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I've tried everything, and once my 2 year old daughter goes to kindergarden I plan on trying again, BUT the only working quick fix has been 300-450micrograms of

by raducu 7y ago

I've tried everything, and once my 2 year old daughter goes to kindergarden I plan on trying again, BUT the only working quick fix has been 300-450micrograms of melatonin taken at exactly the same time every night. Melatonin at this small dosage is just amazing for me. I don't want to dismiss all the good practices, but meltonin in the 300-450 mcg range just lets me fall asleep within one hour of taking it, as long as I take it the same hour everyday. I'm also searching for some time-release low dosage melatonin because I only sleep about 7 hours.

ptsneves 7y ago
No doctor here but maybe the rigorous schedule to go to sleep is what really made a difference. Sleep hygiene is a lot just controlling the predictability of the sleep environment and time it happens.
throwaway4787 7y ago
Can also confirm that all the usual advice people give (maintain "life hygiene", eat well, have a cold shower, stop staring at screens, don't do exercise prior to sleeping, don't think about sleeping, etc.) either don't work or are impossible to maintain in stressful situations, whereas a single melatonin pill does the trick. I'm frankly amazed that it works to be frank. I'm also dreading the day when it becomes unavailable seeing how I live in a country where any drug that's actually working eventually gets restricted whereas homeopathy gets handed over-the-counter.
themodelplumber 7y ago
> 2 year old daughter Aw man. I feel you there. That's tough. But cute...good memories. Haha. Melatonin works well for me too, though the effect does wear off as you said. You might check out the "bi-layer" melatonin tablets. I haven't tried them, but they are available. I'm one of those freaks who is OK using doxylamine after researching it, and I find it really beneficial on top of the melatonin. It has a staying power for sleep that's really nice. When I take it, I take about 8mg, which is something like a third of a tablet but they're easy to break up. I wonder also if one could split up the melatonin effect by putting a second tablet inside something like a small piece of cheese, for a simple time-release mechanism. I also found that sleep cycles matter a lot to my body. If I wake up early, it's probably right on the button, 4-5 90-minute sleep cycles in. Falling asleep at this point is hard just because of where I'm at in the natural cycle. So it's usually a matter of waiting in bed for sleep to come back. I use these techniques to help me wait it out: - Turning on a long lecture or podcast that I've listened to before. There is a scientific lecture on sleep and dreaming that works really well. :-) I use an XHDATA D-328 which has tactile playback controls and no screen. I also put some relaxation / ambient tracks on the memory card. - Designing houses, neighborhoods, and vehicles in my imagination. I get into the most tactile details that I can. - Making some quick changes to get more comfortable: Shedding clothing if necessary, a quick trip to the bathroom, a drink of water, fixing my pillow. I also like to use this calculator periodically to get a rough idea of how my sleep cycles are going to work: https://sleepyti.me/ https://sleepyti.me/ Anyway...I know you said you tried everything. So I mainly posted this to mention the bi-layer melatonin.
joveian 7y ago
Seven hours is a great amount of time to sleep, unless you are awake a bunch of the time in between and counting it as sleeping.

by raducu 7y ago

ptsneves 7y ago

No doctor here but maybe the rigorous schedule to go to sleep is what really made a difference. Sleep hygiene is a lot just controlling the predictability of the sleep environment and time it happens.

throwaway4787 7y ago

Can also confirm that all the usual advice people give (maintain "life hygiene", eat well, have a cold shower, stop staring at screens, don't do exercise prior to sleeping, don't think about sleeping, etc.) either don't work or are impossible to maintain in stressful situations, whereas a single melatonin pill does the trick. I'm frankly amazed that it works to be frank. I'm also dreading the day when it becomes unavailable seeing how I live in a country where any drug that's actually working eventually gets restricted whereas homeopathy gets handed over-the-counter.

themodelplumber 7y ago

> 2 year old daughter Aw man. I feel you there. That's tough. But cute...good memories. Haha. Melatonin works well for me too, though the effect does wear off as you said. You might check out the "bi-layer" melatonin tablets. I haven't tried them, but they are available. I'm one of those freaks who is OK using doxylamine after researching it, and I find it really beneficial on top of the melatonin. It has a staying power for sleep that's really nice. When I take it, I take about 8mg, which is something like a third of a tablet but they're easy to break up. I wonder also if one could split up the melatonin effect by putting a second tablet inside something like a small piece of cheese, for a simple time-release mechanism. I also found that sleep cycles matter a lot to my body. If I wake up early, it's probably right on the button, 4-5 90-minute sleep cycles in. Falling asleep at this point is hard just because of where I'm at in the natural cycle. So it's usually a matter of waiting in bed for sleep to come back. I use these techniques to help me wait it out: - Turning on a long lecture or podcast that I've listened to before. There is a scientific lecture on sleep and dreaming that works really well. :-) I use an XHDATA D-328 which has tactile playback controls and no screen. I also put some relaxation / ambient tracks on the memory card. - Designing houses, neighborhoods, and vehicles in my imagination. I get into the most tactile details that I can. - Making some quick changes to get more comfortable: Shedding clothing if necessary, a quick trip to the bathroom, a drink of water, fixing my pillow. I also like to use this calculator periodically to get a rough idea of how my sleep cycles are going to work: https://sleepyti.me/ https://sleepyti.me/ Anyway...I know you said you tried everything. So I mainly posted this to mention the bi-layer melatonin.

joveian 7y ago

Seven hours is a great amount of time to sleep, unless you are awake a bunch of the time in between and counting it as sleeping.