Londolozi,
While my sleep is far from perfect, the two things that have helped me the most have been:
1. Low-Dose Naltrexone (2-3 mg at bedtime)
2. A supplement called "Deep Sleep" (
bit.ly/2gFnLvv)
Lately, though, the "Deep Sleep" supplement may not be helping me as much. I've been taking it for at least a year, and perhaps two. So, I've been experimenting with Melatonin. I'm pretty sensitive to many compounds, so I started with a "small" does of 1 mg of Melatonin at bedtime. The next morning, after a miserable night of sleep, I felt as if I'd been hit by a bus.
This led me to do more reading on Melatonin. I discovered that the optimal dose of Melatonin is pretty small -- around 0.3 milligrams. That's 300 micrograms. That's according to Richard Wurtman, M.D. at the MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
wurtmanlab.mit.edu/projects<--- Begin Quote --->
Dr. Richard J. Wurtman, a distinguished professor of neuropharmacology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said older people often have trouble getting to sleep because the pineal gland, where melatonin is produced, "gets calcified with age." Taking a little bit of the hormone makes up for the pineal gland's weakness, he explained.
In 2001, Wurtman and his colleagues published a study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism that suggested that small doses of melatonin -- no more than 0.3 milligrams -- could help older people conquer insomnia.
But it's got to be just this little bit, Wurtman said, because too much melatonin overwhelms and deactivates receptors that transfer the hormone into cells.
Wurtman noted that the Alberta study used doses as high a 6 milligrams. "They are giving 20 times the correct dose," he said. "The higher the dose we gave, the lower the response we got."
Most of the melatonin products now on the market give similar overdoses, Wurtman said. The result: "Your insomnia gets worse after a while," he said. "What you need is low doses that raise blood levels to where they were when they were young. It's the equivalent of hormone replacement therapy for women."<--- End Quote --->
Dr. Wurtman developed a time-released, low-dose melatonin supplement called "Sleep Answer."
Dr. Richard Wurtman's "Sleep Answer" Low-Dose Melatonin, 28 Dual-Release Capsules/www.amzn.com/B01ETU38FU/www.healthydirections.com/sleep-answer (ingredient listed here)
It's a very clever design -- a capsule in a capsule. The first stage releases quickly, assisting with getting into sleep quicker. Then, several hours later, the second stage releases, helping the person stay asleep.
After looking at the ingredient list, however, I found the product uses a chemical dye: "FD&C Blue Lake #2." While the amount is almost certainly negligible, I decided to look for another option.
After another day of searching, I found a low-dose, extended release Melatonin supplement from Life Extension.
Life Extension 6-Hour, Time-Released Melatonin, 300 mcg/www.amzn.com/B00CDABRUWIt's 0.3 milligram (300 microgram) and releases over six hours. I ordered it only a few days ago, so it's not yet arrived. I'm hopeful that it will help. We all know the critical importance of sleep.
Also, I ran across the following Medical Doctor in Texas that does a lot of investigation and work with patients who have sleep issues. She discusses the impact of Vitamin D, the B-Vitamins, and the Microbiome. I found the YouTube lecture to be quite interesting.
Dr. Stasha GominakHow To Fix Your Sleep:
/youtu.be/uj8FTWCb010Personal Website:
/drgominak.comObviously, sleep is an extraordinarily complex process, to say the least. There are many types of sleep disturbances. Some fall asleep fast, but can't stay asleep (like me), others have trouble getting to sleep, but, once asleep, they stay under. Others have some combination of the two.
There's also Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Central Sleep Apnea, Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD), etc. Of course, some of those are just labels of symptoms. (After two sleep studies, I was labeled with some of those.) But, as you wisely stated:
"I really feel that if you have something going on, nothing will help until that something is corrected." I couldn't agree more. But, of course, using something in the interim, to help you sleep, is warranted.
Good luck with the Vital Plan Supplements. I'm guessing you may be trying their "HPA Balance" and "Pure Calm" products. I have the former, but not the latter. In fact, mine is still un
opened. If the time-released Melatonin doesn't work for me, I'll try the "HPA Balance" product next.
I wish you the best of luck and hope you find something helpful soon. If you have the opportunity, please give us an update on anything that you found helpful.
Best Regards,
The Dude
Post Edited (The Dude Abides) : 3/6/2018 2:45:13 PM (GMT-7)