I’ve never been a great sleeper but after my first year of fatherhood I’ve become an awful sleeper and toss+turn usually wake up hourly.
I’m considering trying melatonin or other sleep aids but I really don’t like taking anything (even NSAIDs). What’s your experience, on-going dependence or were you able to get into a good routine and get off the stuff?
I rarely remember my dreams, except when I take melatonin. They’re a lot more vivid, and not always in a good way.
Seemed to works with me ok, no real issues with next day drowsiness. But man the dream!!
big fan of a product called Tranquil Sleep made by Natural Factors - has melatonin, 5HTP and Theanine.
works great
Melatonin will probably help you fall asleep but not stay asleep. I have sleep problems as well. When I really need to sleep I take half an ambien. But I only do that maybe once a month.
I use melatonin about once a month and I like it. . . .my dreams with it are no worse then if I take Tylenol PM
I have taken melatonin a few times but I don’t really like what it does to me.
Try something like Natural Calm. It is a magnesium composite.
Pharmacists take on melatonin
To answer one of your questions, there does not appear to be any withdrawal coming off it.
Otherwise, there are decent reasons to be cautious of taking it and in the '05 and '06 studies, they did not show that the test subjects gained all that much from taking it.
I wouldn’t take it, but then again, I have been sleeping well lately. I understand what its like to sleep crappy and how that can effect rationale.
Melatonin is great. Start small, with like 1 or 3 mg (or split a 3 mg). That should do it, since it will complement what your body produces anyway. I find I sleep great when I use it and don’t develop any dependency. Also, it’s easy to wake up the next day. Feels natural – because it basically is.
In contrast, diphenhydramine (ingredient in benadryl and a lot of the NSAID “PM” versions) also works but it leaves me feeling a bit “druggy” and groggy the next morning. There are other sleep aids like this, but the advantage of melatonin is its “naturalness.”
It’s worth trying.
do you consume caffeine?
quitting completely has finally allowed me to not feel like total shit every single day since having a kid.
something worth trying. Takes 2 or 3 weeks if you were a heavy user.
do you consume caffeine?
quitting completely has finally allowed me to not feel like total shit every single day since having a kid.
something worth trying. Takes 2 or 3 weeks if you were a heavy user.
I tried that last week. I made it 2.5 days. I may have a problem.
Try Ambien and Intermezzo. They are prescription though.
I use Ambien about 1-2x a week just to get that uninterrupted sleep.
Intermezzo is best when you wake up in middle of the nite and cant seem to get back to sleep, gets you that last ~3hrs solid you need.
For me best part for me is i don’t wake up groggy at all from these and dont see any side effects.
I can’t use sleep drugs like Ambien or even Tylenol PM. I’m always a groggy wreck the next day.
I use melatonin 1-3 times a month. It’s hormonal, not a drug, so that makes me feel better. Still, I’m sure you can get into a habit where you body stops producing it because you’re taking it every day.
Several nights a week I work until 11pm-midnight in front of a computer so I have a hard time coming down from that and falling asleep. Pop a melatonin 30 minutes before work wraps up and I coast on in to sleep.
Never used it before a race.
I’ve never been a great sleeper but after my first year of fatherhood I’ve become an awful sleeper and toss+turn usually wake up hourly.
I’m considering trying melatonin or other sleep aids but I really don’t like taking anything (even NSAIDs). What’s your experience, on-going dependence or were you able to get into a good routine and get off the stuff?I’ve used it, as has my wife. It works, but it makes everything about sleep more intense - I dream a little more vividly and my sleep cycles are more distinct. And I wake up refreshed.
It’s not chemically addictive, but you have to keep an eye on your practice to not to rely on it. It sounds like you’ll do that.
You can try to work to very low doses if you continue it. If a particular dose works, the next time you use it (ideally not the next night, but a few weeks later or something), try half the amount. That might be enough. I think half an mg has enough effect on me, though I started with 3mg the first few times.
I would avoid using it several nights in a row if I were you. Rather, I’d try to improve my sleep hygiene. Not easy with a young kid I know.
Reserve the drug for when you’re beat and really need to rest well to recover. A few times a month maybe.
I’m the same way with NSAIDs - just for important moments and probably only a few times a year.
Sometimes I take melatonin in the days following a long weekend or a project deadline. I also try not to nap for longer than 15 minutes and stay away from caffeine past noon. Insomnia definitely sucks.
I tried quitting caffeine cold turkey. I had to go home from work because I was dry-heaving.
Sleep is a natural and essential part of human health. If you’re not able to sleep properly I would look at the underlining reasons why that’s not occurring first and foremost. The list of things to analyse is legion but look to things like:-
If you’re doing all that for a few weeks and nothing happens then maybe look to other solutions. FWIW - For me, three kids under 6, two jobs, and training blah blah blah.
Like this guy I’ve tried doing a lot of this stuff but will admit the wife loves to watch youtube vloggers and stuff there when I am trying to sleep (it really sucks since we are different work schedules and she doesn’t always respect the fact I have insomnia issues).
It has gotten to the point where I can’t remember the last time I got a great nights sleep in the last couple of years and have been tired/exhausted for quite a bit of time. Finally broke down and my pocketbook will take a hit as I finally started seeing some sleep specialists about my issues (might have sleep apnea too) and am waiting for the doctor’s office to call me to setup my follow up appointment since I recently had a sleep study done.
I use melatonin a few times a week, which is a 3mg pill. If I take it later than 8PM, I feel groggy the next day. It does help me sleep, sometimes pretty darn hard, but I do not recall strange or vivid dreams. Sunday and Mondays are best for me. Helps me to get better rest for the rest of the week.
I’ll add that I’d rather take that than Tylenol PM or some other OTC/RX pill.
Caffeine consumption has also dropped. IMO, that’s prob the biggest culprit of why I don’t sleep well, but I like a cup of joe or hot tea throughout the day.
I’ve tried just about everything out there… my two cents on a few of them.
Ambien - holy crap that was fun! Unfortunately my wife disagreed. The first time I took it I didn’t realize how quickly it kicked in and took it before dinner. After my first bite the fried chicken developed a beating heart and started dancing across my plate like the old Michigan J Frog cartoon (Hello my baby, hello my darling…). The second time I took it I was smart enough to be in bed, only to decide I was in the Great Escape (one of my favorite movies). I grabbed my wife’s stuffed animal to “guard the western front”, yelled at her to guard the eastern front, and proceeded to try and dig my way out of the bed, by hand, for 5 - 10 minutes. That’s when she flushed the rest of the pills.
Lunesta - Works well, but leaves me feeling groggy and hung over the next day.
Melatonin - Works okay, if I am regular about it but I eventually require too high of a dose.
Sonata - This is what works for me as I have problem falling asleep but am usually okay once I do. I don’t take it every night, just when I’m trying to reset my sleep schedule or if I have to go to bed early for a 4am wake up call (work, workout, etc).