Taking Melatonin every night

[Skorpius]

I use the holosync program from Centerpointe. This is the one that claims numerous longterm benefits.
http://www.centerpointe.com/
Its pretty expensive, I've only got the introduction CD.
There are much cheaper entrainment cd's available on Ebay, they should work about the same.

I've also used the Series XIII:Whales cd from Brainwave Mind Voyages.
http://brainwave-entrainment.com/
It works great for 20-minute powernaps.

Hmmm...that is quite interesting. I am not denying that it works for you, but I would love to see some studies on this.

[Grant]

I´ve been smoking after nightshift,to get me asleep in the morning.
Worked well,für mich!

but I´ve stopped smoking,althought from time to time it might help when you´re stressed from sports(maybe once a month).
Maybe I´ll give melatonin a try,although a joint might be easier to get and less expensive.

I would this time not smoke it,instead I would just heat it and take a sniff,´cause I often thought that that will do.

Melatonin is one of the cheapest supplements there is

http://www.nutraplanet.com/product_i...roducts_id=222

1.50

Heh,plus it doenst make you hungry as hell and laughing about all types of retarded ****.

[canadian champ]

melatonin will not work if you are exposed to sunlight/artificial light. You must remain in the dark for it to function.
Just a tip.
cc

[shootmeagain]

From www.mindbodyconsult.com. Bold emphasis mine. I do not claim to know with any degree of certainty the accuracy of this information.


Melatonin
Psychoactive

Description: Hormone naturally secreted by pineal gland. Derived from pineal parenchymal cells from the same metabolic pathway that gives rise to serotonin.

Method of Action: Neurohormone which inhibits sympathetic nervous system action and stimulates parasympathetic nervous system causing reset of biological clock (circadian rhythms). Increases effect of GABA and raises brain serotonin levels inhibiting the sympathetic nervous system. Protects cells against radical-mediated damage. .05 mg produced daily in healthy persons.

Indications and Usage: Sleep Disorders (especially East-West Jet-Lag and insomnia related to Dysthymia and Major Depression); Improves sleep efficacy; Mild-Moderate Depression; Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in conjunction with phototherapy; Circadian Rhythm Disorders; Menstrual Discomfort; Infertility; Alzheimer’s Disease; Bipolar Disorder; Substance Abuse Recovery; Alcoholism; Beneficial effect on deleterious effects of aging; Reduces formation of gastric lesions; Reduces deleterious effects of chemotherapy; May strengthens immune system with corresponding benefits on certain cancers; Hypertension and cardiovascular disease; Infertility. Use in many of the above areas may be complicated and highly dependent of individual variables. Professional supervision is recommended.

Contraindications: Do not use this product if you are pregnant or lactating. Supplemental melatonin may interfere with ovulation and conception. Some types of depression may be worsened by taking supplemental melatonin and close monitoring is advised. Melatonin supplementation may aggravate autoimmune disorders such as arthritis and severe allergies. Melatonin shrinks arteries and may be contraindicated in persons with cardiovascular disease. Children have high levels of melatonin and should not normally receive melatonin supplements. The effects of steroid drugs such as cortisone and dexamethasone may be counteracted by supplemental melatonin. Immune-system cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia may be further stimulated by melatonin supplementation. Persons under 40 years of age should avoid melatonin supplementation when possible.

Dosage and Administration: Sleep, Jet Lag, Anti-Aging: 0.2 to 3.0 mg in synthetic, timed-release form daily taken twenty minutes prior to bedtime (at the same time each day) along with 100 mg. niacinamide, 750 mg. calcium, 500 mg. magnesium and (in the am.) 25-50 mg. vitamin B-6. Shift work adaptation and immune stimulation require higher doses (1-5 mg. and 2-20 mg. respectively) and should be taken under professional supervision. Avoid melatonin products that have added ingredients (such as vitamin B-6.) Do not take melatonin at times other than bedtime. Use of non-timed-release forms of melatonin may result in early wakening, as melatonin-induced decrease in body temperature will reverse resulting in wakening. (Additional melatonin can be taken up to 3 hours before scheduled wake-up time.) Note: Optimal dose is highly individual and can only be accurately determined by laboratory testing as close to bedtime as possible and over two hours. Time of year also influences amount needed as decreasing sunlight (in winter months) tends to increase endogenous levels of melatonin in brain. If you experience drowsiness in the morning that appears to be melatonin-related decrease dosage.

Clinical Effect In: Within 30 minutes. Half-life of melatonin is short 30 to 40 minutes.

Adverse Reactions: No negative laboratory findings have been reported. Supplemental melatonin may increase levels of depression in some individuals (possibly those prone to seasonal affective disorder). No sleep architecture changes noted. Rare reversible adverse reactions including insomnia, vivid dreams, nightmares, depression, next-day fatigue and headache have been reported. Melatonin may cause decreased estrogen, testosterone and thyroid hormone. Research has not established whether melatonin supplementation could create hormonal dependency.

Known Interactive Effects: Do not use supplemental melatonin if there is reason to suspect your natural levels of melatonin are already high. May decrease absorption of estrogen. Persons taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors, beta-blocking drugs and steroid medications should not take supplemental melatonin. Persons taking antidepressant and antianxiety medications are cautioned that melatonin supplementation may enhance the effects of these drugs that also commonly raise melatonin levels in the brain. Melatonin levels can be depleted by the use of certain drugs and substances including: Fluoxetine (Prozac), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, beta-blocker, calcium antagonists and calcium channel blockers, antihypertensive medication, vitamin B-12, caffeine, steroids, tobacco, alcohol.

[willieman]

I started taking Melatonin for sleep for a while (5mg), but it really had me in a depressed state of mind the next day, and I could not snap out of it.I think I read a post where some others had the same expirence.

[BrKonman]

I use the holosync program from Centerpointe. This is the one that claims numerous longterm benefits.
http://www.centerpointe.com/
Its pretty expensive, I've only got the introduction CD.
There are much cheaper entrainment cd's available on Ebay, they should work about the same.

I've also used the Series XIII:Whales cd from Brainwave Mind Voyages.
http://brainwave-entrainment.com/
It works great for 20-minute powernaps.

Just a quick note for those interested in brainwave entrainment... I've been studying and utilizing it off and on since the mid/late 90's, and I've found that the commercial quality ones are nice, but nothing compares to one that I create myself utilizing shareware software (bwgen.com, and search on yahoo groups) and cooledit or soundforge. Best results come from customized entrainment programs, much like weight training And they work for many other areas. I've even combined entrainment with Metallica and Slipknot songs to get me hyped and focused beyond belief just before an MMA match or workout.

Definitely an interesting area to do some research. For a great list of references regarding brainwave entrainment I highly suggest checking out:
http://www.neuroacoustic.com/registry/references.htm


Oh, and I'm sure you can find the holosync tapes on shareazaa or bit torrent (I picked up about 15 of them back when audiogalaxy was around.)

[BrKonman]

Hmmm...that is quite interesting. I am not denying that it works for you, but I would love to see some studies on this.

The references used in the article --
http://www.neuroacoustic.com/registr...leresearch.htm -- are a great starting point.

And just so I don't get too off topic from the post (sorry) I used melatonin for about 3 weeks straight at 6 mg, to combat having too much stress on my mind when trying to sleep, and I found it took me almost as long when I stopped using it to get back to normal sleep. I like it for short term, specific use, but not long term. Just not a fan of dependency on anything really.

[shootmeagain]

I tend to agree. In absence of conclusive long-term data, I believe I'll stick to melatonin use when there is some specific reason for needing temporary/short-term help in getting a good night's rest.

[Physicist]

BrKonman, thanks for the site. It'll take a while to go through it, but thanks.

I found this article on pubmed today, thought you guys might like to see it.
Suggests that healthy middle-aged men taking melatonin might have lower quality sperm and decreased estradiol. This is a very small smaple size (8 men), so I looked for more studies but couldn't find anything useful.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=12065466

[fatty]

anyone try high dosages? I've used upwards of 40mg per night just to see what happens. Must say it is quite pleasant. Not something I do everyday, only occasionaly

[Longdog]

I've been taking 12mg every night, & I have taken up to 21mg.

I found a study somewhere where subjects were taking like 70mg daily over a period of years, with no ill effects. I actually did a lot of research on the toxicity after my 18lb dog ate a 3mg tab I dropped. I figure that would be like me taking 40mg, the dog was fine.