# Sleep and Dreams > Sleep and Health >  >  Melatonin

## Pocker09

So ive been having insomnia lately and was wondering what i could take to help combat this. My mother told me to try melatonin but before i do i want to know if this will effect my sleep cycle or if it even works? If i use this and it does effect sleep cycle would taking B6 in addition regain sleep cycle/dreaming and let me sleep well?

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## Jdeadevil

Well in my opinion you don't combat insomnia with something that will help you lucid dream. Bit silly if you ask me, because dreams require sleep, and you're not getting sleep thanks to insomnia.

I recommend some good basic tips on battling insomnia.

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## Mes Tarrant

First I would examine what is causing your insomnia.

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## Pocker09

I think you misunderstood, Melatonin is a substance that is saposed to promote sleep. It is similar to triptophan which is in turkey and makes you sleepy. It is a sort of hormone, and what i was wondering was if anyone had any experiance with melatonin and if it works? And if it does work does it effect your sleep and dreams?

UPDATE: i would also like to point out that i cant figure the cause of insomnia, and i used to use benadryl to get to bed but due to my sports i was taking to much of it and became addicted to it via sports so for sleep aid it doesnt help. The 2 things that get me to bed is either not sleeping for literally 2 or 3 days, or using marijuana. I used it once for recreational purposes and that night i feel asleep really quick and it didnt disrupt my sleep cycle. So since then ive used marijuana only when i am really really deprived of sleep, due to social and legal reasons.

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## Mes Tarrant

I've taken melatonin before, and it hasn't affected me one way or the other. But, everyone is different. You are just going to have to try this for yourself and see if it works.

I would first think about why you are having insomnia, though, before rushing off to take supplements.

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## Spartiate

The best cure for insomnia is not sleeping, sooner or later your body will catch up.

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## G0MPgomp

I would only use it at the natural sleeping hour, never to "catch up with sleep" if you know what I mean.  :smiley:

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## Absolute

I bought these pills that has melatonin in it called 'Brilliant Dreams' pills. I'm the type of person who usually takes an hour or so to go to sleep once I hit the hay, but I usually go to bed at like 2 am even though I my have to get up for work 5-6 hours later. The pills themselves completely knock me out. They relax your body so good that I was surprised of how fast I fell asleep the first few nights of using it. I highly recommend it if you have trouble.

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## illusions

Hi Pocker  :smiley: 

First, don't eat or drink anything with caffeen in it after 4pm in the afternoon - I've just discovered it makes all the difference. Aparantly the caffeen doesn't leave your system in time so even if you do manage to fall asleep, you won't be able to sleep deeply and for as long as you need to.

As for Melatonin, our bodies produce this naturally but some people may not produce enough of it. I tried to get some a while ago because I hadn't slept a proper deep sleep through the night for years, but I was told it's not sold over the counter here in the UK. I was going to order it online from the USA, but then I found Paths which increases the body's own Melatonin production, so I never did buy it.

I would say try no caffeen (remember tea and coke have caffeen in them as well as chocolate and coffee) after 4pm first, and see if that helps. You may not need extra Melatonin.  :wink2:

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## gan_naire

I use melatonin on a regular basis, it just helps put me at ease, but ever since I started meditating right before sleeping, I found that the meditation is enough for me to go to sleep. Have to admit, I just like the melatonin, I mean I take it, and right away I will start meditating, and its easier for me to meditate because it just completly relaxes you. And I used to have trouble sleeping too, but it was just because my brain would never slow down and let me sleep. Ever since I started using melatonin, I havent had any problems. However this stuff does work pretty quickly man, so make sure you are in your house ready to go to sleep when you take it. I prefer the dissolvable tablets instead of anything. I find that by drinking any liquid or eating anything within 2 hours of sleeping, it throws me off and keeps me up.

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## vivedream

What helps one person might not help another.  Melatonin doesn't effect me at all.  I agree you need to look closer at what is causing you not to be able to sleep.

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## Axel

My friend told me about this..he said you'd have a LD every night you take it. But can it like, mess up your body? and also I don't think my mom would be too keen on buying it for me. Is there anyway I could get it?

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## Quark

I downed half a bottle of red wine (source of melatonin), and I slept like a baby. No DR though. Jus' saying.

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## Axel

Is melatonin like a pharmecutical drug?

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## Walfe

> Is melatonin like a pharmecutical drug?



Exactly what I would like to know. I'm getting some if it is, as I am too young to drink wine... Legally anyway.

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## O'nus

> Is melatonin like a pharmecutical drug?



_Melatonin_: Melatonin regulates the physiological changes related by light, the time of day, etc. in co-relation with the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Melatonin pills will immediately inhibit monoamine oxidizers (MAO) which inhibit the production of serotonin which produces melatonin from the pineal gland which is then secreted into the blood stream. Soo, by taking melatonin pills, you kind of skip the process of secretion from the pineal gland and the whole physiological change from serotonin (since melatonin is excreted from serotonin). 

The effects can sometimes take a while depending on the individuals serotonin levels within the digestive tract (there are strong levels of serotonin within the digestive tract to begin with too... alcoholics will be easy to adjust). Since during sleep the levels of melatonin increase dramatically during the waking stage with the arousal of the ascending reticular activation system (A/RAS), by taking melatonin pills, you keep a regular dosage of melatonin throughout sleep without arousal of the ARAS (and waking you up). The amount of acetylcholine is also dramatically reduced during sleep in order to regulate norepinephrine and other neurotransmitters involved with waking state. 

Melatonin can be bought throughout America for, usually, less than $20. It is recommended to take only 2-4mg.  

Melatonin cannot be purchased in Canada... legally.
^ This is incorrect. As of last year, Melatonin is now legal to buy.

*Why was Melatonin illegal?*

There was no proof that it did anything.  Now there is.  It will help reset your circadian rhythym given that you take it at the same time for a couple nights.  It is typically the only ingredient in jet-lag adjustment pills.  Thus, if you find you cannot find melatonin on its own, just get jet-lag pills; they are the samething with a different case.

*Is it safe to take melatonin..?*

There is no evidence of any kind to suggest that there is such thing as an "melatonin overdose" and there are no significant consequences to taking large amounts.  The more excessive the dose, the simply more drowsy you will feel.

Keep in mind that the FDA does not have an approved overdose report on melatonin and that there is no reason to take excessive amounts.

More importantly, taking melatonin does not immediately warrant lucid dreams.

I hope this has been enlightening.

~

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## Axel

Alright i'll ask my mom to buy it for me :O

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## Axel

She said she'll buy it for me..I'm gonna try it tonight. Probably only gonna take 2mg though. Should I be like right next to bed when I take it? How fast does it make you fall asleep?

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## Rakjavik

I think it takes around an hour or so to kick in. Don't quote me on that though  :smiley:

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## Angelmouse

Pocker09- I think the most sensible thing that's been said so far was about meditating. 10mins of meditation has been shown to be the equivilent in terms of revitilisation, of a cat nap. It's good for the 'soul' and may help to connect you with the cause of your insomnia. I'm not an insomniac but I do have trouble settling down and relaxing. It works a treat for me.  :smiley: 

Hope this helps.

X

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## Axel

well I used it last night around 7:30 PM and fell asleep around 8:10 althought I don't notice any improvments on my dream recall. Although it did get me out of a slump of not remembering my dreams.

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## Pocker09

OK.
Its been a while. Ive done some reading.

"Extremely high doses of melatonin (50mg) dramatically increased REM sleep time and dream activity in both narcoleptics and those without narcolepsy." -Wikipedia

So tonight im going to try 24mg hopefully i will be reposting sometime tomorrow with resualts. ;-P

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## Pocker09

UPDATE: ok just read our bodys produce a whopping 0.1mg of melatonin.

So I've got 24.1mg of melatonin.

Also they have done research and there's no proven lethal dose(neat). They had patients take a total of 75mg.

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## DuB

I think it would be prudent to start with a more reasonable dose and slowly work your way up. I did some very brief research on melatonin dosage over at Erowid

http://www.erowid.org/smarts/melatonin/

And the highest dosage I saw mentioned was 2g. I recommend checking out some of the links on that Erowid page and learning some more about melatonin if you are planning on using it. In particular, see the "Experiences" section. There are literally dozens of detailed reports from people who have used melatonin for all kinds of reasons, including regulating sleep and enhancing dreams. Just so you know, the results have been mixed.  :OK Bye now:

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## Seeker

Pocker09, I hope you are still with us, 24mg is an EXTREMELY high dose of Melatonin.

I've taken 6mg by mistake before  (thought I was eating two 1mg pills) and had symptoms including dizzyness, headache, disorientation, and begin quite lethargic the next day.

There is no magic bullet.  Natural is usually the best way to go.

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## Axel

Yeah Seeker, I did the SAME exact thing. I don't usually like taking pills and so I got some in a liquid. I thought it said 2 tablespoons per 2.5mg dose. But it actually was 2 teaspoons so I took about like a 5 or 6 mg dose. I got all disoriented and had a headache.

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## Pocker09

So heres the thing.
I haven't used it in a while, but i did try it in doses from the one pill (3mg) to the "crazy" 24mg either way it did nothing. I didn't feel dizzy, sick to my stomach, or disoriented. Maybe melatonin is just a mental thing like a "placebo", or I'm an anomaly and it just doesn't work on me.

I'm interested in knowing what you guys think about melatonin not working for me, especially in doses as high as I've tried. 

Also i was recently thinking that i might want to go to a sleep clinic once i get free time, but still i wanna know what you guys think could cause melatonin to be ineffective.

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## Pocker09

My resistance is insane and clearly makes me uber-manly.
Tonight i took 42mg of melatonin and still nothing. I'm not even tired feeling.
I'm a little light headed but that's a side effect of my anti-nausea medicine.

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