Details Matter - Melatonin
Over the years, I’ve helped thousands of people to use safe, natural, effective strategies to sleep better and more deeply, so they wake up feeling refreshed and ready for a great day, yet I’ve never recommended melatonin.
The reason is simple; I researched it first, and I learned a few things that were BIG RED FLAGS!
1. Melatonin is NOT natural, and
2. It doesn’t work great, at least not compared to the other tools in my toolkit!
It’s true! The melatonin we produce in our brain is truly natural, but in pills or liquid sleep aids, it’s A SYNTHETIC HORMONE!
To make matters worse, melatonin has never been tested on children or teens.
Nonetheless, a recent national study out of University of Colorado Boulder showed that 6% of preschoolers and 19% of elementary and middle schoolers are using melatonin regularly for sleep.
Yet most parents, and many doctors, seem to have no idea how to use melatonin to get optimal benefits, and may actually be making things harder for the kids to manage themselves.
Research done on melatonin shows that nobody should consume more than 3 mg (or 3 ml of liquid) melatonin in a 24 hour period. I’ve heard of doctors, even pediatricians, recommending 10 mgs, and sometimes more, to young children, which then caused some significant side effects for those children.
Too much melatonin can make kids and adults groggy the next morning, experiencing headaches, irritability, digestive complaints, drowsiness, dizziness, lack of focus, and most recently, there are concerns that melatonin could interrupt or affect puberty.
So here's the REAL DEAL:
When it comes to melatonin, more is NOT better, not more helpful, nor effective, according to all of the best research done on melatonin.
With melatonin, LESS is BETTER! So that means, and the research shows:
3 mgs is helpful for rare sleep concerns, like sleeping away from the comforts of one's own home. Not recommended regularly.
2 mgs is shown to be helpful for occasional sleeplessness, and not ideal for daily usage.
And for wildly hyper, tightly wired, rambunctious people who struggle to slow down, 1 mg or less is shown to help the most. So think: 1/2 mg, 1/3 mg or even 1/4 mg for the people who struggle with sleep most often.
New guidelines set in 2023 recommend melatonin only be used with children short term. That's likely going to leave parents scrambling, searching for new, hopefully safer options.
Now, legally, I cannot tell you to go against your doctor's advice, but if they've recommended more than 3 mgs FOR ANY REASON, press them on it and ask if they've read the studies.
Do you see why the DETAILS MATTER?
When I do an article like this, most people tell me that they've never heard this information before. EXACTLY!!!
When you know the details, you can make wiser, more effective choices... and see real, lasting results.
In the next post on sleep, we'll explore the pros and cons with using magnesium.
If you're a parent who is ready for the guidance and support necessary for deep restful sleep, more safety awareness, effective communication, self-regulation, focus, attention, better grades, sensory and social management, and so much more...
We can help!
Schedule a call with us now!
Blessings to you,
Cerina
