4 ms·

If you don't mind, at what time of day do you take it?

neckardt 6y ago
It's been tough nailing down the optimal time, but right now what works best is taking 300ug of melatonin at 10:20pm and falling asleep at 11:50. In the past I tried various different times ranging from 6:30pm to 9:00pm. Even taking it at a suboptimal time is better than not taking it at all. There are also a few other things I do to keep my sleep schedule on track: 1) I heavily use bluelight filters on my computers and phone in the evening. Redshift/gammastep on Linux gives me full control. 2) I have low blue light lights which I use in the evening [0], then I switch to fully red bulbs in the hour before going to sleep. 3) I have a super bright daylight LED lamp which turns on automatically at 8:30am, a few minutes before I wake up. This is my solution to automate light therapy [1]. All of this combined lets me function mostly like a normal person. Hope some of that helps. [0]: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=2000k+bulb https://www.amazon.com/s?k=2000k+bulb [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_therapy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_therapy
- throwaway8941 6y ago
  Great, thank you very much.
3np 6y ago
I can't find the link right now, but I recall reading from a credible source that melatonin works two ways (from memory so may not be completely accurate): * Adjusting diurnal rhythm (e.g. adjust a skewed sleeping schedule, jet lag). This works in lower doses over longer periods of time. So if you want to be less of a night owl, you may take 0.1-0.3 mg in the afternoon. * Hypnotic - immediately making you more prone to fall asleep. This one is less well understood and dosages vary per person but it seems like 0.3-3 mg shortly before bed time is optimal. It also won't work on it's own like stilnoct or whatnot, so limiting light exposure, and all the other usuals, still apply. I also find it frustrating how much more expensive and less available lower dosages are. From someone who also does bits and nibbles of 3mg pills.
shard 6y ago
For me, when I take melatonin, I feel sleepy within about half an hour, and if I don't go to sleep then, the sleepiness will pass and the melatonin would be ineffective. So I take it about half an hour before bedtime so that I am in bed within the effectiveness window.

It's been tough nailing down the optimal time, but right now what works best is taking 300ug of melatonin at 10:20pm and falling asleep at 11:50. In the past I tried various different times ranging from 6:30pm to 9:00pm. Even taking it at a suboptimal time is better than not taking it at all. There are also a few other things I do to keep my sleep schedule on track: 1) I heavily use bluelight filters on my computers and phone in the evening. Redshift/gammastep on Linux gives me full control. 2) I have low blue light lights which I use in the evening [0], then I switch to fully red bulbs in the hour before going to sleep. 3) I have a super bright daylight LED lamp which turns on automatically at 8:30am, a few minutes before I wake up. This is my solution to automate light therapy [1]. All of this combined lets me function mostly like a normal person. Hope some of that helps. [0]: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=2000k+bulb https://www.amazon.com/s?k=2000k+bulb [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_therapy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_therapy

throwaway8941 6y ago
Great, thank you very much.

3np 6y ago

I can't find the link right now, but I recall reading from a credible source that melatonin works two ways (from memory so may not be completely accurate): * Adjusting diurnal rhythm (e.g. adjust a skewed sleeping schedule, jet lag). This works in lower doses over longer periods of time. So if you want to be less of a night owl, you may take 0.1-0.3 mg in the afternoon. * Hypnotic - immediately making you more prone to fall asleep. This one is less well understood and dosages vary per person but it seems like 0.3-3 mg shortly before bed time is optimal. It also won't work on it's own like stilnoct or whatnot, so limiting light exposure, and all the other usuals, still apply. I also find it frustrating how much more expensive and less available lower dosages are. From someone who also does bits and nibbles of 3mg pills.

shard 6y ago

For me, when I take melatonin, I feel sleepy within about half an hour, and if I don't go to sleep then, the sleepiness will pass and the melatonin would be ineffective. So I take it about half an hour before bedtime so that I am in bed within the effectiveness window.