Melatonin supplements

[Kaeldre]

As some of you probably saw from my post last week in the WYP forum, I've developed an irregular sleep pattern due to me staying up ridiculously late playing video games.  I'm trying to get back into a regular sleep pattern and my boyfriend suggested that I try taking a melatonin supplement.  He takes them to help with his stress-induced insomnia and he swears by them.  I don't like taking pills or any man-made drugs because I don't like the way most of them make me feel.  I do want to give it a try though, just to see if it'll help.

Does anyone else take these?  Do they help?  Are they addictive in any way?

[kaoskat]

I've taken them and they aren't addictive. They don't really touch my insomnia, but they seem to help the rest of my family. My MIL, who works the night shift swears by them.

[Eviecorn]

My mom takes them and she claims it works well for her.

[Kaeldre]

And, as usual with posts like these, I have no idea if I'm posting this in the right forum. xD

[kaoskat]

LOL Yes, this forum is fine.

[little.fox]

I think you're in the right forum, allright.

Love your sig-pony BTW. Do you play Fallout?

[PandoraFox]

Unfortunately I cannot speak from personal experience since I haven't tried them yet, but my student counselor advised them to me when I told her my sleep pattern was off.

This is what she told me. I cannot guarantee it's 100% correct but here it is.
She stated they were not at all addictive.
From what I've understood, melatonin is something produced by your own body as it gets ready for its sleep cycle.
So basically you're just supplementing your bodies own supply, at a time where it should be producing it and getting ready for sleep, but likely isn't due to your sleep pattern being off.

[Kaeldre]

I think you're in the right forum, allright.

Love your sig-pony BTW. Do you play Fallout?

Okay, good. ^^'

Thanks.   I've played part of FO2, 3 and I've played New Vegas to death.  I loosely based her off of that.  That and I have a thing for the atomic age (50s to early 60s). :3

Post Merge: March 04, 2012, 01:13:44 PM

Unfortunately I cannot speak from personal experience since I haven't tried them yet, but my student counselor advised them to me when I told her my sleep pattern was off.

This is what she told me. I cannot guarantee it's 100% correct but here it is.
She stated they were not at all addictive.
From what I've understood, melatonin is something produced by your own body as it gets ready for its sleep cycle.
So basically you're just supplementing your bodies own supply, at a time where it should be producing it and getting ready for sleep, but likely isn't due to your sleep pattern being off.

Oh, neat. o:

I was under the impression that it was just some other sleep aid.

[JazzMatazz]

melatonin is the hormone that makes you sleepy! I've been drinking Marley's Mellow Mood Tea so I sleep and it has helped me so much! a bit pricy but it makes me sleepy faster than celestial sleepytime tea and when it comes to drinking a pot of tea vs half a bottle of store bought... I go for the store bought :p

[Kaeldre]

I didn't even think to try tea. o:  Thanks, Jazz!

[DoctorMowinckel]

Melatonin won't knock you out if you're wide awake, but if you're tired and take 5-10mgs of it, you'll fall asleep faster. I took it for a while, but recently stopped 'cause my work schedule and my sleep schedule are in sync, not having any melatonin withdrawals, so it's not addictive.

[babystarz]

It doesn't do a thing for me But I have lifelong insomnia, so I need something that will actually make me fall asleep because my body can't do it on its own. Even Ambien isn't strong enough to do anything to me.

Melatonin is safe to take long or short term, since it's a hormone your body naturally produces  If it doesn't help, let your Dr. know and you can try something else.

[rybett]

The only catch is that if you take it for too long, you run the risk of your body deciding not to produce enough of it on it's own.  Then you have to take it.  2-3 days a week is cool, nightly for months, not so good.  That being said, if my Hurricane is overtired/overstimulated, 1 mg is all it takes for ComaMouse.  It seems to just help her mind wind down.

[Diamond]

Melatonin won't knock you out if you're wide awake, but if you're tired and take 5-10mgs of it, you'll fall asleep faster. I took it for a while, but recently stopped 'cause my work schedule and my sleep schedule are in sync, not having any melatonin withdrawals, so it's not addictive.

Actually the highest recommended does on it is 5mg.  I have never seen any that have a higher recommended does then that.  The one time I tried to take more it did not work any better then taking the manufacturers recommended dose.

I take Natures Bounty Super Strength, 5mg in a rapid release soft gel.  The correct use of most Melatonin supplements is to take about a half hour before you plan to go to bed and then lie down in a darkened room and relax.  You can get 1mg, 3mg and 5mg tablets depending upon brand.  I happened upon these and they work decently but not all the time for me. 

They are not addictive and as has been stated earlier are a chemical your body produces but can be messed up due to stress and other factors.

[Kaeldre]

I decided that the benefits outweighed the risks and picked up a bottle of Nature's Bounty 3mg while I was out getting groceries for supper.  I'm still a bit apprehensive about taking it, but if it means getting to sleep quicker tonight it can't be all that bad.  Thanks guys! ^^