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.”
The problem could be that kids are not getting enough D3... sunlight.
Sunlight contributes to the body making natural melatonin.
Kids should have oodles of natural melatonin in their bodies. But there is an artificial ban on sunlight today, so kids are probably not getting their D3 sunlight fix.
what I like to do is take 4 sleeping pills and 4 laxatives, I then sleep like a baby
Two teaspoons of powdered Inositol ( one in morning one in evening) does the trick in a more natural way
My 12 yr old has other mental illness issues. When we first noticed the problems at age 8 we started her on melatonin, then as her issues worsened she was prescribed clonidine, and now she is up to trazedone.
Yes, magnesium works wonders. My wife uses it nearly every night when she needs a sleep aid. She uses the powder that you dissolve in liquid.
“That’s how I use valerian as well. It’s a low-level benzodiezapine, so it works well as a sedative.”
Valerian works quite well, but what works even better, is GABA (gamma-Aminobutyric acid) an amino acid that’s responsible for why the benzodiazepines work so well. Safe, natural, and very effective.
I think melatonin must affect different people differently as far as dreams go.
I have a grandson who is neurologically impaired. We use melatonin drops periodically as needed to help him sleep. We used to use the gummies, but he got to where he wouldn’t chew and swallow them. He doesn’t speak, so I can’t tell for sure if it gives him bad dreams or not. I have never seen any sign that it does, though.
I do take Benadryl occasionally, and it knocks me right out. It doesn’t ordinarily give me bad dreams. I have found that other sleep aids do also seem to give me bad dreams, though.
Is there a brand name for GABA that can be used in children?
I’ve used it for helping with overseas jet lag (watch out is is banned in some countries like the UK). Melatonin induces very vivid and unusual dreams in many users. It is more commonly prescribed to older adults who don’t produce enough natural melatonin and can’t stay asleep. I’m really doubtful it has any useful sleeping effect on most kids.
Consider yourself lucky. I’ve often experienced insomnia when I’m totally exhausted, but the natural sleep cycle won’t initiate.
A better solution is turning off the screens at least an hour if not 2 before bed time.
Pedatrician recommended it for my 10 year old son. The body produces melatonin. Its no different than taking a vitamin.
“Is there a brand name for GABA that can be used in children?”
I think any of the reputable brands that sell it would be good. Here’s one for a decent price. It also works wonders having a calming effect on children (and adults) prone to hyperactivity and such. It’s really good stuff.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000GFSVE6?vs=1
melatonin is addictive and not a good solution at all. Take magnesium, preferably in the form of glycinate. Build up to 800-1000 mg/day, split throughout the day.
for a kid, take half that
Melatonin is great. 1 pill relaxes you and you have hours of restful sleep plus no side affects. I use it sometimes on a Sunday night if my hours changed over the weekend.
Check the ingredients of other sleep aids and you will find a common one called Diphenhydramine that causes withdrawal symptoms that includes headaches and sleep less nights....
Personally thinking about what I did and didn’t do and what I am going to do is the most productive part of my day, got plenty of time to sleep after/during the dirt nap.
Like Salt, my body lets me know what it needs. if it needs to lay awake and do maintenance ... it’s ok, if I feel like salting my mashed potatoes it’s ok too.
“It’s not nice to mess with Mother Nature” (gotta be old to remember that)
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