Has anyone taken melatonin for insomnia

[desperatelydunin]

Every night I wake up after only a few hours of sleep and it’s killing me. I follow a really strict sleep hygiene routine to no avail. Have you found melatonin any good and if so which ones do you take?

Have you thought about changing your sleep routine if it’s not working ?

I’ve used it. Initially it worked really well, but l think you build up a sort of tolerance to it. 6 months later it’s not really working.

My French friends swear by it (you can buy it over the counter in France), but I had my GP prescribe it (peri-menopausal insomnia), and didn't notice much difference.

Have you thought about changing your sleep routine if it’s not working ?

OP literally says two cms up that she follows strict sleep routine...

@GoodnightGrandma I don’t know what else I can do. I don’t drink alcohol or coffee, I exercise and get daylight, I don’t eat after 6pm, I eat healthy food plus prebiotics. I think I’ve done absolutely everything I can
@ArseInTheCoOpWindow that’s annoying

I bought some in the USA last time I visited not sure it did much for me to be honest, it might have been a low dose.

GoodnightGrandma apologies, I see you suggest changing it!

Yes it works, although I find it sometimes makes me feel a bit sleepy the next day.

I also take magnesium and spray it on my legs every night.

Yes DH gets 5mg gummies from Biovea online (he's autistic and has never slept well though, rather than a bout of insomnia). Takes about 3 or 4 weeks to arrive though.

@Cranncat that’s interesting as I’m probably peri menopausal (I’m 47)

I'm autistic and have ADHD, both of which which notoriously affect sleep and I don't think I've ever slept through the night. I bought melatonin when I was in the US and it helped me fall asleep but not stay asleep, and I woke up feeling really rough and hungover.

I use melatonin for jetlag and occasionally when I have sleep issues. For me it has to be the maximum dose (10mg) as less than that has no effect on me. I will feel a bit groggy the next morning so wouldn't use it when I have an early start the next day. You shouldn't take it for longer than a few days so it's a very short term solution.

I use Nature's Bounty imported from the U.S.

Have you tried Valerian Root? That can also help with sleep but it can take a few days to build up and you shouldn't take it for longer than a month. Was recommended to me by US colleagues (I used to travel a lot from UK to mid-west US so jetlag was an regular issue).

I tried it for post partum insomnia, in order to get to sleep more easily but it didn't really help me. I could feel the moment the melatonin hit but then it would just disappear again and I'd still be awake... I think you have to be somewhat already able to fall asleep and feel relaxed and go with the melatonin the moment it hits or something...

I bought myself melatonin when I was having treatment for cancer. I found I usually had no problems getting to sleep but often woke up after 6 hours. I told my lovely oncologist about the melatonin and she didn't seem to have any problems with it.

I bought it from Luxembourg IIRC.

I keep on trying it but it never works.

The right HRT was transformational for my sleep though. The first three night of estrogel I had 12+ hours of sleep three years later and my sleep is better than pre-hrt but not as good as those first few weeks.

I take it, biovea as pp said. I probably take too much but it helps me.

People do use it long term, there just haven't been clinical trials into it and it's not formally recommended.

If you don't produce melatonin naturally then surely it's just a supplement like any other?

Kirkland sleep aid works for me

I use it for long haul flights. You can buy it otc in the US and I always stock up. Hope they haven't expired during lockdown! With melatonin and noise-cancelling headphones I find I can drift off quite happily in economy.

Kiwi fruit have the same effect as melatonin aparrantly. Saw it on a BBC documentary on sleep. 2 kiwi fruit a couple of hours before bed massively improves sleep. I found this to be entirely true. I also found I was allergic to kiwi fruit so had to stop. The doctor then prescriped melatonin instead as she said it was pretty much the same stuff. I did sleep better but the next day I was utterly wrecked so I didn't take it again.

I do but not every night, I find it works without the hangover feeling I get from sleeping tablets.

I have taken it in the past,worked but made me feel awful the next day.

I have taken all sorts over the years,the only thing that works and doesn’t have any side effects the next day is a Magnesium Supplement.

I go to one of the national herbal chains, like Culpepers or Neal's Yard, and get their own sleepy teas plus valerian root, 1/4 valerian root. I grind it down a little when I get it home, root and chamomile flowers are a bit big

I'll try kiwi fruit this winter. Thanks for that.

Yep, I use it occasionally. It took me a while to find the right dose but I've settled on 4 x 3mg