harryg wrote: ↑Fri Apr 01, 2022 7:27 am
Interesting stuff.
On the subject of melatonin, do you think it worthwhile taking as a supplement to sleep better (over a limited time, to do a sort of reset)?
It has been suggested, I haven't tried it because in general I don't like the idea of supplements, especially artificial ones.
I think it can be useful over a limited time to establish a healthy sleep schedule. But keeping in mind that your body only produces about 0.3mg of melatonin naturally every day, I would stick to as low a dose as you can -- for instance, a 2mg or less supplement should be plenty enough to achieve the desired effects. You could go with the maximum over-the-counter dose of 10mg but I just wonder what kind of health repercussions it might have upping your melatonin intake by over 3,000% of the amount naturally produced (granted I doubt all 10mg would be absorbed).
I'm no expert on sleep but I've found a wealth of information on the subject by reading posts and listening to podcasts by Andrew Huberman, he's a professor of neuroscience at Stanford and puts out a lot of great science/nutrition-based content about sleep, productivity, etc. I've found it all quite useful thus far. And he is pretty good about mentioning the peer-reviewed studies behind his advice. I remember him saying in one of his episodes about sleep that a study was done where a broad range of commercially available brands of melatonin were tested, and it was found that the actual melatonin content of the pills ranged from 15% of what was listed on the bottle up to 400 times the amount listed on the bottle. So if that statement has any truth to it, my personal advice is to avoid taking melatonin supplements. Also keep in mind that unlike other over the counter nutritional supplements, melatonin is actually a hormone produced by the body. Thus, manipulating those naturally occurring hormones runs the risk of affecting other hormones which are regulated by melatonin.
Other advice for sleep he mentions - which you may have heard elsewhere - is to avoid screen time for at least few hours before going to sleep, putting the temperature down a few notches during sleep, daily exercise, and so forth. I think developing the right habits is much more effective than taking melatonin regularly or sporadically.
Also one thing I'll briefly mention which for me has been a game changer for falling asleep quickly is a form of meditation called Yoga Nidra. It's a form of what's called a non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) protocol, which despite the title is an effective method for falling asleep faster. It's basically a guided meditation practice which puts your body into a mode of deep relaxation and has a host of cognitive benefits for accelerating your learning and memory retention, especially if done immediately after a 90 minute period of intense learning or focus. But like I said it's a great tool for falling asleep as well -- I am usually asleep well before the 20 minute audio is over. I highly recommend giving it a try!
The Yoga Nidra (NSDR) guided meditation I use ----
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL02HRFk2vo
The podcast episode on sleep I mentioned, I believe the NSDR protocol benefits are mentioned here as well ----
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm1TxQj9IsQ&t=855s
