Melatonin Hot

Editor rating

8.6

User rating

0.0 (0)

Written by Maff September 25, 2007 2731 0Add

Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain when light levels drop at night. The release of melatonin stimulates healthy sleep and regulates the body's circadian rhythms. Disturbances in melatonin levels are implicated in sleep and mood disorders such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). In environmental illnesses there are known to be endocrine disturbances that may affect the normal release of melatonin. This Pineal hormone is also known to be a potent antioxidant hormone; oxidative stress again being a common feature of environmental illnesses. Supplements are widely available in tablet, capsule and liquid forms at health food stores in the US and over the internet in the UK and other countries.

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Editor review

Overall rating		8.6
Perceived Effectiveness		8.0
Lack of side effects (tolerability)		8.0
Ease of use		9.0
Value for money		9.0
Would you recommend?		9.0

Reviewed by Maff September 25, 2007
Last updated: July 29, 2009
#1 Reviewer - View all my reviews

Cheap and Effective

As a chronic fatigue syndrome patient I have suffered from sleep disturbances for many years. I use 1mg melatonin capsules on an as needed basis and find that they reliably induce sleep within 30 minutes when taken after getting into bed at night.

Initially I tried higher doses of 3 and 5mg and noticed a slight drowsiness in the morning. I have found that 1mg is just as effective at helping me get off to sleep and doesn't produce any drowsiness at all in the morning. I have also not experienced any other side effects and am not aware of any safety concerns when taking such low doses.

Melatonin supplements are very cheap and a bottle will last a long time, especially when used only when absolutely necessary.

I have tried various other sleep aids, some of which have worked and some haven't, but I tend to come back to melatonin as it works reliably, has no side effects and doesn't cost the earth!