Melatonin

[kelpie169]

Anyone have experience? How'd it work for your kids? Dosage? Our sons doc said to give it a try an this is the first night. Fingers crossed.

[iris0110]

Both of my boys take 1mg at night. Sometimes Kearnan needs as much as 2mg to fall asleep. My guys both have special needs and it does help them get to sleep and stay asleep. Tharen has spent the night in my bed in months (though I think his psychiatric meds are helping with that as well). Kearnan used to stay up most of the night talking to himself or complaining of the inability to fall asleep but the melatonin really helps. Kearnan is 11 and 73lbs, Tharen is 7 and 40lbs if that helps for dosing.

[mommabritt]

I think my DS who is 7 would benefit from it. He has a hard time getting to sleep every night. He fights it just like he did as an infant.

[luvsviola]

Any idea what a good adult dose is for someone that still has to get up at 6 am and function? I want to try it for me, but don't want to feel icky when I wake up.

[BeccaSueCongdon]

Originally Posted by luvsviola Any idea what a good adult dose is for someone that still has to get up at 6 am and function? I want to try it for me, but don't want to feel icky when I wake up.

It isn't supposed to stick with you the way other sleep aids do. An average adult dose is 5mg. You could play it safe and experiment with it on a day when you don't have to be up at 6am (if that's possible). Or you could get the liquid stuff and start with just 1mg and work up to it.

[meeshkasheeba]

I give my 43lb 6yo 1.5 mg about 45 mins before bed and he is usually ready and sleeps well. He used to stay up for a few hours and then he would get up two, sometimes three times in the middle of the night. It works well for him. I am thinking I may try it also due to sleeplessness and my inablilty to go to sleep.

[iris0110]

Maybe start at 2mg and work your way up? I wouldn't want to go crazy depending on how many hours you are actually going to be in bed but I don't think melatonin actually works like your typical sleep aid either (don't think it causes hang overs or anything).

[MyLovely]

I work selling supplements and have been trained by the people who dedicate their lives to studying/creating these products, and you really, really need to be careful with melatonin. It's not just a supplement, it's an actual hormone that can interfere with your own melatonin production. Even the people who profit off of it are adamant that it's used as a last resort. Now, certain types of special needs inhibit melatonin production and those kids/adults can benefit from it. For most people though, it is a last resort option.

Some sleep tips for both kids and adults.

-NO screen time 2+ hours before bed. Quiet playing or reading only.
-Routine. Have a bedtime routine. Stick with it no matter what.
-Go to bed at the same time and wake up every day.
-No caffeine after 2 pm, or at ALL if that doesn't work.
-Exercise in the late afternoon, but not too close to bed.

The most important thing is to look at why (general, since both kids and adults have been discussed in this thread) your sleep is suffering. Do you have a hard time relaxing enough to get to sleep? Try some theanine or tryptophan, or a cup of chamomile tea. Do you have a problem staying asleep? Make sure the room is completely dark. This even means no LED/lit alarm clocks. It also needs to be quiet, and you may want to consider a white noise machine if absolute silence isn't possible.

Good sleep is tough. I'm a terrible sleeper, so I have the utmost sympathy. However, melatonin is serious business so please, try absolutely everything else first.

ETA: Too much melatonin makes your sleep worse. Unless you have some serious, serious problems going on (which necessitate much more intervention), 0.5-1 mg is the MAX anyone should be taking.

[BeccaSueCongdon]

Originally Posted by MyLovely I work selling supplements and have been trained by the people who dedicate their lives to studying/creating these products, and you really, really need to be careful with melatonin. It's not just a supplement, it's an actual hormone that can interfere with your own melatonin production. Even the people who profit off of it are adamant that it's used as a last resort. Now, certain types of special needs inhibit melatonin production and those kids/adults can benefit from it. For most people though, it is a last resort option. Some sleep tips for both kids and adults. -NO screen time 2+ hours before bed. Quiet playing or reading only. -Routine. Have a bedtime routine. Stick with it no matter what. -Go to bed at the same time and wake up every day. -No caffeine after 2 pm, or at ALL if that doesn't work. -Exercise in the late afternoon, but not too close to bed. The most important thing is to look at why (general, since both kids and adults have been discussed in this thread) your sleep is suffering. Do you have a hard time relaxing enough to get to sleep? Try some theanine or tryptophan, or a cup of chamomile tea. Do you have a problem staying asleep? Make sure the room is completely dark. This even means no LED/lit alarm clocks. It also needs to be quiet, and you may want to consider a white noise machine if absolute silence isn't possible. Good sleep is tough. I'm a terrible sleeper, so I have the utmost sympathy. However, melatonin is serious business so please, try absolutely everything else first. ETA: Too much melatonin makes your sleep worse. Unless you have some serious, serious problems going on (which necessitate much more intervention), 0.5-1 mg is the MAX anyone should be taking.

Where do you work? I think I remember your warnings from other melatonin threads and was actually waiting for you to chime in. ;-)

[misskira]

Not that dr.oz is necessarily a reliable source, but they had a really interesting segment on melatonin last week I think. Its aid a lot of what my lovely is saying.