Should I Try Melatonin To Cure Insomnia?
This issue of melatonin dosage has several facets.
First, since melatonin is not subject to strict FDA standards, the dosage may vary greatly from brand to brand and tablet to tablet.
Trade name prescription drugs must contain the amount of medicine indicated on the label, with only a 5 percent variation.
Generic medicines must be within 20 percent of the amount indicated on the label.
No such controls exist for melatonin and other health food preparations.
So the dosage per tablet is somewhat questionable.
If you decide to use melatonin, purchase the most reputable brand available in your area.
This is a great debate in the scientific research community.
One issue centers on the most fundamental question: Does melatonin work any better than a placebo? The largest volume of evidence gives melatonin the nod.
Yes, it is a sleep promoting agent.
In healthy young adults, it decreases the number of nighttime awakenings and shortens the time from lights out the onset of sleep.
But that doesn't mean its right for every body, all the time.
Other debates about melatonin and insomnia focus on how best to use it specially, how large a dose and when during the day.
As we noted previously, the dose we actually need is much smaller than the dose contained inmost tablets.
This means we're putting far more melatonin into our system than we really need, which could constrict blood vessels and cause serious health problem.
Once again, I strongly advise against melatonin if you have a history or a family history of heart attacks, stroke, or blood vessel problems.
If you are all clear in this regard, I advise taking the smallest dose possible, about 0.
5mg.
As for timing, my advice is to follow the body's natural rhythm.
This means taking a small dose at 8 p.
m, about the time the body's natural production is kicking in.
It's best to take melatonin consistently, the same time every night.
Finally, don't forget to combine melatonin with good sleep hygiene and adequate light exposure during the daytime.
Melatonin may be useful to certain people at certain times, but it is not a miracle drug.
If you maintain poor sleep habits, it won't do much good in the long run.
Be aware, too that melatonin is an equal opportunity constrictor of all blood vessels, not just those in the brain and heart.
For example, it may also effect circulation in the legs during exercise, leading to aches and pains.
Some research suggests that melatonin intensifies depression.
This appears to be limited to individual with caused by chemical imbalance in the brain, not sad life circumstance.
Taking melatonin may increase the depression because it is linked to the brain's own chemical process that causes depression.
Dr.
Samantha Hement is the writer of Insomnia blog and sign up for the free 5 days Insomnia e-course.
Read her informative reports about The Secrets of How Doctors Fall Asleep When They Get Insomnia, You've been looking for.
First, since melatonin is not subject to strict FDA standards, the dosage may vary greatly from brand to brand and tablet to tablet.
Trade name prescription drugs must contain the amount of medicine indicated on the label, with only a 5 percent variation.
Generic medicines must be within 20 percent of the amount indicated on the label.
No such controls exist for melatonin and other health food preparations.
So the dosage per tablet is somewhat questionable.
If you decide to use melatonin, purchase the most reputable brand available in your area.
This is a great debate in the scientific research community.
One issue centers on the most fundamental question: Does melatonin work any better than a placebo? The largest volume of evidence gives melatonin the nod.
Yes, it is a sleep promoting agent.
In healthy young adults, it decreases the number of nighttime awakenings and shortens the time from lights out the onset of sleep.
But that doesn't mean its right for every body, all the time.
Other debates about melatonin and insomnia focus on how best to use it specially, how large a dose and when during the day.
As we noted previously, the dose we actually need is much smaller than the dose contained inmost tablets.
This means we're putting far more melatonin into our system than we really need, which could constrict blood vessels and cause serious health problem.
Once again, I strongly advise against melatonin if you have a history or a family history of heart attacks, stroke, or blood vessel problems.
If you are all clear in this regard, I advise taking the smallest dose possible, about 0.
5mg.
As for timing, my advice is to follow the body's natural rhythm.
This means taking a small dose at 8 p.
m, about the time the body's natural production is kicking in.
It's best to take melatonin consistently, the same time every night.
Finally, don't forget to combine melatonin with good sleep hygiene and adequate light exposure during the daytime.
Melatonin may be useful to certain people at certain times, but it is not a miracle drug.
If you maintain poor sleep habits, it won't do much good in the long run.
Be aware, too that melatonin is an equal opportunity constrictor of all blood vessels, not just those in the brain and heart.
For example, it may also effect circulation in the legs during exercise, leading to aches and pains.
Some research suggests that melatonin intensifies depression.
This appears to be limited to individual with caused by chemical imbalance in the brain, not sad life circumstance.
Taking melatonin may increase the depression because it is linked to the brain's own chemical process that causes depression.
Dr.
Samantha Hement is the writer of Insomnia blog and sign up for the free 5 days Insomnia e-course.
Read her informative reports about The Secrets of How Doctors Fall Asleep When They Get Insomnia, You've been looking for.
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