drusillas_rain

My eight year old son takes it (1mg) before bed and it works like a charm. He falls asleep w/in 15-30 minutes. No side effects. No problems waking up. It is a godsend. Before 8 months ago, he used to be awake for 1-3 hrs before falling asleep talking and playing. He's autistic and there have been several studies that show sleep onset issues due to melatonin deficiency in people on the spectrum.

From the melatonin studies I've read up on, if you (an this can be a neurotypical person) are having sleep onset issues, it could be a melatonin deficiency. If that's the case, it usually helps reduce sleep onset time without side effects. It isn't a sedative so there aren't the typical issues associated w/sleeping aids (like waking difficulties and grogginess). On the other hand, if your sleep issues aren't 'onset' issues or related to melatonin deficiency, it probably won't help you at all. It's been demonstrated to be safe, so there isn't much harm in trying it and seeing if it helps. Most adults take 3-5mg. Most doctors recommend starting lower and you can always increase the amount if you feel you need to.

I hope that helps.

My cousin is autistic, and melatonin helps him, too. He usually can take one dose and he'll be good for a few days. My grandma is a sleep technician/nurse at a university, so she's "in the know." She says it helps reset your light/dark sleep cycle, so if you take it at night your body goes "oh, duh. It's dark! Sleep time!" or something like that. Some kids at my college are starting to take it to get to sleep before exams and stuff and I haven't seen any bad effects from it. I'd say give it a shot. Though maybe just buy a little bottle to start, since it can be a bit pricey. Good luck! :)

It doesn't have to be expensive -- in fact, it's one of the cheaper supplements you can buy.

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/Search?doSearch=true&keyword=Melatonin

The time release is more expensive, but it works better for me. There are loads of studies on it on PubMed (journal article archive for the US National Institute of Health) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez

I tend to acclimate to the dose level, but I was having so much trouble sleeping last spring that I started using a blue light during the day, and that solved the problem. The blue light rearranges sleep patterns by both encouraging melatonin creation and suppressing the body's melatonin release during the daytime, so melatonin levels peak at the proper time during the night.

I know nothing about melatonin. I just wanted to say that every time I see that icon you're using I sing the theme to Sailor Moon in my head. And sometimes aloud.

As others said, melatonin is the front-end trigger for "wow, it's dark - I should go to sleep." I find that people who cycle hard (ie, their diurnal cycles are more fixed - they find it harder to, say, adjust to jetlag) respond well to melatonin. I respond quite well to it, and basically take it 30 mins before I'm supposed to be asleep. This frequently means as I'm boarding a plane for a late-night flight. ;)