Melatonin supplements and night work

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  • #11220

    Slyosa27886
    Participant
    I was wondering if any night-shift workers use melatonin supplements to help them sleep during the day. If so, do they work, and what are the side effects, if any, that you recognize?

    User Detail :  

    Name : Slyosa27886, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 21, City : San Jose, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    #39727

    Clint L.
    Member
    I've tried Melatonin without success. The job I'm in requires me to change shifts every 10 weeks, with a two-day break per week. So, if I'm currently on midshift (11 p.m. - 8 a.m.), I have to decide whether to ignore my family and sleep during the day on my break, or stay up and stare at the ceiling at night. The best thing I've found (and I'm not alone) is to have an alcoholic drink before bedtime. The Air Force talks a lot about a 'fit force,' but totally ignores the well-being of shift-workers. Also, I have read that shift-workers live 5 - 7 years less than non shift-workers if they've worked for 20 years.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Clint L., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 37, City : Anywhere, State : NA Country : United States, Occupation : Webmaster, USAF, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 
    #25590

    Christopher-D32104
    Participant
    I just turn off the phones and computer and sleep in until 1 p.m.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Christopher-D32104, Gender : M, City : Arlington, State : TX Country : United States, 
    #46361

    Alma
    Participant
    Trying to consistantly get sleep when your sleep patterns are irregular is difficult. When I was working shift work, I would make a point of doing my weight lifting routine about an hour before bed. That relaxed me sufficiently to sleep. I have also had success with an 8 oz glass of wine(room tempature). When either of those failed, I relied on the herb Kava-Kava. It helped me relax, had no side effects and also helped as an anti-spasmodic for aches and pains. I would do more research on the Melatonin if I were you.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Alma, Gender : Female, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, City : Kempner, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : contract employee, Education level : 4 Years of College, 
    #22787

    Jane
    Member
    When my husband was DJ-ing a few months back and we both were staying up all night (from about 9 p.m. until 5-6 a.m.), we both found that sleeping during the day was difficult after having worked daily for most of our lives. During that five-month span we started taking melatonin during the day (we had been using it regularly during the night for years) and found that we could sleep much better. We also made sure that our home was dark by putting extra covers on the windows. We got solid sleep and did not wake up in the evenings with a headache or hangover or feeling grumpy and irritable. It took about a week before our bodies became used to taking it during the daytime, but it worked quite well after that. I would also suggest finding the melatonin sublingual liquid drops, sold at most GNC or health/nutrition supplement stores. They take effect much quicker because they are absorbed into the bloodstream more quickly.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Jane, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 28, City : San Diego, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Paralegal, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 
    #24089

    Emilio
    Participant
    I do shift work on a three-week cycle. Melatonin has proved to be effective. What it does is alter your internal clock and adjust it to correspond with a suddenly new schedule. Melatonin should be used only when needed because the less you take it, the more effective it remains. I usually use 3 milligrams maximum for the first night that I need to change my sleeping schedule. Believe it or not, the next night you will begin to get tired at almost the exact moment you took it the night before. I definitely recommend it.

    User Detail :  

    Name : Emilio, Gender : M, City : Newark, State : NJ Country : United States, 
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