Melatonin

[smitty4]

I could be wrong, but it seems to me that this subject belongs in the longevity forum. I have read where sleep depravation can create all kinds of problems with your health. I think it is important to not only consider the amount of sleep, but also the quality of that sleep. Without deep REM sleep, our bodies stay in a run down state.

As the years rolled by, my sleep patterns started to change. I didn’t seem to sleep as soundly or deeply as I once did. In fact, my wife and kids couldn’t understand how I seemed to hear EVERYTHING that went on in the house while I was “sleeping”. I would just drop my voice to a bass tone and tell them, “I’m the man! It’s my job to notice those sounds so I can protect you!” The kids actually did feel safer at night as a result, but I started to notice that I never felt really refreshed in the morning…even when I had slept for 8 hours.

A while back in one of the forums on one of the sites I frequent, I saw a comment from SWALE where he mentioned that he was taking melatonin at night and that it helped him sleep (for the life of me, I cannot remember where I saw it). I have always found SWALE’s advice to be sound, so I thought I would give it a shot.

All I can say is that I am VERY glad I did! Now I sleep soundly and have more REM sleep. I also don’t need a gallon of coffee to get me going in the morning.

It seems to me that I cannot be the only one whose sleep patterns changed when the started to get into their forties and that others might benefit from using melatonin. Is anyone else taking it?

 

[esco]

i have used it several times to reset my sleep clock and for jetlag. it is a very good product. the only problem i ever had was if can cause very vivid dreams sometimes. but other then that, i too benefit from the use of melatonin.

 

[SWALE]

I recommend trying a single mg half an hour before retiring, and moving up to 3mg per night. Those who suffer narcolepsy, sleep apnea, etc. probably should not take it, though. Ask your physician for specific advice.

I found it changed my sleep the very first night. Yes, my dreams are more vivid, or, as I like to say, "expressive". I tend to enjoy that fact, as it seems I am able to work out the remaining issues of the day (something we have now learned our minds are actually doing as we sleep) on melatonin.

And let's not forget the other health benefits of melatonin. It is THE most powerful anti-oxidant our bodies produce. Some physicians are using it to prevent DNA damage secondary to radiation therapy. And higher serum levels have been shown to be protective against cancer.

 

[Phreezer]

what about the effects htat Melatonin has on our Cardiac rythms? My understanding is that during the first half of the night it will actualy slow the heart rate, but during the second half it will cause an increase in heart rate??

Does melatonin have a direct effect on the vagus nerve?

 

[SWALE]

Not that I am aware of.

 

[Phreezer]

"Melatonin also affects the cardiovascular parameters of humans. Chronic melatonin intake decreased the systolic blood pressure, decreased the diastolic blood pressure, lowered the heart rate during the diurnal hours and accelerated the heart rate during the second half of the night (18). Melatonin in combination with Cozaar reduced blood pressure, cardiac output, and energy consumption of the myocardium. Cozaar plus melatonin also normalized the circadian rhythms of blood pressure and heart rate (19). Circulating melatonin levels may be related to cardiovascular diseases. In patients with coronary heart disease, blood melatonin levels at night were significantly lower than those in the controls (20,21).

Melatonin effects on the heart may be mediated via direct and/or indirect actions. For the direct melatonin action, the documentation of antioxidative melatonin actions (22-25) and a family of high-affinity, G protein-coupled melatonin receptors (26-30) suggest that both receptor and non-receptor mediated mechanisms of melatonin actions should be considered."

http://www.uclm.es/inabis2000/symposia/files/070/session.htm

Please keep in mind... I am no physician, so I'm not sure how to define the term "Chronic Melatonin intake"..

 

[kmh]

Swale,
which form of melatonin do you advise?
time release
sublingual
capsule
tablet
are all forms equal quality
or does it matter...
thank, kmh

 

[SWALE]

Well, I just went down to my friendly neighborhood health food store and bought a bottle of pharmaceutical grade melatonin. So cheap it is practically free.

 

[smitty4]

That's where I got mine too. It is inexpensive.

As far as vivid dreams go...I think the only time I would ever have a problem with them would be if they were more along the lines of being a nightmare...and I haven't had one of those in AGES!