Posted on 09/09/2015 8:50:36 AM PDT by rickmichaels
My 11-year-old returned from overnight camp with stories about wakeboarding and new friendships. She also came back with an unusual story about the nurse’s office and sleep aids for campers. My daughter has always had a hard time falling asleep, especially during the school year. She tells me, “I lie in bed and can’t stop thinking about what happened and what I could have done differently. Then I think about tomorrow and I keep worrying about not falling asleep.” She’s apparently not alone. At camp, she says, a lot of kids went for a nightly visit to the nurse for their melatonin supplements.
Millions of adults take the hormone supplement, which augments the naturally occurring hormone produced in the body when the sun goes down. In some grocery stores, melatonin is even posted on overhead signs in aisles; it’s as much of a staple as eggs or salad dressing. Now, growing numbers of children seem to be taking the supplement. About 18 months ago, my daughter’s pediatrician recommended a small dose for her: one milligram. A year later, my daughter is up to five, unless she’s had hours of exercise that day—such as a four-hour hike—in which case, she doesn’t need it.
In 2014, Fox News reported that “for some parents who are desperate for a natural way to get their kids to go to sleep, popping one melatonin pill each night has been the answer.” They also asked, “Is it safe?” Shelby Harris, a sleep psychologist and director of the behavioral sleep medicine program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, told Fox that she knows a lot of pediatricians who are recommending melatonin, but that parents are using it wrong, not knowing how much to give their kids, or when.
Generally, it seems, most doctors do not recommend melatonin as a first step in treating sleep problems. One concern about giving the supplement to children is it could wreak havoc on how their bodies mature sexually. The U.S. National Institutes of Health, for example, warns that “melatonin pills shouldn’t be used by kids, because they may be unsafe and [affect] their development.” Side effects can include daytime sleepiness.
Sheryl Brown, a doctor with the Genesis Professional Group in Concord, Ont., has researched melatonin use in children. “While the literature I follow generally notes little significant short- and long-term side effects in children,” she says, “we should be aware that the number of clinical trials is still small.” She says specific studies to establish dosage, formulations and length of treatment are needed.
Meanwhile, the demand for other solutions is growing. Alanna McGinn, a sleep consultant and founder of GoodnightSleepSite.com, has employees in Vancouver, Winnipeg and three U.S. states. She’s expanding to Calgary in the fall. She helps parents teach their children how to fall asleep without any supplements. McGinn says that, along with more stress, both academic and social, parents may be overwhelming their children with activities. “Children are exhausted, to the point they can’t sleep,” she says.
Other despairing parents turn to Laurel Crossley-Byers, whose website, Opti-Mom.ca, has a page where children can “gather in the fairy garden with Laurel and learn the basics of meditation.” This program is best suited, she says, for children aged six to nine. From her home in Burlington, Ont., she gets calls from “all over the world, from parents with sleep-deprived children.” Crossley-Byers is not opposed to sleep remedies, but thinks the less intervention, the better. She recommends a “data dump” before bedtime: Kids should “empty their brains” by writing down all that happened that day in a notebook. She discourages bedtime reading.
Marnie, a Calgary mother who prefers her last name not be used, has a “bright” child who thinks a lot. She gives him Rescue Sleep, a homeopathic sleep aid containing traces of botanical ingredients, such as white chestnut and impatiens, that are sprayed on the tongue. Her husband, a doctor, gave her the go-ahead.
When I speak to my daughter about trying yoga and meditation and the possibility of using the Rescue Sleep spray, she says, “I’ll try anything. I can’t stand nighttime.”
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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