep with the Military channel