I've heard that you should be careful with taking melatonin as a sleep aid because it can make you irritable and depressed. Well, I took a melatonin tablet around 2 AM because I couldn't sleep, and now it's noon and boy do I feel irritated and depressed. Argh. I didn't even realize what was wrong with me until it occurred to me that I'm probably 1. sleep-deprived and 2. still riding on a megadose of hormone which is probably still trying to shut my body and brain down.
For the record, I took a 5 mg extended release tablet of melatonin. It also comes in a 3 mg short release variety which supposedly only lasts twenty minutes, so you have a short window in which to settle down and try to sleep. But I'm finding with the extended release, you'd better have an eight or ten hour block of time to not deal with being awake or being around rambunctious children.
It comes as a spray as well. I only know of it because my brother tried it for his daughter who is a complete night owl. The warning on the bottle said that over time your body can adapt to it, meaning you'll need more of it. Not to mention it can cause nightmares. "Typical users reported dreams becoming more vivid after about ten days taking melatonin."
ReplyDeleteWhich might not bother you unless you already have issues along those lines. lol
It's better to titrate up on melatonin...start with 1-3 mg per night, taken 1-2 hrs before bedtime. In certain individuals it can disrupt sleep patterns. It has also been linked to certain untoward side effects...see this article http://www.nutritionfocus.org/health_notes.aspx?hn_page=vf/healthnotes/HN_Live/Index/Supp_Herb.htm. The database is a great resource for supplement information and drug-supplement interactions, btw. :)
ReplyDeleteHmm - I'll be sure to stay far away from it. I already have enough difficulties with sleeping. No need to complicate things. :)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! I just started taking it and it's really helping me and I'm not dealing with that side effect. I think a large part of that, though, is that I'm using to fall asleep and then sleep for a good 6-8hrs. It's actually helping me get a good night's rest. I hope I don't experience that side-effect, though, because the entire reason I am taking it at all is due to sleep-deprivation because I can't go to sleep!
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