1. Get our daily digest email where we email the latest new topics from our Strictly Health forum to keep up with the latest developments! Click here to subscribe.

Melatonin - Do you take it?

Discussion in 'Your Living Room' started by Donamo, Mar 3, 2021.

  1. Donamo

    Donamo Active Member

    437
    86
    28
    May 12, 2014
    This is a bit off topic, I know. I have read that as we get older, our bodies produce less melatonin and this is the reason, or one of the reasons, older people have trouble sleeping. I am one of those older people who has trouble sleeping.

    I have been experimenting with different sleep aids based on melatonin and I do find it slightly improves my sleeping. However, I am suspicious that the quality of sleep is not as good.

    As an example, I took a 5 mg slow release melatonin pill last night and I woke up less often during the night than my usual, but this evening I am more tired than I should be based on my sleep last night and today's activities. I have noticed this before too but it is something that is hard to really know for sure.

    Does melatonin make your sleep less healing, less restorative?

    I was wondering of any of the good people here had some experience with melatonin they can share.

    Thank you!
     
  2. Bulldogs

    Bulldogs Well-Known Member

    3,210
    153
    63
    May 12, 2014
    Hey Don
    I’ve taken it and when I do I sleep like a baby.

    Are u having nightmares about your golf game that’s keeping you up all night...

    Be good my friend, enjoy that weather
     
  3. John of Ohio

    John of Ohio Active Member

    775
    121
    43
    May 17, 2014
    Another factor in sleep inadequacy can be the blue light factor. The retina has some special color-sensing cells that sense the presence of small amounts of blue light. In pre-modern times, these cells detected the loss of blue shades of light in the evening. That then signals the pineal gland to start producing melatonin, which then facilitates and enhances sound sleep.

    But modern light sources, and especially computer monitor screens (and TVs) produce ample amounts of blue light, all the time. Therefore, the pineal gland fails to get a "the sun's going down, start making melatonin" signal. Consequently, one must lay in bed for some good time before the pineal gland catches up. All night long you are behind on melatonin, causing poor or weak or short sleep, all because of too much bluish light in the evening.

    Until a month ago, I had heard of all of this, and thought it crazy. Then, I read that on my Windows computer I could hit Settings, then under Display hit the Night Light Settings. I slid the slider bar to "45" and clicked ON on the Schedule line below. I set this to turn on at 7pm, and go back to normal (off) at 7am.

    Now, I sleep very soundly. Have more intense, vivid dreams, and wake up far more rested each morning. I spend a lot of my evenings doing computer work; but now without the sleep-killing blue shades of light. Makes, for me, a giant difference.

    Then, I also purchased online a pair of blue-filtering glasses. I wear those when I'm watching TV in the evening.

    For me, this has all been very healthful.

    --John of Ohio
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  4. IvanNew

    IvanNew Active Member

    221
    67
    28
    Jan 18, 2021
    I have tried many things to sleep, but most pills make me sleep, but not rest. Melatonin would be one of the best things I tried, but it wasn't terribly good at helping me get sleepy either.

    In the end, the best thing to sleep is to have sleep hygiene that consists of having routines that tame the brain to have sleep and rest, in essence:
    -Getting up in the morning always at the same time, it is not necessary to get up early, but not to stay in bed all morning.

    -Go to bed at night always at the same time, it is not necessary that it be very early, but not very late either.

    -Do not look at screens such as televisions, mobile phones, computers, tablets, etc. Two hours before sleeping.

    -During the day, do an hour of exercise, depending on your age it can be intense or light exercise, for an older person walking an hour is enough. You should not exercise or work in the four hours before going to bed or it will activate your body.

    -If you can, the ideal is to spend as much time as possible outside, daylight and dusk are signals for the brain that you have to activate / sleep. If it cannot be outside, the ideal is to have the rooms well lit so that the brain captures the light of day and night.

    -Routines are key in this too: Eat at the same times always, especially at dinner time. Having the same routine before bed also helps. For example: I have dinner at 8pm, I shower and brush my teeth at 10pm and I go to bed to read a book.

    -Obviously do not drink coffee, tea, etc. Five hours before going to sleep, it can be consumed in the morning although I have honestly found that a glass of water gives me more energy than my traditional cup of coffee. You can take relaxing teas in the afternoon (linden, lemon balm, lemon verbena, valerian, etc.), but take them two hours before bedtime or your bladder will prevent you from sleeping.

    Doing that with effort for a month restores sleep, I have tried it many times because I tend to have sleep disorders because I stay up late because of my studies or because of the damn Netflix, whenever I get serious I go back to having a healthy sleep.

    Regarding chemical aids, in my experience the best have been melatonin, magnesium (of various types), inositol and GABA. They are all safe food supplements, the medications I have tried (alprazolam, diazepam, lorazepam and diphenhydramine hydrochloride) can help you sleep early one day to get up early the next easier, but in the medium term their effect decreases and you end up having bad sleep.

    Specifically, the diphenhydramine hydrochloride made me dream a lot and wake up with a headache and a lot of thirst as if I had a hangover after a night out.
     
  5. Donamo

    Donamo Active Member

    437
    86
    28
    May 12, 2014
    Thank you for your replies! I did know about the blue light but did not know about the settings on the computer and I have set my iPad to the same setting now. We will see if that helps!

    For the last few nights I have taken a 5mg supplement that says it has two layers, a fast one and a slow release one. For me, falling asleep is not as big of a problem as staying asleep. It does seem to help some but I'm just not sure if some of that time is spent "asleep but not resting" as Ivan says. Thanks again!
     
  6. IvanNew

    IvanNew Active Member

    221
    67
    28
    Jan 18, 2021
    Try GABA.
     
  7. Donamo

    Donamo Active Member

    437
    86
    28
    May 12, 2014
    Quite amazing! I set my computer and my iPad to minimum blue light in the evening. My evenings typically end with about an hour on my iPad playing Spades :). The first night I was really tired and I slept incredibly well! I only woke up once which is pretty much a miracle for me. The second night I wasn't as tired of course but I still slept very well! Wow, who would have thought? I slept better than when I was taking a melatonin pill or liquid.

    I have some GABA on the way, but so far (only two nights) no blue light is working extremely well.
     
  8. Autumninthefall

    Autumninthefall Active Member

    198
    75
    28
    Aug 10, 2019
    If I'm not in an insomnia phase, avoiding blue light and taking the following does the trick and shows a difference in my deep sleep cycles via app tracking: vitamin D3, magnesium(with dinner) and then I take a sleeping aid capsule that contains 6mg melatonin, GABA, valerian root, passion flower extract, chamomile extract, lemon balm extract and L-theanine *cleared by my doctor, fyi, which I'd say everyone should do before adding to their regimen:)
     
  9. Jenski

    Jenski New Member

    15
    2
    3
    Apr 5, 2020
    I haven't tried melatonin but I use Joy Organics CBD tincture (thc free) and 300 mg of magnesium before bed, I sleep like a baby now and feel great in the morning. I agree that avoiding blue light at bedtime should help with your quality of sleep.
     
  10. twodogs

    twodogs Member

    105
    19
    18
    Jul 26, 2018
    it works so very well for me
     

Share This Page