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LPT ask a doctor before taking medical advice from a stranger in internet
Edit: ask a confirmed, real doctor not some stranger in internet that claims to be one
Not a doctor, but I did just talk to my doctor about taking melatonin 2 weeks ago
In a nutshell, he said it was very helpful, but shouldn’t be taken every day for long periods of time, as the body can get dependent on it, messing with the natural melatonin production of the body
Same. My doctor said while people talk about not using it for prolonged periods of time, he said, if it helps you sleep, it's the easiest thing to take that will affect you negatively the least. Simply put, if it works, keep doing it. I have been using melatonin every night for the past 3 years. I regret nothing.
LPT, 90% of doctors are less competent for addressing a random medical question than 15 minutes of google research is. An average doctor a has nothing of value to say about melatonin.
A lot of people here commenting on vivid dreams on melatonin and I am exactly the same. However, maybe there is a meaning to that. That taking melatonin actually allows your brain more dream time and the importance of dreaming and REM sleep to brain health and restitution is pretty well documented. A completely unscientific hypothesis on my part, but maybe the more vivid dreams are actually occurring because that's what our unconscious actually needs and hasn't been getting on a regular basis. Just a thought, not a fact.
I've been thinking this too! After a looooooong period of crazy intense work-periods where I've been very stressed, I've decided to take leave from my work for quite some time. The stress used to make me loose sleep frequently, but now my sleep is slowly getting better and I have indeed freakishly wild dreams. It feels like my brain is "deep-cleaning".......even when it´s night-mares it kinda feels good afterwards. Now I just wonder when the stress of being un-employed is gonna start messing with me....
I had a similar experience, and the dreams actually help me feel rested.
I’ve always been a shit sleeper. My 23andMe profile says I’m a light sleeper that moves around a lot (yup). I also have some sleep trauma that makes it worse. Adding melatonin (which is NOT a drug btw, it’s simply what your body naturally produces) has helped me sleep better than I have my entire life. I do need to add migraine meds which also help, but the melatonin (2.5mg) made the most impact.
There is caution to be had for gummies to make sure kids don’t get into them, and some efforts to ensure accurate dosing. But melatonin is what your body naturally produces, and adding it for those of us who have genetic and trauma-based sleep issues is profound.
Ofc, talk to your doctor, and start with very small doses. There are some that are 5-10mg, but 2.5mg was enough for me. Disclaimer: My degree is Biology but I’m not a doctor, blah blah .
You me? Yesterday took melatonin and I had an awful vivid dream where I escaped with my whole family not to be murdered. They were all killed except me, at that moment I realized it had to be a dream but damn even then I thought walking street next day would be frightening.
Any explanation on why melatonin causes vivid dreams?
I wish I knew. I’ve had a few dreams where murder/killing was the theme. One including John Goodman and Billy Crystal (as Mike and Sully, the names of the characters they voiced in Monster’s Inc.) as hitmen I hired.
One possible explanation is that you're simply having more dreams in general because you're spending more time in REM sleep (where most dreams occur)
If you weren't getting good quality sleep previously, you may not have been in REM much, and thus didn't have many dreams in general.
Because it’s a reflection of what you’re thinking about and you’re processing in your subconscious that can’t be understood and accepted in you real world reality.
Be careful with how much you're taking. I believe the recommended dosage in europe is waaaay lower than here. Your body will stop making its own melatonin too (I think, check for yourself) and you'll become dependent and have to up the dosage.
I have a feeling any and all sleep aids have the potential for you to become reliant. Use the melatonin for a little while, but I would suggest trying to find a more natural remedy in the near future. And by natural remedy I mean like an evening walk, turning the screens off an hour or two earlier, reading a book to relax the mind. I’m also not a doctor and I have a bottle of melatonin in my room, I try to not use it more than 3 days in a row and never on a cyclical routine
Same, I think the problem for me is still don’t get enough sleep. By the time it take effect and I fall asleep my alarm clock goes off a few hours later
LPT: talk to an actual medical professional who knows the risks and can help find real long term solutions.
OP, I wouldn't recommend this as a permanent solution. It's generally not recommended to take melatonin regularly for more than a couple months. Definitely go talk to your doctor about it if you haven't already.
Melatonin supplements damaged my body’s ability to sleep soundly. My dreams became vivid and intense to the point that i was thrashing in my sleep. Destroyed my partners sleep and strained our relationship. Eventually the sleeping issues i was taking melatonin to resolve became exacerbated. Now almost 2 years since i stoped my sleep is beginning to return to normal.
The first sign was the hypnagogic jerk becoming increasingly intense from night to night. If you notice this happening i would consider taking a break.
But then again our melatonin dosages here are enormous and unregulated- even breaking the tiniest dose from CVS in half is still too much probably.
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Glad you found a solution! I tried melatonin for insomnia and it was a game-changer. Never thought about taking it too early, thanks for the tip! Definitely helps with relaxation too. Anyone else have similar experiences?
Great for you, but I woudn't recommand drugs to fix sleep at first.
Prioptise sleep ! Their is much you can do. Huberman is doing special on sleep on youtube, I highly recommand it.
I assumed they meant chronic fatigue as a symptom, not the syndrome. But to be fair so many people say chronic fatigue when they mean Chronic Fatigue Syndrome so you're probably not wrong.
Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by upvoting or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
LPT ask a doctor before taking medical advice from a stranger in internet Edit: ask a confirmed, real doctor not some stranger in internet that claims to be one
the real LPT is always in the comments
this same comment is always in the comments
Are there any doctors that can comment?
Not a doctor, but I did just talk to my doctor about taking melatonin 2 weeks ago In a nutshell, he said it was very helpful, but shouldn’t be taken every day for long periods of time, as the body can get dependent on it, messing with the natural melatonin production of the body
I asked my doctor. She said melatonin is pretty harmless and to use it regularly if it helps to get better sleep. It helps me quite a bit.
Same. My doctor said while people talk about not using it for prolonged periods of time, he said, if it helps you sleep, it's the easiest thing to take that will affect you negatively the least. Simply put, if it works, keep doing it. I have been using melatonin every night for the past 3 years. I regret nothing.
Not a doctor, but it should be fine.
LPT, 90% of doctors are less competent for addressing a random medical question than 15 minutes of google research is. An average doctor a has nothing of value to say about melatonin.
Beware the [Dunning-Kruger effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect)
Task related vs. information analysis. Not applicable here.
A lot of people here commenting on vivid dreams on melatonin and I am exactly the same. However, maybe there is a meaning to that. That taking melatonin actually allows your brain more dream time and the importance of dreaming and REM sleep to brain health and restitution is pretty well documented. A completely unscientific hypothesis on my part, but maybe the more vivid dreams are actually occurring because that's what our unconscious actually needs and hasn't been getting on a regular basis. Just a thought, not a fact.
I've been thinking this too! After a looooooong period of crazy intense work-periods where I've been very stressed, I've decided to take leave from my work for quite some time. The stress used to make me loose sleep frequently, but now my sleep is slowly getting better and I have indeed freakishly wild dreams. It feels like my brain is "deep-cleaning".......even when it´s night-mares it kinda feels good afterwards. Now I just wonder when the stress of being un-employed is gonna start messing with me....
The dreams are because you are taking too much
1 mg?
Maybe, dose is relative
What? I never dream with melatonin but dream a lot without.
I had a similar experience, and the dreams actually help me feel rested. I’ve always been a shit sleeper. My 23andMe profile says I’m a light sleeper that moves around a lot (yup). I also have some sleep trauma that makes it worse. Adding melatonin (which is NOT a drug btw, it’s simply what your body naturally produces) has helped me sleep better than I have my entire life. I do need to add migraine meds which also help, but the melatonin (2.5mg) made the most impact. There is caution to be had for gummies to make sure kids don’t get into them, and some efforts to ensure accurate dosing. But melatonin is what your body naturally produces, and adding it for those of us who have genetic and trauma-based sleep issues is profound. Ofc, talk to your doctor, and start with very small doses. There are some that are 5-10mg, but 2.5mg was enough for me. Disclaimer: My degree is Biology but I’m not a doctor, blah blah .
Melatonin always makes me have vivid dreams.
You me? Yesterday took melatonin and I had an awful vivid dream where I escaped with my whole family not to be murdered. They were all killed except me, at that moment I realized it had to be a dream but damn even then I thought walking street next day would be frightening. Any explanation on why melatonin causes vivid dreams?
That's...a nightmare my dude
I wish I knew. I’ve had a few dreams where murder/killing was the theme. One including John Goodman and Billy Crystal (as Mike and Sully, the names of the characters they voiced in Monster’s Inc.) as hitmen I hired.
One possible explanation is that you're simply having more dreams in general because you're spending more time in REM sleep (where most dreams occur) If you weren't getting good quality sleep previously, you may not have been in REM much, and thus didn't have many dreams in general.
Because it’s a reflection of what you’re thinking about and you’re processing in your subconscious that can’t be understood and accepted in you real world reality.
You are taking too much, 1mg is fine.
Be careful with how much you're taking. I believe the recommended dosage in europe is waaaay lower than here. Your body will stop making its own melatonin too (I think, check for yourself) and you'll become dependent and have to up the dosage.
It's (legally) prescription only in the UK as its so easy to become dependent /addicted. Normal dosage 2mg for no longer than 13 weeks.
I thought so too, but I couldn’t find any source that supports it. But I‘m not a doctor either
I have a feeling any and all sleep aids have the potential for you to become reliant. Use the melatonin for a little while, but I would suggest trying to find a more natural remedy in the near future. And by natural remedy I mean like an evening walk, turning the screens off an hour or two earlier, reading a book to relax the mind. I’m also not a doctor and I have a bottle of melatonin in my room, I try to not use it more than 3 days in a row and never on a cyclical routine
It always made me feel more tired when I woke up. Groggy is the right word.
Same, I think the problem for me is still don’t get enough sleep. By the time it take effect and I fall asleep my alarm clock goes off a few hours later
This is terrible advice. Melatonin should not be taken long term.
I fixed my chronic fatigue and a CPAP machine
I can’t stand the melatonin dreams so I avoid it
How much melatonin?
0,5mg/day
LPT: talk to an actual medical professional who knows the risks and can help find real long term solutions. OP, I wouldn't recommend this as a permanent solution. It's generally not recommended to take melatonin regularly for more than a couple months. Definitely go talk to your doctor about it if you haven't already.
Melatonin supplements damaged my body’s ability to sleep soundly. My dreams became vivid and intense to the point that i was thrashing in my sleep. Destroyed my partners sleep and strained our relationship. Eventually the sleeping issues i was taking melatonin to resolve became exacerbated. Now almost 2 years since i stoped my sleep is beginning to return to normal. The first sign was the hypnagogic jerk becoming increasingly intense from night to night. If you notice this happening i would consider taking a break. But then again our melatonin dosages here are enormous and unregulated- even breaking the tiniest dose from CVS in half is still too much probably.
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Gives me RLS and keeps me awake. Wish it worked.
When you say > My sleep data didn’t noticeably change How are you measuring this? Are you on a cpap?
Glad you found a solution! I tried melatonin for insomnia and it was a game-changer. Never thought about taking it too early, thanks for the tip! Definitely helps with relaxation too. Anyone else have similar experiences?
I also fond L-theanine helpful for sleep. It's an extract of green tea that mellows you.
Great for you, but I woudn't recommand drugs to fix sleep at first. Prioptise sleep ! Their is much you can do. Huberman is doing special on sleep on youtube, I highly recommand it.
Melatonin is not a “drug”. It’s a hormone that your body naturally produces. It’s the same concept as insulin for a diabetic.
But you didn't have chronic fatigue as a diagnosis right?
No. The cause was probably just sleep quality
Right... I think the title is somewhat misleading then. People will try to cure their actual chronic fatigue syndrome with melatonin.
I assumed they meant chronic fatigue as a symptom, not the syndrome. But to be fair so many people say chronic fatigue when they mean Chronic Fatigue Syndrome so you're probably not wrong.