My child often has trouble going to sleep. Based on the advice of another parent, I have started giving her a melatonin supplement. It seems to help, but I wonder if it’s safe.

Melatonin is a hormone produced by our brains that helps us fall asleep. It is released at night and stimulated by darkness. If one’s melatonin isn’t doing its job effectively, synthetic melatonin can be purchased over the counter to try to improve sleep. It comes in many forms, including gummies for children.

Studies indicate that it largely works. Some parents give it to their kids to help them overcome insomnia. Doctors, however, recommend that parents seek advice from a pediatrician before prescribing it. One reason is to help ensure that there isn’t a serious physiological cause for the child’s insomnia.

In my experience, insomnia in students seems to be on the rise. Studies published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) show that insomnia may now affect over 20% of school-age kids.

If you grew up in my generation, this may surprise you. We seemed to have the opposite problem. Does anyone remember Vivarin? It was a sketchy, over-the-counter pill to help people remain alert. Our trouble was staying awake, not falling asleep.

Now, let’s see. What could be the difference between our generation and this one? Hmm.

Hey, I just thought of something. Back then we weren’t being constantly besieged by interactive screen activity. I wonder if that could mean anything.

It turns out it does. Apparently the light emitted by electronic devices like tablets and smartphones suppress the brain’s ability to produce melatonin. So if your child is having a hard time getting to sleep, your first order of business might be making him lock up the screens at least an hour before bedtime.

This isn’t just weird, theoretical science. Students frequently tell me how whacked up their sleep schedules are. When I ask them what they are doing when they’re supposed to be asleep, the answer is invariably, “I’m on my phone.”

But what if it isn’t just the light from the phone that helps cause the insomnia? What if it’s the actual content? A 2017 study published in Clinical Psychological Science showed a correlation between screen time and depression in adolescents. A study of high school students by researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia noted that insomnia, anxiety and depression are all strongly connected. You don’t have to be a logician to draw a reasonable inference from that data.

Something else has changed from my generation, however, and that is the pushing of children into higher level classes for which they are emotionally unprepared. Just because a child is good at math doesn’t mean he’s ready to take on high school algebra in the seventh grade, especially if he’s being pressured to perform at an extremely high level. That kind of pressure can lead to stress and overwork, which can lead to sleeplessness.

So the second thing I might do is to calibrate what kind of pressure my child is under from school. If he’s amassing more homework than sleep, it might be time to examine his study methods or his course placement.

“That’s fine,” you might be saying, “but I just want to know if melatonin is safe.” Well, this is still largely unknown. Studies suggest that it probably is, but melatonin supplements have not been approved by the FDA, and scientists are still unsure of their long-term effects. Dr. Judith Owens, director of sleep medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, states that “Melatonin actually suppresses some hormones that regulate puberty. So, the concern is that chronic use of melatonin could alter normal pubertal development.”

Because of the uncertainties, many doctors, like Dr. Brent Bauer from the Mayo Clinic, are wary. “Due to the lack of scientific evidence, and because of some potentially harmful side effects,” he says, “melatonin is not recommended as a sleep aid for children and teens. Making lifestyle changes that can enhance healthy sleep is a better alternative for most [adolescents].”

Owens provides another reason for parents to seek behavioral changes for their children before resorting to melatonin. If they don’t, she says, they may be teaching kids that “when you can’t sleep, you pop a pill. And I think that’s a very dangerous message to send.”

It makes one wonder if the shortcut is truly for the child or the parent. See your doctor to make sure you’re making the right decision.

The post Teacher to Parent – Giving children melatonin as a sleeping aid appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

For a number of people, the chronic stress of the coronavirus pandemic has made sleep a little harder to come by.

And poor sleep often leads to poor eating habits, according to a March 23 article on CNN Health. It’s no wonder as people practice social distancing or deal with the stress of closing businesses, they crave sweets and salty, starchy foods.

If a person has sleep issues, they’re probably not getting enough deep sleep. Deep sleep is important for rejuvenation and for controlling stress hormones such as cortisol, the article said.

Lack of sleep also affects the endocannabinoid system, which binds to the same receptors as the active ingredient in marijuana. And, as the CNN article said, “What do you get when you smoke weed or gobble an edible? The munchies.”

The best thing you can do is reduce your stress. Try some of these options:

• Keep a regular sleep schedule.

• Get out of the house for 15 to 30 minutes a day and soak up some sunshine.

• Exercise — even if it’s a simple walk.

• Don’t drink caffeine after 3 p.m.

• Set up a bedtime ritual, such as a shower, followed by light reading. No screens.

• Make sure your bedroom is dark and cool.

• Do some stretching or yoga.

• Engage in progressive muscle relaxation by tensing and releasing muscle groups. Start with toes, then move to feet, followed by calves, etc.

• Practice meditation.

The post SLEEP Tips to Combat Insomnia, Munchies appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Perhaps memorizing these short Latin phrases will help combat your sleeplessness.

St. Francis de Sales admonished Christians who couldn’t abandon themselves to sleep … even though he himself was subject to the torments of insomnia. Yet, calling it a “blessing,” the good doctor of Annecy offered in his “rule of life” a proactive mystical program to render it up to God. Here’s his authoritative prescription to avoid sleeping pills.

Do you suffer from broken sleep?

If you wake up in the middle of the night, remember this advice: “I awaken my troubled heart with these words: Media nocte clamor — at the stroke of midnight, a voice cries out, ‘Behold, the bridegroom comes, go out to meet him.’”

And if insomnia continues?

You can’t manage to get back to sleep? Follow this advice: “I try again to rouse myself with these words of the Prophet: In noctibus extolite manus vestras in sancta: Raise and stretch out your hands toward heaven, and bless the Lord.”

What if a sudden fright wakes you?

What if a sudden fright wakes you? Is your sleep disturbed by nightmares? Follow his example: “I deliver myself up to thoughts of my guardian angel, saying: Dominus a dextris est mihi ne commovear: My Lord is by my right hand; I fear nothing.”

And if that still doesn’t work?

You still can’t sleep? Here’s the right attitude to take: “I remind myself of this verse: Scuto circumdabit te: The shield of faith and firm trust will protect me; that is why I fear nothing.”

Following this treatment, you should at last get to sleep. And that’s when the alarm goes off and you’re off on another daily round of activities. Here are some words of St. Francis de Sales to meditate on to ensure a good day: “Let us think only of spending the present day well. Then when tomorrow shall have come, it will be today, and then we will think about it.”

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