Melatonin and Ambien Challenges: Q & A

Question:

I’ve only slept 13 hours in the past 4 weeks. I’ve had problems sleeping since I was eight but lately it’s gotten worse because I’m going through a difficult time. I’ve taken melatonin which only works for a couple of hours, then I wake up. I was prescribed ambien but this caused me to hallucinate which was pretty scary. I’ve tried strenuous exercise, herbal teas and changing what I eat. But nothing works.

Answer:

You say that you’re going through a difficult time at the moment. Is this stress related to dealing with other people, studying for exams or work?

Practising physical but gentle relaxation techniques in the afternoon or evenings will help to reduce your stress and also help your brain to secrete more melatonin naturally.

You say that melatonin supplements only work for you for a couple of hours. Have you also tried eating foods that are a natural source of melatonin such as:

tomatoes
cherries
sweet corn
walnuts

These foods all contain small amounts of melatonin.

Also, to increase your levels of melatonin naturally, you may want to avoid using equipment in the late evenings that delay the natural production of melatonin in your brain (such as laptops, PCs, mobiles etc.)

Strenuous exercise is not always helpful especially if you exercise in the late afternoon or evening. It raises your heart rate and your body temperature and these physiological changes will make it difficult for you to fall asleep.

However since you have been experiencing these problems since you were eight, you may want to explore what was going on in your life when you were eight and if it’s a situation that is still going on for you now. Often the solution to insomnia lies in the cause.

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