Sleep, or the lack thereof

A timely episode of To the Best of Our Knowledge: “Up All Night,” about sleep, or the lack thereof.

Speaking of which: I’ve been trying out melatonin for the past couple of weeks. I was getting tired — npi — of lying awake in the wee small hours of the morning. I bought 3mg tablets, took one, and was up all night. After reading anecdotal evidence that smaller doses can be more helpful, I tried cutting tablets in half and was surprised to find that a 1.5mg dose does the trick. I’ve been sleeping through the night. The strangest part: though the alarm is set for 7:00, I’ve been waking up, ungroggy, every morning between 6:30 and 6:35.

Placebo effect? I don’t know. The NIH is skeptical:

There’s not enough strong evidence on the effectiveness or safety of melatonin supplementation for chronic insomnia to recommend its use.

Then again, I don’t think I have chronic insomnia.

The Mayo Clinic is a bit less skeptical:

Research suggests that melatonin might provide relief from the inability to fall asleep and stay asleep (insomnia) by slightly improving your total sleep time, sleep quality and how long it takes you to fall asleep.

This post is not a recommendation: I’m only sharing my experience. As with any supplement, consult a doctor, the medical kind. I practice only on sentences.

[The acronym “npi” stands for “no pun intended,” from years of correspondence with my friend Aldo Carraso. As for “dose does”: I couldn’t resist.]