Is there any alternative to melatonin

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Forum -> Parenting our children

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amother

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 7:24 pm

Is there any alternative to melatonin, a supplement, vitamin , remedy etc
That can help calm my hyper children at bedtime?
Yes we have a structured bedtime routine, yes we do baths, stories, shema etc
They are just very restless energetic type of kids and it takes them forever to fall asleep, which affects their functioning the next day.
I am wary of giving melatonin as there have been recent studies that say it’s not the safest for long term use.

amother

Hyssop

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 7:27 pm

Do they have outlet for activity during the day? Like park, sports, dance, gymnastics… etc. I feel like some kids have a lot of extra energy built up especially during the winter when it’s cold and dark out.

amother

Rose

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 7:27 pm

Essential oils and aromatherapy

Good luck

amother

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 7:29 pm

I probably should do more of those type of activities, but I find that even the days that we do an activity that uses their energy or even after a long summer day, they are still restless by bedtime… something about bedtime..,could be they are a little anxious at night..

amother

Lily

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 7:31 pm

Magnesium is helpful before bed.

amother

Hyssop

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 7:33 pm

amother Lily wrote:

Magnesium is helpful before bed.

Just be mindful that when giving children magnesium they may have poop accident or weird poops until their body adjusts to it. But yes this is good.

Maybe a sound machine would them? Or a story? Or light music. That’s helped my kids in the past

funmamma

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 7:33 pm

Are they going to bed too early?

amother

Anemone

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 8:17 pm

amother Hyssop wrote:

Magnesium taurate or magnesium threonate shouldn't usually have a laxative effect. It's best if it's dosed two or three times a day.
Giving vitamin b complex morning and noon time may also help the body regulate sleep hormones.
Other things that might help are 5htp, l-tryptophan, gaba, rescue remedy, catnip, lemon balm, chamomile. Some oils that promote sleep are lavender, sandalwood, orange.

amother

Kiwi

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 9:04 pm

There's a product called sweet sleep by herbal health I get from the local health food store. They make a kids version too. It's an organic blend of herbs I found helpful. I haven't tried the kids version but I'm considering it. I have a child on a daily melatonin small dose that I'm also wary about. I skip it for 2 nights on weekends.

amother

Pumpkin

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 9:04 pm

funmamma wrote:

Are they going to bed too early?

This
I find that sometimes the mother has enough and wants quiet and she just wants kids sleeping but really they are not tierd enough and it's not an appropriate time

realsilver

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 9:13 pm

officially a ripe mango before bedtime helps.

amother

Clematis

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 9:16 pm

Can u share studies that are showing that it's not safe for long term use?
We've tried many of the alternatives and my
6 year old son will literally be up until midnight if not for blessed melatonin. Tiny piece. (Yes, we've tried two weeks and it did not regulate. Up latest 7 and falling asleep only midnight)

ectomorph

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 9:31 pm

I know plenty of people who give melatonin.

amother

Forsythia

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 9:33 pm

Following

amother

Anemone

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 9:39 pm

realsilver wrote:

officially a ripe mango before bedtime helps.

Yup mango has tryptophan. If a child displays signs of add, not sure that's enough to regulate their sleep.

sandyish

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 9:46 pm

Tart cherry juice is a safe juice you can give your kids that is scientifically proven to raise their melatonin levels!

I’m surprised this isn’t widely known, consider this a PSA! Feel free to read the studies and you will see how effective it has been proven to be. It is also totally natural with no side effects. You may want to dilute or sweeten for taste, I’ve never tasted it so I’m not sure how concentrated or tart it is.

Link to OU tart cherry juice:
https://www.amazon.com/Dynamic.....ss_tl

Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22038497/

“Results: Total melatonin content was significantly elevated (P < 0.05) in the cherry juice group, whilst no differences were shown between baseline and placebo trials. There were significant increases in time in bed, total sleep time and sleep efficiency total (P < 0.05) with cherry juice supplementation. Although there was no difference in timing of the melatonin circardian rhythm, there was a trend to a higher mesor and amplitude.

Conclusions: These data suggest that consumption of a tart cherry juice concentrate provides an increase in exogenous melatonin that is beneficial in improving sleep duration and quality in healthy men and women and might be of benefit in managing disturbed sleep.”

amother

Snowflake

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 9:57 pm

amother Lily wrote:

Magnesium is helpful before bed.

Especially magnesium foot soaks. My kids who have a hard time winding down do a foot soak for 20-30 minutes and it really helps them calm their system, settle in to sleep earlier than usual, and sleep better.

amother

Quince

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 10:01 pm

There's an essential oil blend with lavender that helps

amother

Arcticblue

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 10:39 pm

weighted blanket.

It helps the body naturally release melatonin. It doesn't work for everyone, but worked wonders for my son.

amother

Yellow

Sat, Jan 21 2023, 11:13 pm

Make sure your not putting them in bed to early or they won't feel tired, or too late, and they got that second wind, there is a small window when the right time is.
For kids under 6 make sure they are not napping while traveling home from school. Even 10 minutes is enough to ruin a night.
Include music or story in tour night routine. I like to put on a short story 5-15 minutes long on low. It forces the kids to calm down and listen. Then I switch to calming music. They are usually asleep right away.

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