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Melatonin

gwern.net

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Re: Melatonin

#151

Post by petercooper »

sdrinf wrote: post #149
petercooper wrote: post #146

Melatonin is not easily obtainable here in the UK (as far as I know) so when I saw some in a regular store in the US, I grabbed some to try it. And boy.. I usually have no trouble falling asleep except when travelling or otherwise "out of sync" so I tried it and I felt like I wanted to sleep almost constantly for two days. So it works, but perhaps a bit too well for me, even with a single tablet. Maybe I have an abun…

Got mine from biovea.com (with a eurovital.com logo shrugs ) ; they seem to have no problem whatsoever about shipping to the UK. IIRC, it's widely available in many countries in the EU (specifically eg. Finland), who have no problem whatsoever about shipping it to countries where it's prescription-only.

I suspect you already know this so this is for the benefit of third parties reading this.. but it's legal to buy prescription only drugs from overseas in the UK as long as they're only POM (e.g. modafinil) and not scheduled/classed (e.g. ritalin).

Re: Melatonin

#152

Post by was_hellbanned »

jimzvz wrote: post #77
realitygrill wrote: post #13

I use melatonin regularly to regulate my sleep cycle. It's a very effective part of a regimen (sleep hygiene, f.lux, etc) that allows me to manage a nearly-decade long problem of insomnia. However, from a psychological standpoint, it's a very good thing melatonin is so safe. Every single person I've ever recommended melatonin to, I've directed to this article and discussed it with them. Every single such person then…

I have terrible sleep habits and often find it difficult to fall asleep before 5am. I have been considering trying melatonin but my major concern is that I will become dependent on it. I don't want my body to stop producing whatever small amount it already does through its use as a supplement. How dependent on it would you say you are? How well would you function if you were unable to get hold of it?

Use 500mcg pills. It only takes around 300mcg to get the full effects of melatonin. Once you reach around 1mg, your body will quickly adapt and it will lose effectiveness.

I used 300mcg for months and months, slept better, had vivid dreams, and the effect didn't change. I switched to 500mcg pills from Trader Joe's only because the 300mcg pills stopped being carried locally.

Source: an in-depth article I read years ago that I can never seem to find.

Re: Melatonin

#153

Post by vldx »

IanDrake wrote: post #74

I take 3mg and it works to help me sleep after an hour. I try to get to bed by 10:30. My biggest problem still is that my alarm at 6AM wakes me during my active dream cycle and most restful sleep. I'm not sure how to time shift that to meet my needs. Any advice?

You can check [1] Sleep Cycle.

I'm using it mainly to track my sleep quality and to see my sleep patterns, but the app can wake you up when you're in the lightest sleep phase.

Unfortunately, I didn't use it extensively, so I can't give you adequate opinion on the wake-up function, but it's worth the try.

[1] http://www.sleepcycle.com

Re: Melatonin

#154

Post by andrewflnr »

realitygrill wrote: post #136
afterburner wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not addictive. In fact I found myself not wanting to take it after a while because I had so much energy from getting good sleep, I wanted to stay up late doing stuff. (Even though I should, so I get to sleep at a decent hour.) I recommended 1mg per 50lbs of body weight, and get the fast acting one, not the slow-dissolving one; those made me drowsy the next morning. It is a little harder to snap to attention righ…

Interesting. I'm not sure I've seen extended-release melatonin. IIRC melatonin does not help you stay asleep, so that would be fairly useless. I recommend starting at the smallest dose you can find designed for sublingual (under-the-tongue dissolving) administration. 0.3mg to 1mg is a good range.

Hmm. The article specifically says that disappearance of melatonin enables waking.

Re: Melatonin

#155

Post by dajohnson89 »

I've tried pretty much every Over-The-Counter sleep aid there is. Melatonin is indeed the most effective one I've tried, but my experience is that tolerance builds up rather quickly. I can use it every night for maybe 2-4 weeks, but after that, the amount required to achieve the same effects become absurdly high.

Also, one thing I like about Melatonin is the lucidity of the dreams I experience while sleeping with it. Colors, sensations, and my memory of the dream the next morning are very intense.

Currently I'm using Valerian root[0], which is all-natural, and I don't develop a noticeable tolerance.

0: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerian_%28herb%29

Re: Melatonin

#156

Post by mtrimpe »

goldfeld wrote: post #139
tedks wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it tends to induce horrific, apocalyptic nightmares I've used melatonin for years, as have many of my friends and family, and I've never had anyone mention this. I've always had more vivid dreams with melatonin, but I've never had nightmares.

Perhaps it's something to do with particular makes of the drug, but I've also had my worst nightmares while on it, and the words GP used are spot on for me. My mom, aunt and other members of my family had similar experiences and we've mostly stopped taking it. I did partly because it no longer has the surefire effect it once had on me, and partly because I'd often wake up in a crappy/despairing mood because of the ap…

What kind of dosage are we talking about though? Like 1 or max. 2mg once every few weeks to get you over the hump of sleeping or 5mg every few days and occasionally a double dose?

Re: Melatonin

#157

Post by __--__ »

wissler wrote: post #150
pesenti wrote: post #51

Melatonin is a clear-cut Good Thing. The gains I have laid out are large enough I consider it irrational for someone not to use it. I consider it irrational for someone to believe that a limited number of hand-selected studies can give you absolute confidence.

To the extent that it may permanently inhibit natural melatonin production it is not a good thing. There are tradeoffs.

Do you have any references for that? I'm not pro or con either way (yet), I'm just gathering research. I'd love to know if there are any recorded cases of this and the doses involved.

Re: Melatonin

#158

Post by Kronopath »

nulagrithom wrote: post #33

Melatonin does work wonders, but you never know how your own body might react to it. I have many issues with my sleep cycle and quality of sleep. Melatonin is one of the few things that alleviates my problems. However, for me, it's only good for one night. I can take melatonin for one night out of a month, and get a blissful, restful night of sleep. If I take it two nights in a row, evil side-effects start creeping u…

I'm curious as to what dosage you're taking. Several sources I've seen suggest the dosage they recommend on the package is too high for many of the typical brands out there. Do you experience these symptoms when taking low-dose melatonin (<= 0.5 mg)?

Re: Melatonin

#159

Post by dec0dedab0de »

ChristianMarks wrote: post #114

Gwern comes close to suggesting filtering blue light, but I will repeat a previous post. I've tried melatonin, but it is no substitute for for filtering blue light in my experience, and it tends to induce horrific, apocalyptic nightmares (granted, a night dreaming of EAS Emergency Action Notifications is better than no sleep at all). I used to be an owl for years--decades. A regular 9-5 schedule seemed out of reach.…

I have had very vivid dreams on melatonin, but never any nightmares. I'm wondering if you would have had the nightmare anyway, and melatonin just made it stand out more.

Re: Melatonin

#160

Post by shardling »

tedks wrote: post #127
ChristianMarks wrote: post #114

Gwern comes close to suggesting filtering blue light, but I will repeat a previous post. I've tried melatonin, but it is no substitute for for filtering blue light in my experience, and it tends to induce horrific, apocalyptic nightmares (granted, a night dreaming of EAS Emergency Action Notifications is better than no sleep at all). I used to be an owl for years--decades. A regular 9-5 schedule seemed out of reach.…

> it tends to induce horrific, apocalyptic nightmares I've used melatonin for years, as have many of my friends and family, and I've never had anyone mention this. I've always had more vivid dreams with melatonin, but I've never had nightmares.

Melatonin intensified my dreams but did not prompt nightmares; but then, I never have nightmares any way!

A friend who was prone to nightmares tried melatonin and it made her nightmares worse.

So perhaps it just induces worse nightmares in those prone to having them in the first place.

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