Posted by 3 Beer Effect on June 14, 2002, at 11:19:52
In reply to Day is day, and night is night, posted by Cece on June 13, 2002, at 23:46:11
I read that the sleep/wake cycle is regulated by melatonin at night and SAM-E during the day.
In other words the melatonin levels rise rapidly after sundown & especially after 8 pm.
& SAM-E (& Testosterone in males) rise rapidly during sunrise & up until I think lunch or perhaps the "afternoon lull".
Obviously, Bipolars can't take SAM-e because, like tricyclics, it is supposed to be very dangerous at triggering manic episodes (& it produces EEG changes similar to tricyclic antidepressants).
But, you could probably take melatonin 1-3 mg at sundown to help normalize your sleep/wake cycle & prevent the light induced cycling/waking/insomnia you are talking about. (The absolute maximum dose of Melatonin is 9 mg but many experts feel even 3 mg is too much & recommend only 1 mg. Personally, I think 3 mg works well for sleep (as well as 1 mg Klonopin) when combined with Ambien 10 mg.
CAUTION: and this goes for many supplements- Do not buy NATURAL melatonin or other natural supplements or natural amino acids, only buy synthetic. Natural supplements are often derived from cows or other farm animals & carry the risk of contamination from various diseases including mad cow disease & I think salmonella among other things. Not only that but I would be willing to bet that synthetic versions are not only safer, but stronger & work better [for example: d,l ephedrine hcl in Primatene Asthma Tablets is both stronger & safer (do to USP strict quality control) than the ephedra/ma huang in Xendadrine, Ripped Fuel, & Metabolife (the amount of actual active ingredient in herbal medications can vary widely since these "natural, herbal" billion dollar mega-companies have to answer to NO ONE regarding their quality control].
From personal experience, I have never gone wrong with any supplement from "Twinlab"
& they are a very respected firm among the supplement community. Also, for herbs the brand "Nature's Way" (found in those white plastic bottles) has to comply with the strict standards of the German version of the FDA. (I've have had problems with "Country Life" & "Bluebonnet" Brands of herbals)Anyways, After I get home from work at 8:30 pm at night I take a 3 mg Melatonin, & then to relax I usually watch TV for an hour with a blacklight on (available at Wal Mart for a low price in the hardware/flourescent light section). The blacklight allows you to find the remote & other things- you can still see & find your way around the room without turning on the lights or lighting candles. The black light either seems to make you sleepy or has a placebo effect- cannot tell. You might want to put one in your bathroom so you can brush your teeth etc before bed without turning on the bright bathroom lights which will make sleep more difficult. & a black light won't catch your house on fire like a candle will. About an hour before bedtime I take Ambien 10 mg, which seems to be a great sleeping pill (much better than Sonata or Klonopin for sleep).
poster:3 Beer Effect
thread:109765
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020609/msgs/109824.html