You can be sure that the longer one is taking melatonin, it's building up in the body/// I never took more than 1mg and was consistent nighly and now I take some nights less than 1/2mg, I bite a piece off to take less...
Actually, our melatonin production starts around sundown, and ends at daylight, and in the sunshine, we hardly make any melatonin at all, and it does not build up in the body like chemical drugs can do. Since we make less, the older we get, the more we have to supplement in order to get the longevity and health benefits from melatonin production. This is why I thought my goat’s milk would have more melatonin in it after the goat had been producing more melatonin for its body. All some people take it for is to help with falling asleep, but since there are so many other benefits which our body gets from melatonin production, I want my body to keep making as much of it as possible to keep my body healthy, and also stop the muscle aches we seem to get easier as we get older. This is why it is a personal decision how much each person wants to take, because we all make different amounts naturally, and we all have different reasons for supplementing our natural production.
From the Sleep Foundation website: How Long Does Melatonin Stay in Your System? The half-life of melatonin is between 20 and 40 minutes, meaning half of the initial dosage in the body is eliminated after that amount of time. In total, melatonin stays in your system for about four to five hours. One small study examined melatonin levels in blood samples from a group of healthy male adults after taking an oral 10 milligram dose of the supplement. The researchers found that on average melatonin levels dropped to zero after five hours Trusted Source National Center for Biotechnology Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information. View Source .
I think melatonin is a "reset" hormone. It resets the body's clock. It is produced by the pineal gland in your head apparently in response to light as @Yvonne Smith said above. I think the "happy lights" of phototherapy serve to regulate melatonin production. Children and seniors seem to be more sensitive to melatonin while people in between seem to produce more and respond less to the hormone. I have said before here that one of our grandsons is autistic and he becomes much more normal when given 1/2 mg. of melatonin near bed time so there may be links there as well. He is now 16, so he will be in that transition soon. This is all my opinion based on experience, so don't take it as "Gospel", but that is melatonin as I see it. The sensitivity seems to vary by individual as well, so low does may work fine for some folks while higher does as needed by others to get the benefits.
OK, it does not build up in the body, I end up taking long naps daily, could be the higher doses of magnesium I take.
How much magnesium do you take, @Joy Martin ? I take about 400mg twice a day, and it helps me relax at night, but it has not made me sleep during the day. It might be low thyroid making you sleepy , is that possible ? I have had that happen, but since I have been taking the kelp every day (along with the Armour thyroid), I am not nearly as tired as when i do not take that.
Jake took it so I'll see how it affects him. I've been taking Losartan and it makes me feel bad, when I'm walking my legs and muscles are weak and I don't feel well. So I don't want to mix them up right now. I've taken it for 3 days then today I ceased taking it. I feel much better and my legs don't feel bad.
I have never taken Kelp, but do take Iosol Iodine for yrs. I'll get some kelp next food order...My friend takes some ke;lp and she is 10 yrs younger, lately I've ben lax with the iodine. I take NP thyroid and take less due to high cost, Armour is even higher and I pay out of pocket.....My early yrs with Armour was so affordable. Will take some iodine now that I'm thinking about it. I take at least 400mg mag 2 times per day, some days more. I take no calcium as I've taken the mag for joint health instead of calcium and I eat hardly any dairy.
Melatonin is a natural hormone that our body makes every day, @Marie Mallery , so it is not like taking a medication or something chemical when you take melatonin. Our gut also makes it, and so does our skin even, but it is stored and released when it is dark, either naturally, or because we are somewhere dark. I was just reading that they are using it as part of a cancer treatment now also, but in really high dosages, like over 200 mg a day, and the same when they use it for memory and dementia treatments. It has also helped with things like Parkinson’s, so it is being used for various reasons, and in high doses. Melatonin is considered an anti-aging hormone, which might be why it is helpful for so many things.
The fatigue could be more since I'm taking in more fluoride in my facet water...had to cease buying CLEAN water. Fluoride messes up the thyroid....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrri
That is an EXCELLENT point, @Joy Martin , and fluoride definitely does mess up the thyroid. We have one of those little PUR water filters that we use, and it helps. Bobby put a filter on the kitchen faucet for cold water, which traps some of the impurities, and then the PUR filter gets more of them out. It is much cheaper than trying to buy bottled water, which still sometimes has fluoride and other chemicals in it.
I love my PUR, been using it for maybe 3-4 years. Being just on my own, it lasts me quite a few months. The "alert" still works too. Some folks complained in the "comments" on the PUR like mine, but it's plastic, so you can't be heavy-handed with it. Luckily it fit to my new faucet, just using a tiny adapter that costs a couple of bucks only, I got at Home Depot. I only have a big case of water for emergency, but I question every using it because they say the plastic deteriorates
The PUR does NOT get rid that devil Fluoride....one has to use a speciaol fluoride eliminator filter. I Wish ...