Melatonin

kerry_lamb

Girls, 12 months ago I got some melatonin tablets, tried them and gave up. This week I was sinking into a (sleep-deprived) depression and decided to take some..it was all I had. I slept like a rock for 6 hours which is a bloody miracle!!! I felt like a stunned mullet for the whole of the next day, and then had another pretty good nights sleep. I didn't care about the grogginess..I was so grateful! I will reduce the dose by a third and see how it goes. No 'toxic' after-shocks..that was the best part! xx

Welga

I wonder what happens about taking advantage of sunlight to raise melatonine when you live in a country that has not much sun light in winter and our skin cannot absorb it because we are using to much clothing....maybe that's why I have to use it every night, cannot sleep without it, and cannot move south lollll

elimar86861

I've read that the uv absorbed thru' the eyes in 20-30 minutes outdoors, especially in morning hours,  can keep your sleep cycle functioning o.k.  Even in winter.  

Welga

elimar,

Great, I will try to go out witout sunglasses from now on, good advice

crazy4carrots

Welga, keep wearing those sunglasses!  UV rays can hurt your vision and cause cataracts, according to my ophthalmologist.  Also, google UV Rays and Vision for more info.

Hugs, Linda

Welga

lindasa,

That's what I was worried about also after posting, my mother had cataracts, that's why I was wearing sunglasses,so I was debating wether getting sleep was more important than cataracts surgery lolll. You got me thinking...nice to remind me

Welga

elimar86861

My apologies for the sunlight suggestion.  I don't have another one to offer.

Welga

No need to apologize elimar, you had good intentions, happens to all of us, after all we are not doctors.

Welga

CrunchyPoodleMama

Welga and elimar, I think there's a happy medium here - even a few minutes a day without sunglasses can make a difference, without being enough to cause damage to your eyes (unless you're staring right INTO the sun or something).

I have super-sensitive eyes and can't stand to be without sunglasses for more than a few minutes... yet most mornings, I try to spend a bit of time in my front yard playing with the puppies, without sunglasses. The days when I do that, I can tell a difference!

Just an interesting side note, I've been able to get my body to ovulate when it's supposed to by spending a few mornings in the sunshine without sunglasses -- pretty wild, hm? I posted several years ago on my fertility board about that and people thought it was crazy, but then people started trying it and it worked. Amazing how doing GOOD things that the body was meant to do, all ties in together and gets you back on track in a lot of different ways!

Welga

CrunchyPoodleMama
Guess we just have to find the happy medium, makes senses too, not staring at the sunlight. I'm glad you have found some benefits, winter is a little hard on the eyes because of the reflection of the snow, but in summer it's doable, like you my eyes are very sensitive

CrunchyPoodleMama

Exactly, Welga!

Just wanted to report that I bought melatonin yesterday so I tried it last night, honestly not expecting it to do anything. (NOTHING works on my insomnia except Ambien, and Ambien is dangerous, scary, run-like-hell-away-from-it stuff. If anyone here is taking it, please let me tell you why you should not be taking that horrible drug!)

I took 3mg of melatonin, went to bed about half an hour later, and for the first time since I can remember, I don't remember lying awake tossing and turning. I had an AMAZING night's sleep and woke up 2 hours before my alarm... and I've felt rested and energetic and productive all day.

I may take it again tonight just to ensure I get on a good sleep schedule, but this is nothing short of a miracle for this chronic insomniac!!

elimar86861

All the talk of "happy medium."  I honestly did not think 20 min. was suggesting something extreme. What are the guidelines for the eyes and UV rays?   Perhaps lindasa will rejoin the discussion with further information.

DGHoff

Julia, 

I second you on the Ambien. Scary stuff! I took it once when I was in the hospital due to fevers and low blood count from chemo. Of course, hospitals are the worst for getting sleep, so when I complained about the difficulty I was having they gave me one. I hallucinated all night! It was so awful. Every time I shut my eyes, I would see strangers next to my bed talking to me. When I opened my eyes, they would be gone. I don't think I got any sleep that night!  Interesting info about the melatonin!

Oh, and I've also read that we definitely need some sunlight on our eyes for peak vitamin D production, but it is best to get it when the sun is not at peak levels to avoid UV damage. 

Welga

elimar

No, you are right 20 min.in the morning hours, you were saying the right thing, I might not have been clear when I talked about going out without sunglasses, I should have said I should take them off a bit witouth looking at the sunlight could be a ''happy medium'' and I should have read back from your previous post before answering. Afternoons are hard for me when writing, I'm always a little off at that period of the day, it's my dizzy period (neck problems) and english is also not my language.
Sorry for this misunderstanding
Welga

crazy4carrots

Elimar -- Sorry, I don't have any additional info, but will be seeing my opthalmologist in a couple of weeks so will ask again about eyes and sunlight.  But personally, I'd rather up my dose of VitD3 than risk early cataract surgery!  My DH hates wearing sunglasses and yes, he's had both eyes done due to cataracts.....  and I have to admit, I'm a bit paranoid about my eyes!