Melatonin - Did excessive dosing cause my insomnia? Need some insight pls.

[amalgamatedinc]

I've taken 5 - 12 mg melatonin nightly (sporadically) for a few years. Last week for a couple nights I woke up and unwisely wound up taking a total of 20 - 25 mg each night . After learning here more than 1 - 3 mg is considered a sensible dose, I'm wondering if I might have messed up my own melatonin production or something. I've been up basically 5 days now. One night I tried Valerian extract appx 600 mg, which did result in about 4 hrs sleep. The following night Valerian only produced the anxiolytic effect but did not result in sleep.

Though I know Valerian is benzo type/Gaba agent, I really do not want to get into pharmaceuticals Rx's (benzos, sedatives) to try to solve this problem.

I'm hitting the gym today despite being wiped out in hopes of "breaking" this somehow. I'm hoping someone here can offer some suggestions to help me sleep without digging myself in a deeper hole.

 

[aihfl]

Less is more with melatonin. Counterintuitively, a smaller dose is more effective. What are your sleep hygiene habits like? Do you do stuff in bed other than sleep or have sex? You don't want your brain to become accustomed to the idea that bed is where you do stuff if you're already having problems with sleep - read, watch Netflix on your phone etc. For me, silence and a dark, cool room are important. Lastly, I've been an insomniac for as long as I can remember, since I was a kid and used to flip out about getting enough sleep. I don't worry about it anymore. You'll sleep when you need to.

 

[CFC]

Hey amalgamatedinc welcome to Bluelight

Sorry to hear about your insomnia. Is there any obvious reason you're aware of for your sleeping difficulties. Are you taking any drugs?

 

[amalgamatedinc]

Thank you, aihfl and CFC...

I've come to learn that less is more now. I've always practiced good sleep hygiene. I don't do anything but sleep in my room/bed (sadly!). Fwiw, no sex because post finasteride syndrome destroyed that part of my life long ago. I've never had sleeping difficulties, except for withdrawing from a short round (2 months appx) of Ativan 8 years ago.

 

[CFC]

Sorry to hear that As for melatonin, yeah I generally find 250-500mcg works better personally. However it sounds like you might have some more serious underlying issue(s) that may need addressing. Have you been to see your GP about your insomnia, or been to see sleep specialists/sleep clinic? Do you do much cardiovascular exercise?