Who takes melatonin to sleep?

[FloridaJim57]

If you take it, may I ask how many mgs do you take and how well does it work? Any advice appreciated for this insomniac.

 

[DrRoy]

I take 3 mg if needed to help me get back to sleep in the middle of the night. It only has a mild effect on me. Sometimes I need something stronger. I think the melatonin is safer, though.

 

[bobbyr]

i take 10 mg most nights (also benadryl) - i drink coffee, so the melatonin helps

I am asleep usually within 10 minutes

 

[Jerry1]

Start with the smallest dose. I tried it and did not like it. It created dreams that were very disturbing. DW takes a little bit once in awhile and doe okay. I think hers are 5mg.

 

[Aerides]

There have been a couple of threads on this you can use Search to read.

General consensus is it works for some, but won't make you sleep all night. Just triggers the hormones to become sleepy faster. There are no long term studies on safety, but there probably never will be because it's super cheap.

You can find as low as 1-2 mg doses and it's best to start with the lowest.

 

[big-papa]

I did for a while and these days I only do it when I travel abroad to help reset my clock.
What I found
- Works great for a couple of days, then the effect seems to diminish unless I'm off of it for a while
- After I wake up, sometime later in the morning, I would get a second round of effects where I would become extremely sleepy and would end up taking a morning nap for an hour or so. Even after that some grogginess would be around for a few more hours.

 

[big-papa]

Start with the smallest dose. I tried it and did not like it. It created dreams that were very disturbing. DW takes a little bit once in awhile and doe okay. I think hers are 5mg.

Didn't have that one, but years ago I took vitamin E and that definitely caused some strange dreams for me...

 

[MRG]

I've been a lifelong insomniac. I've used melatonin occasionally, lowest effective dose is best. Keep in mind your body dumps melatonin naturally so you don't want to interfere with that.

I've used most OTC and prescription medications for sleep and after retirement it's much better, nobody calls me in the middle of the night anymore. My last huge change was after deviated septum surgery, wow! They asked about my sleep prior to surgery and I said it's great. I didn't know what good sleep was!

For me no alcohol, deep breathing, an occasional benadryl is good. Ever had a sleep study? I wish I'd done it decades ago.

 

[candrew]

I've tried melatonin without success. This method, however, works for me.

 

[Ian S]

3 mg of melatonin each night and initially had vivid dreams - not so much now. I'm also on a low dose of metoprolol at night which I'm told also makes you sleepy. I go to sleep pretty fast usually and while I might wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, I usually fall back asleep. Only problem will be if I have an early start in the morning say to head to the airport for a trip. Then I don't sleep very well at all.

 

[mpeirce]

Start with the smallest dose. I tried it and did not like it. It created dreams that were very disturbing. DW takes a little bit once in awhile and doe okay. I think hers are 5mg.

Interesting. Drinking beer (which I do very rarely) does this to me - very vivid dreams. Not other alcohol, just beer.

Melatonin on the other hand has no such effect on me.

I take a small (3mg) dose most nights. It seems to help to keep me on my sleep schedule. If I drop it for a while I seem to drift a bit and don’t fall asleep right away as I usually do. So since it’s cheap and apparently has little to no downside for me, I keep it up.

 

[MarieIG]

I take 9 mg; in three capsules. One of the three is an extended release formula. I have been doing this for several years, although my sleep has improved since I retired.

 

[big-papa]

I've been a lifelong insomniac. I've used melatonin occasionally, lowest effective dose is best. Keep in mind your body dumps melatonin naturally so you don't want to interfere with that.

I've used most OTC and prescription medications for sleep and after retirement it's much better, nobody calls me in the middle of the night anymore. My last huge change was after deviated septum surgery, wow! They asked about my sleep prior to surgery and I said it's great. I didn't know what good sleep was!

For me no alcohol, deep breathing, an occasional benadryl is good. Ever had a sleep study? I wish I'd done it decades ago.

I did a sleep study a couple of years ago. Probably the worst night sleep I ever had. Uncomfortable wiring harness, not my bed, and somebody was watching me!!! If I do it again it'll be with one of the take-home kits...

Cheers

 

[GenXguy]

I've been taking it for months because I have such serious sleep problems due to loud tinnitus, but I can't say that it's effective at all for me. I had been taking 1.25mg (1/4 of a 5mg tablet) and more recently changed to 2.5mg timer release melatonin (1/2 of a 5mg time release tablet). I haven't noticed any improvement with the larger dose that's time release. And splitting the pill probably renders the time release somewhat ineffective. Although falling asleep is sometimes a problem for me, my bigger problem is waking up in the middle of the night and sometimes not being able to get back to sleep. And if I do get back to sleep, I usually wake up again a while later.

 

[pacergal]

Melatonin worked best for me, used it for several years I had tried Benadryl (diphenhydramamine), Valerian Root, RX meds from doc., CBD/THC gummies.
I was at 3 mg. quick dissolve Melatonin.

I noticed over the years that I started waking up more often between 3-4.
I stopped all and have discovered I am sleeping better, falling asleep on my own and have started remembering a few dreams!
I have a set sleep hygiene routine that I follow. I had noticed that I was varying my bedtime more and more, and stress! Stress from work, and then in retirement, I started staying up later. Having a varied bedtime actually caused more stressful sleep.
I may still wake up early, but now more often about 5, so similar to my work wake up time again.
I may use Melatonin in the future again, but for now, I am happy my sleep regimen is working for me again! Back to about 6-8 pretty solid hours of sleep, which is far better than 3-4 as it was.

 

[GenXguy]

I've tried melatonin without success. This method, however, works for me.

Brain tapping, huh? How long do you actually do that tapping? I've never heard of that one. Probably wouldn't work if you keep waking up due to loud tinnitus. I get 3 to 5 hours most of the time , sometimes no sleep or just 1 or 2 hours. If I ever get more than 5, it's on a weekend or vacation, but often still come up shorter than that on sleep then as well.

Here's a recent thread here on sleeping:

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/good-natural-sleep-aid-113480.html

 

[Badger]

If you take it, may I ask how many mgs do you take and how well does it work? Any advice appreciated for this insomniac.

I tried melatonin and was not impressed with its effectiveness. I guess I should get rid of the half full bottle since it is well past the expiration date. Once other options became legally available in Florida I more than qualified for numerous other reasons. I sparingly use gummies provided by the approved dispensaries and have found them to be a better alternative to find what is effective for me. I only use enough to relax and fall asleep in an hour so I plan accordingly. As with any medication everyone responds at different levels so if this is an option YMMV

Cheers!

 

[Dawg52]

I tried 3,5 and 10 mg and none worked for me.

 

[O2Bfree]

I find it most effective when I'm having trouble falling back asleep. I'll take just 1 mg. I also take it before bedtime sometimes, like if my mind feels particularly revved up for some reason.

I've been reading that melatonin is an excellent antioxidant and has a number of other possible benefits involving eye health, seasonal depression, human growth hormone production, and GERD treatment. Perhaps long-term studies will show effects on longevity.