Can't Sleep?

Can't Sleep?

When I was 18 years old I walked into one of my very first health food stores and I picked up a bottle of melatonin.  I can’t remember how I heard of melatonin but I spoke o the woman behind the counter and she told me how she used it because of all the caffeine and ephedrine she used, it helped her come down from her high at bedtime.

That night I took my first 3mg dose and went to sleep.  It must have worked great because I have been using it for years. Shortly after I started using it the Canadian government  banned it from the shelves in Canada.  I was a little upset, you see I suffered with anxiety and panic attacks when I was younger and having a great nights sleep was a great thing for me.  Not knowing what to do, I moved onto over the counter sleeping pills, not prescription just kind you would find on the shelf at the drug store.  I sleep very well but the dam side effects sucked.  Diarrhea, grogginess the next day and headaches are what I traded for a good nights sleep.

Then years later when I was working in health food stores myself, melatonin was reintroduced in Canada and I bought a bottle so fast as I was anxious to use it again.  Let’s fast forward to present day.   I have used melatonin for many years and gone through many bottles.  It is part of my supplement program, I use it almost every night, which can cause controversy.
I am not recommending you use melatonin every night for years (warnings say to use it for no more than 7 days and for occasional uses) but I have been using it for a very long time and I am a fan.

 Side effects I have encountered have been next morning grogginess when taking high does of 6mg or more but it’s not like I can’t sleep if I don’t use it I just enjoy a deep sleep from using it.
Will melatonin work for everyone?  I believe it does, but many believe it doesn’t, let me explain.  Our body doesn’t function at optimal levels went we are deficient in certain nutrients, sorry this is a fact.  Melatonin helps regulate sleep cycles, so if you are deficient in magnesium or b vitamins the melatonin may not be the immediate answer but taken long term you will regulate your sleep cycles.
If you have been wondering about the little bottle of pills the sits on the shelf at the health food store that says melatonin on it, I hope today’s blog helped.  Got more questions about it, leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you


Stay motivated and stay healthy
Shane Chartrand