Nov 11 2008
Some Thoughts on Melatonin for Sleep Disturbances
After two straight nights of middle-of-the-night wake-ups, I finally decided to do some further research into the use of melatonin for sleep disturbances in children. Gus falls asleep fine, but wakes up in the middle of the night. Sunday night, he got some water and went right back to sleep. Last night he got up about three times and did not want to stay in his room. He’s not complaining of nightmares. Last night he was sweating, so he was clearly too warm (don’t know why - it got cold last night) but the night before he wasn’t - he just woke up. This has been an ongoing problem, and I’m starting to wonder if it’s not just waking up, but if he’s really not getting good quality sleep, which might effect his performance at school. Hence the decision to try melatonin. That and I need to sleep.
There were dozens of articles that came up in my search. I mainly looked for possible side-effects, appropriate dosages, whether or not age is a factor, and for a general overview of what exactly the stuff does in the body.
Melatonin is a a hormone that occurs naturally in the body, usually secreted by the pineal gland when the brain perceives darkness. It basically regulates the body’s internal clock, among other functions that are not sleep related.
While the bottle says that it is only to be used for adults, almost everything I’ve read suggested that in very low dosages, it’s fine for children and teens for a short period of time. I also noted that many of the studies done on its effectiveness/safety in children were done with children having special needs. In children under 15, the recommended starting dose (according to one site that was the most conservative starting dose) is under .3 mg per day given at bedtime. More than 1 mg per day may create problems, like seizures, so if you really felt the need to use that amount or more, you should consult a doctor. Melatonin also interacts with certain medications(for good or ill) - another reason to consult a doctor before using it.
Some resources for further reading:
University of Maryland Medical Center
Keep Kids Healthy.com (2002 article)
These are just a few articles to start you off. I also wanted to note that we do use behavioral means of helping Gus sleep, which is the main reason he falls asleep fairly easily. Television goes off an hour before bedtime, and we have a very consistent bedtime routine. So, we’re going to try a very low dose - about .25 mg for a few days to see how it goes. The goal is to get him sleeping through the night again to see if his body will regulate itself. I doubt we’d use the supplement for more than a couple of weeks at most.
If there’s anything I’ve missed or gotten wrong, or if you’d like to share any additional advice/thoughts on melatonin use, please feel free to comment! And wish us luck (or sleep even)!
