The Quest for good Sleep

Sometimes, I hear my mother's voice in my head: "When you're older, you won't fight going to bed; you'll actually want to." Of course, she was right. I'm happy to go to bed after a long, fulfilling day. However, it's frustrating when I either can't fall asleep, or can't stay asleep for the entire night. Unfortunately, the problem I rarely experienced as a child has come to plague me as an adult.

I can't take standard sleeping pills, and I have some reservations about them anyway. When melatonin, a naturally occurring hormone, started gaining popularity in the nineties, I thought that might be the answer. I started taking one milligram each night. Other than some exceptionally vivid dreams, I noticed little to no difference.

Over the years, my melatonin use has followed a predictable cycle. I buy it, and am cautiously optimistic about the results. I think it might be working, but I'm not sure. No, it really doesn't seem to be doing that much good. When it runs out, I don't reorder, because even when I take it, my sleep isn't all that great. I guess it was better than I realized, because my sleep is now worse than ever. Maybe I'll reorder, because maybe it's doing something, however small.

Recently, a friend talked about a particular brand of melatonin she got, and said it was helping quite a bit. I ordered it, and the cycle began all over again. This time, however, things seem to be different. Initially, I was told to take melatonin about 30 minutes prior to bedtime. More recently, I've heard that it should be taken two or three hours before bed. I take it about two hours before, because this works well for my particular schedule. I also consulted a trusted medical person to find out what a good dose might be for me, which was significantly higher than I first thought. Finally, the melatonin I am now taking is listed as "pharmaceutical grade," and is therefore subjected to higher quality control standards.

This three-pronged approach has resulted in vastly improved, more consistent and predictable sleep. I wanted to share my findings in the hope that they would help others get the best possible nights’ sleep.

Before you consider taking melatonin, you might find help from this informative article on Web MD.

The melatonin I am taking is now listed as one of our Favorite Product Picks, and you are welcome to check it out if you are interested.

Have you had experiences with melatonin you'd like to share? Perhaps you've found other helpful methods for falling asleep or staying asleep. We'd love to hear from you. Comment on our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, or join our BlindAlive Community on Facebook.