Melatonin

Hi all, one of the aha moments has been my sleep issues! Can anyone advise me on how I stay asleep. Years I’ve blamed kids, menopause, stress, but now I’ve connected the dots to melatonin production/ autism. 
I’d love to sleep through every night it would help my ability to cope so much! 

  • These are all great! 

    Be careful with melatonin - it's not meant for long-term and can affect your heart rate. 

    Ashwaganda is amazing as a daily or every other day supplement. I would suggest changing all the lighting in your house if you haven't. LEDs can greatly affect your ability to sleep at night. They're useful for safety lights, but home lighting after 7 should be incandescent or halogen. Though, the colour of a salt lamp can break up LED light appropriately. 

    Sleeping can be difficult as well if your mind is constantly trying to problem-solve, fix relational issues or excited about ideas. Sometimes reading a book made of paper on something completely different is useful when there's no possibility of solving a thing in the moment. 

  • Potatoes contain Magnesium. Perhaps that's why we enjoy going to the Chippy after a night out.

  • I've suffered from insomnia my whole life.

    There are a lot of things of things which affect sleep. I assume you have your sleep hygiene down (use bed only for sleep, don't read it in it or use phone or watch TV there). Ideally don't use screens at all after 8pm. If you do, install a blue light filter on them. Make sure the bedroom is very dark. Get blackout blinds if possible.

    Try to get as much bright light as possible in the morning, ideally from going outside for a walk, but if not, get a special white light lamp or SAD light and have it on in the morning.

    Don't have caffeine after midday, or don't have it at all if you are very sensitive to it. Take L-theanine or taurine or both with your caffeine.

    Take magnesium supplements.

    If you are deficient in B12, this can prevent you from sleeping properly and shift your body clock later and later. You end up feeling very strung out and tired all the time but without the ability to sleep. So you can get that tested if you match the symptoms of always being tired/weak, low mood and having headaches, tingling hands or tinnitus.

    If your sleep issues are anxiety-based, try ashwagandha or CBD oil (orally or vaped).

    If you drink alcohol, stop. It can help you fall asleep but will cause you to not go into deep sleep and you will wake up a lot in the night.

    Try to have the bedroom cool, 16-17°C. Take a warm bath before bed. Baths are relaxing and when the body cools down afterwards it makes it easier to fall asleep.

    Try a weighted blanket.

    You can also get melatonin supplements.

    Drink chamomile tea. You can try herbal supplements or teas that contain valerian, hops, lemon balm or passion flower. These are mildly relaxing.

  • Hiya, sorry to hear that. My teen daughter struggles to sleep at night but she now takes melatonin in a liquid form and we have definitely seen an improvement. She takes it most nights but the issue is that it was the only one I could find in our local pharmacy and Boots that was in a liquid, and it has a caramel flavour to it which she doesn't exactly like but she knows it helps!