Posted on 09/09/2015 8:50:36 AM PDT by rickmichaels
I’ve used melatonin.
It’s an excellent low-key supplement for sleep aid, and I recommend it - for adults.
I am uncertain about its use for kids, so this is a good article.
Try magnesium. When a person has trouble sleeping, it may be due to being short in magnesium.
Thanks for posting, two adhd grandkids (used to call it hyperactive) and my daughter uses melatonin regularly. Otherwise, kids up til 2am.
Melatonin is great to help get you sleeping. Valerian root is where it’s at to help you sleep deeper. I still contend that the best medicine is exercise. When I don’t exercise at least 1 hour a day, I feel restless when I go to bed. If I put in at least an hour at the gym or outside, I’m asleep before I know it.
I’m not sure how they could say that children are so exhausted that they can’t sleep. That doesn’t make sense. You’re either physically exhausted or your not.
I can see how children would have trouble with bedtime if they hadn’t had lots and lots of physical activity during the day. I guess if we turned the lights low for a while before bedtime, that might help too.
I can’t imagine that a small dose of melatonin would be harmful, but need to see more studies.
One thing that happens to me is, I can become mentally tired - exhausted, really - after pulling hours on researching a problem or a grueling day in the cube farm.
I’ve actually used valerian as a cure for migraines - it tastes horrible, but the results are good.
I travel extensively. As in multiple time zone shifts. I have used melatonin, Valerian root, Benadryl. All have their advantages and all can build a tolerance. To avoid this, I will not use any one more than one week. Also, after one week I am normally onto the local sleep schedule.
I find that the big thing is to NOT occupy the mind with TV, games or electronics a min of 1 hour before bed. I also use constructive dreaming by visualizing a story line that is pure fantasy and has nothing to do with my daily life. This allows the mind to relax and drift off.
Try putting on a Jeb Bush speech ...
Calcium and Magnesium.
I asked if it was safe and acceptable to give my 4 yr old melatonin, and she laughed heartily.
In my face!
She remembers when parents used codeine cough syrup.
Aside from melatonin there are lots of other herbs that promote sleep, like Valerian and mint.
You know Sleepy Time Tea? Its the one with the snoozing bear. It comes in several flavors now. Now they make one specifically for children. If you read the ingredients it gives an idea of what can be used on kids - hippy stuff like dandelion root.
Experiment Time...
I have used it if I have a 4am hunt that I need to get up for.
I don’t know about children.
I also keep a bottle of ZQuil. That stuff is wonderful. If I need to get up early, I’ll take a swig about 30 minutes before I need to be in the bed... out like a light.
On the times that I have taken melatonin, it gave me bad dreams. If it had that effect on your daughter she would likely tell you, but you might quiz her about it a little.
I give it to my dog during thunderstorms. Ever since our house was hit by lightning he’s scared of thunder and lightning.
Calms him right down and makes him sleeeeepy.
That’s how I use valerian as well. It’s a low-level benzodiezapine, so it works well as a sedative. When my brain is going a mile-a-minute, I have a hard time shutting down. Valerian helps to counteract that, and the side-effects are much more pleasant than drinking myself to sleep (when I used to drink).
Melatonin is great for us old folks. It works because the body slows production of melatonin as we age and if we replace it with a supplement we sleep better and or longer. My own results with it are not so pleasant. I sleep longer when I use it after a couple of nights of wakefulness but it is hard to get up and I wake with a really nasty headache, which does go away with a cup of coffee.
I’ve tried both melatonin and valerian- neither one did squat for me
Ditto on the exercise.
Melatonin actually reduces my dreams.
I historically had very vivid and intense dreams. The other substance I used to dampen down my dreams is not legal in my state.
The thing I notice in my child is that melatonin is merely a request to settle down, not an order, so she will still be crazy an hour after taking it, so if I take it (it knocks me out) I must give her a big head start over me.
The product we use is melatonin gummies from Target. There are several other ingredients besides melatonin to aid sleep. I give my kid half of the adult dose, and let her dry out on Fridays/Saturdays.
I also take half a dose and notice
A) it wears off part way through the night, and
B) my body develops a tolerance very quickly.
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