Using Melatonin to Help You Fall Sleep

Thinking back to when I was a kid, I think I’ve always had some form of a sleeping disorder. Mild as it may be, I’ve always had a hard time falling asleep at a reasonable time; most nights I can’t get to sleep before midnight. While this helps the ratings of all the late night cable shows, it certainly doesn’t help me perform at my best in the morning if I haven’t gotten enough sleep. From school classes to work meetings, if I’m not well rested in the morning, I can’t do my best and perform at the highest level. I’ve tried many solutions for this, from drugs from the drug store, to powdered drink mixes, to changing the area around me to be more conducive to sleep; nothing has provided anywhere near the results, without all the nasty side effects, as melatonin.

Many people who have sleeping issues turn to Nyquil or Theraflu to help them fall asleep quickly and easily. While both of these solutions are effective, they just werent for me because I didnt feel that they were good long term solutions. Neither were made for just falling asleep, so I felt like I was taking a bunch of extra drugs that I didnt need. There are some over the counter drugs that are made specifically for falling asleep, such as Tylenol PM, but that did not feel natural to me either. As effective as these options are, none of them seemed like effective solutions to me for the long-term.

Some experts advise that where you sleep should be designed solely for the purpose of sleeping, nothing else. That meant you had to remove TV from your bedroom and all other forms of entertainment and to buy a comfy bed and center the room around sleeping. After trying this (it was hard to give up the TV), I found that it just didn’t help me fall asleep. I found myself just laying there, staring at the ceiling or thinking about work instead of falling asleep.

Then, I came to learn of something else I could try at a party. I overheard a few women discussing the problem of falling asleep, and one of them asked if they had tried Melatonin. The went on to tell them about how it was helping her fall asleep and that it was a natural substance that your body already makes to help you fall asleep. She said it really worked well for her. After overhearing this I concluded that I had to try it for myself.

My first stop after the party was a 24 hour drug store. I hunted down the melatonin, which was actually in the herbal supplements aisle (not with the other ‘night time’ drugs). Since it was already late, I decided I would try it the next day. So, the following day, about 60 minutes before I wanted to fall asleep, I popped a pill. As promised, just a mere hour later and I was all set to go to bed. I was tired, but not ‘knocked out’. My body was easing me into it, and it was a great feeling. The next morning I felt refreshed, fully rested, and ready to go. I didn’t wake up in the middle of the night nor did I feel tired or groggy. It was almost like a miracle for me. Every since that day, I’ve had the same positive experiences with Melatonin; I get great sleep and I’m not tired in the morning as long as I get about seven hours of rest.

I did some digging online to make sure I was taking a safe drug. From everything I’ve read, I know the experts recommend you start with a small dosage. The smallest I found was 3mg – and it is working great for me. If you find it doesn’t work for you, you may need a little larger of a dose, but do this with caution as many doctors felt that even 3mg was too much. Also, make sure you buy melatonin that was ‘created in a lab’. Some brands are selling harvested melatonin, but that can contain bacteria that you don’t want. Finally, it is very important you talk with your doctor first before taking melatonin.

These were my experiences with melatonin. Ive had a very positive experience. I dont take it every night, but I do when it is absolutely important for me to get good sleep. I dont want to abuse or overuse it. Ive found it to be the perfect solution to the sleeping problems I had.