I was using the over the counter melatonin for my Aspie son for a few months and it did absolutely nothing! I went to our Paediatrician asking for a script telling him I was using the OTC type and he said it is like a drop in the ocean and my son may as well be taking a placebo. Anyway, the compounded melatonin we get on script from the chemist is a complete godsend in this house! My Aspie son was completely was doing my head in over his sleep issues. For the first 3 years of his life he screamed all day and night and hardly slept. We went to the sleep clinic when he was 3 and my next child was about 15 months. My younger one was sorted in that week, but my Aspie son continued on with his screaming. He eventually learnt to sleep through the night after months of us hardening up and ignoring him in the end (which felt like torture), but he still took hours upon hours to fall to sleep. He hated going to bed as he KNEW he wasn't going to be able to sleep. Within 3 days of the REAL melatonin on script he would drop off within 30 mins and he continues to go sleep easily after 5 months on it most nights. He is now happy to go to bed (as he knows he will go to sleep!!) and sometimes asks go to bed, which he never did prior to Melatonin. I could not recommend Melatonin enough in this household. It is liquid gold! I also take Melatonin now for sleep. I have been an insomniac since a child. The melatonin really helps me drop off. I still wake to noise and toilet stops, but go back to sleep a lot easier most nights and don’t wake anymore at the drop of a pin!
Showing posts with label Sleep Issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sleep Issues. Show all posts
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
MELATONIN
Melatonin and sleep
Melatonin (5-methoxy-N-acetyltryptamine) is a hormone that occurs naturally in human body.
At night, when we are sleeping, melatonin is secreted by a tiny, pea-sized organ at the centre of our brains called the pineal gland to help our bodies regulate our sleep-wake cycles.
Melatonin regulates the body's circadian rhythm, our internal 24-hour time-keeping system which plays an important role in controlling when we fall asleep and when we wake up.
Melatonin has been used successfully in the treatment of many sleep related disorders.
Darkness, stimulates the release of melatonin and light suppresses its activity in our nervous system. See also Sleeping Conditions.
Melatonin, sleep and age
While our pineal gland is capable of producing melatonin for the entirety of our lives, scientists have observed evidence which suggests melatonin production slows down as we age.
Scientists believe this is why younger people tend to have less difficulty with sleeping than older people.
Melatonin as a supplement
In addition to occurring naturally in the body, melatonin has also been synthesized in the laboratory and is available as a supplement without a prescription in health food and drug stores in the United States for several years, but Melatonin is not regulated by any government agency.
Because Melatonin is contained naturally in some foods, the U.S. Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 allows Melatonin to be sold as a dietary supplement, which do not need to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or controlled in the same way as drugs.
However, since melatonin products have not been approved by the FDA, their safety, purity and effectiveness can't be guaranteed.
Melatonin as a sleep aid
When thinking about using melatonin as a sleep aid there are several issues that everyone should be aware of.
First, although Melatonin is available over the counter and has been used for several years without instances of severe side effects, the use of melatonin has not yet been confirmed to be safe by a regulatory body authorized to do so.
Of particular concern is the lack of information regarding melatonin's interaction with other medications.
Melatonin dosage
The proper dosage varies greatly from person to person. Pills are available in a range of doses (commonly from 1mg to 3mg). It is typically suggested to begin with a small dose (around 1mg) and work your way up to larger doses if necessary.
When taking Melatonin to assist with the quality of your sleep, Melatonin should be taken at nighttimes. It is usually most effective when taken about thirty minutes prior to going to sleep.
Melatonin - a treatment for jet lag?
Melatonin is particularly effective in treating delayed sleep-phase disorders, and has also been very useful in treating and preventing jet lag and jet lag's resulting insomnia.
If you are travelling across multiple time zones and wish to use melatonin to counteract the effects of jet lag, you may want to take a dosage prior to getting on your flight and a higher dosage prior to going to bed.
If you commonly sleep during the night, melatonin should not normally be taken during the day, and vice versa, due to melatonin's role in adjusting the body's internal clock.
Melatonin warning
Melatonin is for adult use only. Do not use Melatonin for children, teenagers, or pregnant or lactating women. If you have an auto-immune disease, diabetes, a depressive disorder, epilepsy, leukaemia or a lymphoproliferate disorder, or are taking an MAO inhibitor, consult a physician before taking Melatonin.
Coloured light and sleep - Blue Light Treatment
Researchers Use Blue Light to Treat Sleep Disturbances in the Elderly Seniors receive the experimental light treatment while playing cards in the residence dining room.
In a recent pilot study, scientists at the Lighting Research Center demonstrated how exposure to blue light can reduce sleep disturbances and increase the likelihood of stable, consolidated sleep in seniors. The study included subjects with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), an illness often accompanied by severely irregular sleep/wake patterns, as well as those without dementia who simply have trouble sleeping.
The occurrence of sleep disturbances increases as we age. Researchers have long believed the disturbances often result from a disruption of the body’s circadian rhythms—biological cycles that repeat approximately every 24 hours, including the sleep/wake cycle.
“Our circadian rhythms are synchronized by the 24-hour light/dark cycle, and exposure to light and dark stimuli help to set the body’s internal ‘master clock’ to match the solar day,” says LRC light and health researcher Mariana Figueiro, Ph.D., principal investigator of the sleep study. “Light stimulus travels through the retina, the light-sensitive nerve tissue lining the back wall of the eye, to reach the master clock in the brain. However, a combination of age-related changes may influence the amount and magnitude of light/dark stimulus affecting the circadian system.”
The LRC designed the luminaires for the study using LEDs donated by Nichia.
Age-related influences on the circadian system
As we age, the lens in the eye thickens and the pupil shrinks, reducing the amount of light passing through to the retina. Moreover, as we age, the circadian system may require a stronger light/dark stimulus due to deteriorating neural processes in the brain. Finally, adoption of an indoor lifestyle can create an environment with little variation in light/dark intensity, resulting in a weak light/dark stimulus to the circadian system.
“Physical changes to the eye, neural changes in the brain, and lifestyle changes can mute the light/dark signal sent to the body’s master clock, presumably contributing to major sleep disturbances in seniors,” said Mark Rea, Ph.D., LRC director and co-principal investigator on the pilot study. “There needs to be a distinct, repeated pattern of light and dark to tell the circadian system the solar time.”
The power of blue
Daylight is a mixture of wavelengths dominated by short, visible wavelength light that, in isolation, gives a blue visual sensation, like the blue sky. In fact, according to Rea, blue sky is the best stimulus for the circadian system.
“Blue sky is ideal for stimulating the circadian system because it’s the right color and intensity, and it’s ‘on’ at the correct time for the right duration—the entire day,” said Rea.
Figueiro agrees that blue light is the most effective and efficient at stimulating the circadian system. However, she explains that it isn’t just the color that is important, but rather the entire 24-hour pattern of light intensity, spatial distribution, timing, and duration, all in combination with the color.
Exposure to other light colors, as well as exposure to white light, can stimulate the circadian system, but it may take longer to get the desired response and the intensity required may cause visual discomfort, according to Figueiro.
The LRC research team set out to demonstrate that exposure to blue light, followed by darkness at bedtime, would create a light/dark pattern that the circadian system would recognize and react to.
Details of the pilot study
The research team studied the effects of blue-light treatment on seniors at a skilled nursing facility in upstate New York. In the four-week study, the residents were exposed to tabletop LED luminaires for two hours every day from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
For the first two weeks, one group composed of both AD and non-AD residents was exposed to blue LEDs, while another group of both AD and non-AD residents was exposed to red LEDs, a condition introduced as a placebo control. While the circadian system responds best to blue light, it is essentially non-responsive to long-wavelength radiation (red light), according to Figueiro.
After a short break, the second two-week phase of the experiment began. The residents exposed to blue light in the first phase were exposed to red light in the second phase, and vice versa.
Blue-light treatment results in longer sleep intervals
Over the course of the experimental light treatment, the research team analyzed the percentage of time the subjects slept between midnight and 6 a.m. The study showed statistically significant increases in sleep after blue-light treatment during this period for all subjects.
The non-AD subjects were found asleep 90 percent of the time between midnight and 6:00 a.m. after blue light exposure and only 67 percent of the time after red light (placebo) exposure. The AD subjects exposed to the blue-light treatment were found asleep 67 percent of the time compared to AD subjects exposed to the placebo treatment who were found asleep only 54 percent of the time.
The non-AD subjects’ stronger response to the blue-light treatment was expected, according to Figueiro, as AD patients have more fragmented sleep patterns than healthy older adults.
Next steps
Figueiro had previously studied the effects of blue light exposure on the sleep efficiency of AD subjects in 2002, but this recent pilot study was the first time she tested the theory on non-AD subjects having sleep problems.
“It was exciting to replicate our earlier study and expand our research to include non-AD subjects in order to demonstrate that blue-light treatment can have a significant, positive effect on the sleep efficiency of older adults,” said Figueiro. “The consistencies in our research support the theory that blue light can be a powerful, non-pharmacological treatment for sleep disorders in seniors and should be considered in the design and operation of senior housing.”
The LRC is pursuing additional funding for further research on the subject and hopes to motivate manufacturers to design luminaires that can be attached to glasses, television sets, or computer screens for the purpose of providing light treatment for those with sleep disorders, according to Rea.
The study was sponsored by the Alliance for Solid-State Illumination Systems and Technologies (ASSIST). The LEDs were provided by Nichia America Corp., and the luminaires were custom-built by the LRC.
About the LRC
The Lighting Research Center (LRC) is part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is the leading university-based research center devoted to lighting. Founded in 1988, the Lighting Research Center has built an international reputation as a trusted and reliable source for objective information about lighting technologies, applications, and products. Its mission is to advance the effective use of light and create a positive legacy of change for society and the environment.
In a recent pilot study, scientists at the Lighting Research Center demonstrated how exposure to blue light can reduce sleep disturbances and increase the likelihood of stable, consolidated sleep in seniors. The study included subjects with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), an illness often accompanied by severely irregular sleep/wake patterns, as well as those without dementia who simply have trouble sleeping.
The occurrence of sleep disturbances increases as we age. Researchers have long believed the disturbances often result from a disruption of the body’s circadian rhythms—biological cycles that repeat approximately every 24 hours, including the sleep/wake cycle.
“Our circadian rhythms are synchronized by the 24-hour light/dark cycle, and exposure to light and dark stimuli help to set the body’s internal ‘master clock’ to match the solar day,” says LRC light and health researcher Mariana Figueiro, Ph.D., principal investigator of the sleep study. “Light stimulus travels through the retina, the light-sensitive nerve tissue lining the back wall of the eye, to reach the master clock in the brain. However, a combination of age-related changes may influence the amount and magnitude of light/dark stimulus affecting the circadian system.”
The LRC designed the luminaires for the study using LEDs donated by Nichia.
Age-related influences on the circadian system
As we age, the lens in the eye thickens and the pupil shrinks, reducing the amount of light passing through to the retina. Moreover, as we age, the circadian system may require a stronger light/dark stimulus due to deteriorating neural processes in the brain. Finally, adoption of an indoor lifestyle can create an environment with little variation in light/dark intensity, resulting in a weak light/dark stimulus to the circadian system.
“Physical changes to the eye, neural changes in the brain, and lifestyle changes can mute the light/dark signal sent to the body’s master clock, presumably contributing to major sleep disturbances in seniors,” said Mark Rea, Ph.D., LRC director and co-principal investigator on the pilot study. “There needs to be a distinct, repeated pattern of light and dark to tell the circadian system the solar time.”
The power of blue
Daylight is a mixture of wavelengths dominated by short, visible wavelength light that, in isolation, gives a blue visual sensation, like the blue sky. In fact, according to Rea, blue sky is the best stimulus for the circadian system.
“Blue sky is ideal for stimulating the circadian system because it’s the right color and intensity, and it’s ‘on’ at the correct time for the right duration—the entire day,” said Rea.
Figueiro agrees that blue light is the most effective and efficient at stimulating the circadian system. However, she explains that it isn’t just the color that is important, but rather the entire 24-hour pattern of light intensity, spatial distribution, timing, and duration, all in combination with the color.
Exposure to other light colors, as well as exposure to white light, can stimulate the circadian system, but it may take longer to get the desired response and the intensity required may cause visual discomfort, according to Figueiro.
The LRC research team set out to demonstrate that exposure to blue light, followed by darkness at bedtime, would create a light/dark pattern that the circadian system would recognize and react to.
Details of the pilot study
The research team studied the effects of blue-light treatment on seniors at a skilled nursing facility in upstate New York. In the four-week study, the residents were exposed to tabletop LED luminaires for two hours every day from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
For the first two weeks, one group composed of both AD and non-AD residents was exposed to blue LEDs, while another group of both AD and non-AD residents was exposed to red LEDs, a condition introduced as a placebo control. While the circadian system responds best to blue light, it is essentially non-responsive to long-wavelength radiation (red light), according to Figueiro.
After a short break, the second two-week phase of the experiment began. The residents exposed to blue light in the first phase were exposed to red light in the second phase, and vice versa.
Blue-light treatment results in longer sleep intervals
Over the course of the experimental light treatment, the research team analyzed the percentage of time the subjects slept between midnight and 6 a.m. The study showed statistically significant increases in sleep after blue-light treatment during this period for all subjects.
The non-AD subjects were found asleep 90 percent of the time between midnight and 6:00 a.m. after blue light exposure and only 67 percent of the time after red light (placebo) exposure. The AD subjects exposed to the blue-light treatment were found asleep 67 percent of the time compared to AD subjects exposed to the placebo treatment who were found asleep only 54 percent of the time.
The non-AD subjects’ stronger response to the blue-light treatment was expected, according to Figueiro, as AD patients have more fragmented sleep patterns than healthy older adults.
Next steps
Figueiro had previously studied the effects of blue light exposure on the sleep efficiency of AD subjects in 2002, but this recent pilot study was the first time she tested the theory on non-AD subjects having sleep problems.
“It was exciting to replicate our earlier study and expand our research to include non-AD subjects in order to demonstrate that blue-light treatment can have a significant, positive effect on the sleep efficiency of older adults,” said Figueiro. “The consistencies in our research support the theory that blue light can be a powerful, non-pharmacological treatment for sleep disorders in seniors and should be considered in the design and operation of senior housing.”
The LRC is pursuing additional funding for further research on the subject and hopes to motivate manufacturers to design luminaires that can be attached to glasses, television sets, or computer screens for the purpose of providing light treatment for those with sleep disorders, according to Rea.
The study was sponsored by the Alliance for Solid-State Illumination Systems and Technologies (ASSIST). The LEDs were provided by Nichia America Corp., and the luminaires were custom-built by the LRC.
About the LRC
The Lighting Research Center (LRC) is part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is the leading university-based research center devoted to lighting. Founded in 1988, the Lighting Research Center has built an international reputation as a trusted and reliable source for objective information about lighting technologies, applications, and products. Its mission is to advance the effective use of light and create a positive legacy of change for society and the environment.
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