Does anyone use Melatonin?

[LilyWDW]

Melatonin doesn't work for me no matter the dose. I have tried it on more then one occasion. Never had success.

 

[JanaDee]

I'm sure my sleep issues are hormone related, but I'm not willing to drug myself to stay asleep.

I'd rather be tired and go to bed earlier.

 

[CouchTater]

Melatonin by itself has never worked for me. I have chronic insomnia but can't take most OTC sleep aids. Benedryl has just the opposite effect on me it makes me wide awake. I have been using Alteril which contains melatonin but also contains L-Trytophan and some herbal additives. It usually does a pretty good job for me. WalMart has a 30 day supply for about $16.

 

[smj2610]

I tried several different melatonin brands and finally found one that works for me without side effects it's called midnight I absolutely love it and it works usually within 30 minutes and no dreams like the others were giving me you can find it at groceries and pharmacies

 

[penn19]

I use something from I think its Natures Made or Natures Bounty. Its called Relax. They also have one called Sleep. That one hits me quicker. I like the Relax better. I go to sleep pretty quick and stay asleep (for the most part). I used to sleep through the night no problem but, as I have aged, its harder to stay asleep.

 

[Luv2Run]

OMG! The restless leg syndrome, it happens to me too. I feel like a crazy person anytime I take something with the diphenhydramine.

My husband takes melatonin and sleeps like a baby. I take it and stare at the ceiling for hours.
I am going to give the sleepy time tea a try and see if it helps.

Please let me know if it works for you! I recommended it to a friend a while back, and now she swears by it.

OP - I used to live in Alaska, the land of the midnight sun. I went through the rigors of establishing a good sleep routine. I found it was essential, especially during the summer months when the sun went down around midnight and rose around 3am. About an hour before bed, I'd draw my blackout curtains, wash my face & brush my teeth, turn the tv off, and dim the lights enough for me to drink my tea and read a book. I even resorted to wearing a sleep mask on the worst nights, since I need absolute blackness in order to sleep well.

Also, there's an app you can download for your phone called Twilight, and it auto-dims your phone's screen depending on when sunset is. It also converts the blue light on your screen to a pinkish tone, so as to cause less strain on your eyes, and the rosier hue helps ease your brain more than the blue, which keeps you awake. I didn't even realize how much this app helped me, until I turned it off one night and I could really tell the difference.

And one last thing: have you tried tracking your sleep cycles? I have another app called Sleep As Android (I think there's an iPhone version, too, but I can't remember the name). You turn it on as you're about to lay down, set the phone on the corner of your mattress, and it uses the motion sensor to track your sleep cycles (light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep). You can adjust the sensitivity, too, if you sleep with a partner/pet. In the morning, you turn the app off, and it shows you a graph of your sleep patterns. It's really interesting. You can tag it with different things that may affect your sleep (#alcohol, #caffeine, #pet, #exercise, #nap), so you can see if there are any noticeable trends. And my favorite feature are the different sleep sounds you can choose from, to help you stay asleep. I really like the white noise, but there are others like whales, beach waves, rain, etc. You can even set it to pick up if/when you're snoring, to see if you have sleep apnea.

Just a suggestion! I like to help in any way I can.