Melatonin

General Description: Melatonin is a hormone that is released from
the pineal gland and is thought to help us fall to sleep. Since
Melatonin production is enhanced in darkness and decreased by light
exposure it is often said that Melatonin has some control over our
circadian rhythm and has the ability to reset our internal clocks. For
this reason, Melatonin is sometimes used to reduce jet lag. Although
Melatonin is synthesized from serotonin and 5-HTP is synthesized to
serotonin, they both have a similar effect on sleep: both can help you
fall to sleep and both can cause vivid dreams as the doses are
wearing off. For this reason Melatonin is a possible alternative to 5-
HTP although I tend to use it for a different purpose.
There are three characteristics that make Melatonin my
second choice for suppressing REM. First of all Melatonin has an
extremely short half-life. Since melatonin’s half-life is only 40
minutes, one has to take a pretty large dose to suppress REM for 4
or 5 hours. I estimate that 3 mg would be necessary to suppress
REM for four hours. Secondly, I find it difficult to fall to back to sleep
after the Melatonin has worn off. Thirdly, I experience more vivid
dreams using 5-HTP than I do using Melatonin.
There is however another way to use Melatonin that may be
advantages to some. Research has shown that only 0.3 mg of
Melatonin is necessary to induce sleep. At this low dose, REM sleep is not suppressed and therefore
Melatonin can be used simultaneously with Galantamine (or other
supplements) if falling back to sleep is a problem. When I used
Yohimbine as the lucidity trigger I would often use very small doses
of Melatonin to aid in falling to sleep. This proved to be a fairly
successful method. The time it took to fall to sleep was decreased by
about half and furthermore, I was much more relaxed while awake
and waiting for sleep onset. For this to work, it is important to keep
the dose low, as I did notice a reduced chance in becoming lucid
even at 0.5 mg of Melatonin.
Mechanism of Action: Serotonin is the precursor to Melatonin
therefore Melatonin supplements probably don’t do much to serotonin
levels. However, Melatonin can help to fall asleep and suppress REM
sleep.
Concentration Curve: Melatonin is characterized by quick
absorption and a short elimination half-life. It reaches its peak plasma
level just 60 minutes after you take it and is essentially out of your
system after 6 hours (~4 sleep cycles).
Effect on Dreams: Melatonin has been shown clinically to increase
the time spent in REM sleep in the morning hours (as the dose is
wearing off). It is theorized that this phenomena is due to a REM
rebound effect. I have found 5-HTP to produce more vivid dreams
than Melatonin but there are plenty of people who have commented
on increased dream vividness and duration by using Melatonin. As
with 5-HTP I find it more difficult to remember the details of the
dream than I do when using the acetylcholine or norepinephrine
boosting supplements.
Effect on Lucid Dreams: I use Melatonin as supporting supplement.
When I am taking a lucid dream mix that I know causes insomnia, I
will sometimes add 0.3 mg of Melatonin to help me fall asleep. At this
small dose, REM is not suppressed and one can maintain excellent
odds of becoming lucid.
Side Effects: There are no known serious side effects of using
Melatonin supplements although long term side effects have not
been studied. Some people who have taken Melatonin have reported
sleepiness, headache, a "heavy-head" feeling, stomach discomfort,
depression or feeling hungover. There are animal studies that
suggest that large doses of Melatonin can interfere with fertility.
Dosage: When using Melatonin, less is better in my opinion. There
are tablets available in 1, 2, 3 and 5 mg doses. There is no maximum
daily dose suggested although the long terms effects of Melatonin
are largely unknown. My typical dose is ~0.33mg (a 1mg tablet cut
into three pieces). I do not however, use Melatonin on any kind of
regular basis.
Summary: Melatonin is a hormone that is formed from serotonin. It
has the potential to suppress REM sleep and can be used as a sleep
aid. I find that 5-HTP is superior to Melatonin for the purpose of
producing vivid dream experiences and I find it difficult to fall back to
sleep after the Melatonin has worn off. My preferred way to use
Melatonin is in very small doses (<0.5 mg) as an aid to fall to back to
sleep after taking some of the more stimulating lucid dream
supplements.