Melatonin impairs morning cognition in healthy young adults (2023) • Hacker News Board

Re: Melatonin impairs morning cognition in healthy young adults (2023)

#111

Post by mft_ » Sun, Aug 09, 2026, 10:08 AM UTC

rusk wrote: post #103

budsniffer952 wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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Pharma and Healthcare was the implication I believe. The US approach to these things has a bad reputation internationally though I am informed that it’s an amazing system if you’re rich.

Let’s not conflate US pharma with their healthcare more generally.

The US is dominant in pharmaceutical and biotech, and FDA is generally excellent as a regulator, despite (IMO) sometimes being too conservative and resistant to any ideas not gestated within the agency. There are weird quirks (like the wide and wacky dosages of melatonin available over the counter, in this example) but most countries have such quirks.

Re: Melatonin impairs morning cognition in healthy young adults (2023)

#112

Post by maccard » Sun, Aug 09, 2026, 10:10 AM UTC

siren2026 wrote: post #93

theusus wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Waking up at 6 AM and doing workout did wonders to my mental health.

What do you think was the difference with working out in the evening or just shifting your day by a couple hours?

I’ve had the same experience as the parent (well, 7am). No idea but it was a marked difference.

Re: Melatonin impairs morning cognition in healthy young adults (2023)

#113

Post by Fluorescence » Sun, Aug 09, 2026, 10:11 AM UTC

siren2026 wrote: post #93

theusus wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Waking up at 6 AM and doing workout did wonders to my mental health.

What do you think was the difference with working out in the evening or just shifting your day by a couple hours?

Not op, but I have been forced to switch to morning workouts for the past year and they as bad as they always were for me.

Above low intensity and I am impaired for the rest of the day - struggling with low energy, cognitively dulled and desperate for a nap. This applies even though it's not from sacrificing sleep at 05:00 like some folk do but a leisurely 08:30 or later.

My evening workout schedule (for decades) lets me push to total exhaustion and pass out immediately after eating. One of it's prime benefits was totally solving insomnia/sleep-procrastination of a night owl with an involuntarily regular sleep schedule. I am always spent after exercise not energised.

Re: Melatonin impairs morning cognition in healthy young adults (2023)

#114

Post by canarypilot » Sun, Aug 09, 2026, 10:19 AM UTC

budsniffer952 wrote: post #100

mettamage wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go to the Netherlands, to the Kruidvat (or Etos or something similar) and just buy a lifetime worth of supply of Melatonin. It's 0.1 mg. I'm Dutch and live here. But my wife is American. If I ever happen to live in the US (chances are there in my lifetime). I'm going to employ this strategy. I don't trust the US with this and the Netherlands has proven itself to me in this sense. There are probably many more European…

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Re: Melatonin impairs morning cognition in healthy young adults (2023)

#115

Post by potamic » Sun, Aug 09, 2026, 10:29 AM UTC

rapsey wrote: post #49

johntash wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What else is part of your rotating stacks? Asking as someone who melatonin doesn't seem to help much

Insomniac for 20 years. What was a complete solution for me was: magnesium, b6 p5p (p5p form very important) and the ultimate punch glycine. Glycine takes some getting used to, as you will have crazy intense dreams at first. But it is a very safe supplement to take even in large doses. I always had huge insomnia issues after a physically intensive days after workouts. The stack I settled on solved it. A heavy day jus…

How much of each do you take and when do you take them?

Re: Melatonin impairs morning cognition in healthy young adults (2023)

#116

Post by mlrtime » Sun, Aug 09, 2026, 10:38 AM UTC

rusk wrote: post #103

budsniffer952 wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Pharma and Healthcare was the implication I believe. The US approach to these things has a bad reputation internationally though I am informed that it’s an amazing system if you’re rich.

Are you implying that everyone in the US is taking unknown quantities of OTC medications?

Unless you have some data to backup this claim, it is tinfoil hat speaking.

Re: Melatonin impairs morning cognition in healthy young adults (2023)

#117

Post by alkyon » Sun, Aug 09, 2026, 10:42 AM UTC

I stopped taking melatonin because I had problems waking up in the morning and was getting nasty headaches even with half a dose (1 mg).

Edit: Maybe I should try reducing the dose even further (to 200 μg) as mentioned in other posts here

Re: Melatonin impairs morning cognition in healthy young adults (2023)

#118

Post by entropie » Sun, Aug 09, 2026, 10:46 AM UTC

toilet wrote: post #105

budsniffer952 wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love that people have developed a "sleep stack" without ever even knowing if what they take is improving the effects of sleep.

People would rather get a wifi connected smart bed and track their sleep stats with a smart watch than put their phone away and read a book before bed

Which is total unrelated and therefore i dont know what you want to commit to the discussion.

Re: Melatonin impairs morning cognition in healthy young adults (2023)

#119

Post by hackable_sand » Sun, Aug 09, 2026, 10:46 AM UTC

fragmede wrote: post #107

toilet wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People would rather get a wifi connected smart bed and track their sleep stats with a smart watch than put their phone away and read a book before bed

To be fair, the 8sleep is pretty nice because it heats and cools you so you get better sleep, and you can still put your phone away if you have one.

Better sleep than what?

Humans have been sleeping for at least 400 years

Re: Melatonin impairs morning cognition in healthy young adults (2023)

#120

Post by discreteevent » Sun, Aug 09, 2026, 11:06 AM UTC

toilet wrote: post #105

budsniffer952 wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love that people have developed a "sleep stack" without ever even knowing if what they take is improving the effects of sleep.

People would rather get a wifi connected smart bed and track their sleep stats with a smart watch than put their phone away and read a book before bed

"Americans have a special horror of giving up control, of letting things happen in their own way without interference. They would like to jump down into their stomachs and digest the food and shovel the shit out."

William Burroughs - Naked Lunch