Look up what happens if you keep taking Melatonin on a regular basis.

My first thought is along the lines of what you suggested. It's your dog that is the issue. Try sleeping in the guest room and see what happens before taking supplements.

Having a sleep problem, I asked my cardiologist about it. He advised melatonin or benedryl. I took one 3 mg. melatonin one night and woke up with a nightmare, screaming, something that I never do. So no more of that and the benedryl works just fine. I take one maybe twice a week to ensure a full night's sleep. It's inexpensive and harmless if not overdone.

Look up Dr. Oz on melatonin. He recommends only 1 mg. per dose.

If you can sleep away from the doggie, that may solve your problem.

Melatonin took a long time to work, and left me hung over the next day. I threw it out after a few tries.

I guess I'm the anomaly here--I've taken melatonin most nights for a couple of years without a problem. One reason I take it is to help with falling asleep (although it doesn't always work); the other reason is that it boosts the immune system.

Our bodies make melatonin, but the levels fall as we get older. Which I am. I use 3 mg sublingual lozenges.

alisande, what's your information source about melatonin and the immune system?

Harvard Med School (see link below) and just about any other site a Google search takes you to seem to disagree. Nothing has yet been proven to do this, neither melatonin nor anything else.

You can count on me to keep an eye open for comments suggesting benefits from unsupported folk medicine claims. especially those involving untested and unregulated food supplements and vitamins.

(edit for this PS)

I've taken melatonin to try to help with jet lag, it was slightly helpful. I've found other tricks to be more effective.

Here is a link that might be useful: Harvard Med School article on immune system

This post was edited by snidely on Fri, Oct 3, 14 at 21:01

Melatonin boosts the immune system???

I'm gonna start taking that stuff!

A number of years ago, I took it for a little while when I had horrible insomnia;
it helped some, for a while.

& then it seemed like it didn't make a difference.

& if I had one sip of wine, I had weird dreams.

I take a 5 mg Melatonin every night.
It makes me sleepy.
It doesn't work for everyone.

I've taken it and it has worked. But I try not to take it very often. It makes me a bit sluggish for the first 30 minutes after I wake up.

I took it once and felt as if I was in a zombi state. Didn't sleep the
whole nite , and just felt weird. Never again!

I have been taking Melatonin for over 15 years. I have a nerve issue in my leg that keeps me awake. I take 15mg (3 low dose pills) and I sleep like a baby. Also I don't wake up groggy and feel like a Zombie.

Suggest you try it and see if it works for you.

SamKaren
your resident DJ

I have never tried it; haven't had a need. DH did because he was having insomnia. It didn't seem to help him.

It wouldn't hurt to try it and see if it helps you.

I love melatonin. Have had sleep issues all my life. when I take 5mg. Of melatonin, I fall asleep easily, which I don't do normally. My kids, both I their 50's take 10 mg EVERY night.

I have restless legs if I take that stuff or benedril . It's acts like a weak sleeping pill and it you keep taking it soon you will to take a higher dosage for it to work. My sis is up to 40 MG trying to sleep. I need to be tired to sleep, no naps, read a little in bed until I am sleepy, at least 10 minutes. I stay up until midnight so I am good and tired.

Try Tylenol PM. It is a combination of Tylenol and Benedryl and works well for me. I tried melatonin years ago with no success.

When it was thought that I had lupus (I don't), the rheumatologist told me not to take melatonin because it strengthens the immune system, which can make autoimmune diseases worse. This was not a surprise to me because earlier at a gathering in New York I had met an 87-year-old Ph.D. chemist who told me about the melatonin-immune system connection. He had traveled from CA for the event, and was very sharp. He was a big fan of melatonin.

Here's a quote from the NIH, which has published numerous papers on melatonin: " . . . there is overwhelming information demonstrating the immunoenhancing properties of melatonin . . . "

I've never tried melatonin. I have asthma and fear it could affect my breathing while I am sleeping.

It seems that the medical field is just discovering the every*body* is different. (We already know that every mind is susceptible to suggestion to a different degree.)

I require Advair to lead a normal life with my asthma. Blood tests show that I need to supplement my Vitamin D, and I do. Blood tests also show no lack of anything else, so I don't take anything else.

If I take more than a small dose of anything containing an opiate I will probably have nightmares. Sometimes I must take Tylenol 3 for hip pain. I halve the tablet and hope I will not need another half the next night, as I will certainly have nightmares then.

If needed, I can take a 'nibble' of Ambien without nightmares. I have never experienced any of the reported side effects of sleep walking, etc. I only take it when I know I will be in bed for at least six hours. It evidently doesn't remain or build in my particular system.

Opiates also cause constipation. I can't fathom 'recreational uses' of such *medications*.

It seems that the medical field is just discovering the every*body* is different.

Yes, and amazing that it took them this long.

Just so you know, melatonin is not a sedative. It's a hormone produced in the pineal gland. I'm just clarifying--not urging you (or anyone else) to take it.

Your citation is from one study in 2002. Also, what you were looking at is PubMed, the searchable database of biomedical research, it's not work from or policy of the NIH. A further search suggests the study was done in Texas.

There are tens of thousands of research articles on the immune system and the findings are all over the board. That's normal. Overall there's no evidence demonstrating a positive impact from any measure. Here's a quote from the Harvard material I referenced before, it's from 2014

"Although some preparations have been found to alter some components of immune function, thus far there is no evidence that they actually bolster immunity to the point where you are better protected against infection and disease. Demonstrating whether an herb" or any substance, for that matter can enhance immunity is, as yet, a highly complicated matter. "

Don't tell me what I was looking at, Snidely.

Harvard is talking to consumers (covering their backs all the way), while the NIH is publishing for the scientific community.

I know from past experience that you are capable of arguing this to death, but I have no interest in doing that. The OP wouldn't benefit from it. Let's just say your definition of "evidence" and mine will never match.

"Don't tell me what I was looking at, Snidely. "

You've cited the NIH again, they have no involvement with what you were looking at. The citation is to an article describing work done by two people at the University of Texas. It was published in the Feb 2002 issue of "Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry", a for-profit publication. There are hundreds of such journals and tens of thousands of such articles each year.

PubMed is to medical research what Google is to the internet. It's a search engine run by NIH to allow a means of finding articles and work done on very narrow topics that have been published in any one of a ga-jillion different journals and magazines. PubMed isn't a source.

If you don't know what you're looking at, nor have any understanding (at least as an outsider, like me) how research proceeds and results reported, then yes, your understanding of evidence and mine will never match. Sorry, please keep you eyes open.

(edited for typos and clarity)

This post was edited by snidely on Sat, Oct 4, 14 at 16:17

I take "Sleep MD" 3 or 4 nights a week...it has never bothered me and I have no next morning after effects! it's hard to find so I order it from Walmart.com

I took 1 table and it was ok, next time I took 2 and couldn't wake up! Never again, it was scary!

I take it all the time, not a high dose though.

MY DH & my DD took it and said it didn't do anything for them. I take vitamin D3 and it really helped me sleep. My Chiropractor said it helped him.

I started taking melatonin 5mgs. and it works great for me.

alisande, please don't let snottiness get a rise out of you.

There's something wrong with stirring up conflict & creating turmoil, something more than mere manners.