So, we’ve heard the wonders of sublingual melatonin.
As discussed in part 1 of this review, my go to is Natrol, at the 10 mg dosage.
(Which I only recently learned is a safe amount to take.) And, for me… it works perfectly. I’m out within the hour. I’m up right with the alarm. I’m not groggy the next day. And I sleep straight through the night. No midnight wakeups (followed by 1:00 A.M., 1:30 , 2:00, and so on…) None of that. And, after months of anxiety keeping me awake and me finally considering taking scripts to nix the insomnia, this was a dream come true. (No pun intended.) But, speaking of dreams, let’s talk about *what’s* happening once you zonk out for the night.
To make a review fair, I’d do a disservice if I didn’t mention the “cons”. And, among the cons (or the closest to a downside I can say), are the uber vivid dreams you get when you take this stuff. Now, when they’re pleasant, no one really cares. (Right?) But when they get weird or even scary, that’s when melatonin’s effects could be considered detrimental. Usually, it’s just weird for me. But, the other night, I made the mistake of eating to close to sleep (something I often do, but never mixed with 10 mg of melatonin) and was rewarded with the most detailed, realistic, and terrifying dream about being kidnapped and sprayed with bleach. I woke up screaming. Not an awesome time, am I right?
No, but there are two “yes buts” to that. The first is that this is less a “Natrol” thing and more just a melatonin thing. It’s simply the cost of getting some quality shut eye. Why? Studies show that melatonin can up your REM sleep (that cyle of sleep notorious for causing crazy dreams that seem all too real). REM sleep on its own is important and normal. We need it. However, when that stage lasts longer than it’s meant to, that’s when the poop hits the room cooler. (Trialing that phrase out for “when the shiz hits the fan”; give me feedback on whether we love or hate it.) A too long REM cycle is when our brain’s creations get super detailed, crazy, and can turn into the downright horror show like I had. But, to reiterate, I can confirm this is not a Natrol thing. I tried a couple of other brands before settling on Natrol (mostly for the price point) and all melatonin does this.
In sum? The pros with Natrol are:
It works for getting you to sleep, keeping you asleep, and keeping you from waking up groggy.
The cons?
Any melatonin, regardless of brand, may make your eyelid films ultra vivid – and not always so great.
