Reddit mentions of Source Naturals Sleep Science Melatonin 2.5 mg Peppermint Flavor - Helps Promote Sleep - 240 Lozenge Tablets

Hey man, have you tried melatonin? Does the trick for me most of the time.

Getting your sleep cycle straightened out takes work, but the first step is to stop feeling guilty; it's just a physiological problem primarily caused by engineers in the first place.

Your sleep cycle is regulated by melatonin. Your body's store of melatonin increases throughout the evening until it makes you tired enough to sleep. Part of the natural system of regulation of melatonin is that it is degraded by narrower visible light bands (green, blue, purple, UV). Thanks to modern technology we have many sources of this type of light well after it should really be dark: fluorescent lights (including CFLs), LED lighting (white LEDs are blue LEDs coated with a phosphor so the spectrum is a mix of yellow and blue), and computer monitors/TVs. If you expose yourself to these light sources late at night, they will degrade your melatonin and make you feel less like going to sleep.

Some ways to mitigate this problem are:

Installing f.Lux on any computers you use regularly late at night. I keep my nighttime setting cranked all the way down to 3400 Kelvin.

Turn off or replace lighting you are around. Incandescent bulbs, particularly dimmed ones, have a very warm color spectrum that won't mess with melatonin as badly. If you have a bunch of gadgets with green and blue LEDs within sight or especially in the room where you sleep, cover the LEDs or clip the leads internally to disable them. If your alarm clock is stupid and has a green or blue display, get one that has a red display.

If you are (as most of us were) up at an engineering building constantly late at night exposed to all its cozy fluorescent lighting and computer screens which are outside of your control, consider picking up a set of blue blocker glasses. Basically it'll be yellow tinted polycarbonate glasses, either branded as blue blockers, or you can pick up a $5 pair of shooting glasses at Wal-Mart that will do the trick.

As a temporary means of shifting your sleep cycle (long term use will be counterproductive/bad), consider taking 2-3mg of Melatonin sub-lingually 45-60 minutes before your desired bedtime. It can help get things back on track. It is particularly useful for shifting your sleep cycle an hour or two a night in advance of and after travel to other time zones to avoid jet lag.

Other stuff:

If you are a user of caffeine, try to reduce the amount you consume and keep it as a morning thing primarily. Decaf stuff only in the afternoon and evening. If you're on Adderall or similar, really really only taking it in the morning.

Exercise. Whatever you like, as long as it's of a relatively high intensity. Weightlifting is good. If you have little time, there are options like HIIT. A good Tabata routine will help you feel like sleeping greatly as long as you don't do it within an hour or two of bedtime.

If that doesn't do it, then seriously go to a sleep clinic and see if you have some other medical issue like sleep apnea that's complicating things.

TL;DR Fuck you engineers who put superfluous blue LEDs in products.

Peppermint flavored Melatonin, such a comfort compared to others I've tried. Dissolves nicely under the tongue, cues sleep 15-45 minutes after ingesting. - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GFPCN4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sleep is incredibly important in recovery. An old sponsor was a firefighter and I used to work shift work, so we'd frequently talk about sleep deprivation and how that plays out in recovery. Sleep deprivation can directly lead to relapse, so it's of paramount importance to get regular and sufficient sleep.

Back around 2000, I was working straight graveyards and found myself unable to sleep. I was in my local health food store and spoke with the owner about my problem. She asked me, 'Was I having trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep ?' I told her both. So I left with some Melatonin and some Valerian Root. Melatonin is, I believe, a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pineal gland, and it helps me to get to sleep. The Valerian Root—which helps me stay asleep—I would take, usually on weekends, so that I could get some extra sleep.

There's a lot of shitty Melatonin and Valerian Root suplements out there. I have a brand that's sub-lingual, meaning it's absorbed under the tongue, and it works fantastically. Here are links to the preferred products off of Amazon, although you'll likely be able to find them in one of your local health food stores—even Whole Foods for that matter.

Melatonin - I prefer this brand 'Source Naturals' and I usually get the 2.5mg dosage, which comes in either peppermint or orange flavor.

Valerian Root - from 'Eclectic Institute' also contains Passion Flower.

Typically, I would pop a Melatonin under my tongue every night and only on weekends would I do both Melatonin and the Valerian Root/Passion Flower cocktail. What's funny is I don't think I've touched a Melatonin in more than a few years. Folks in recovery are going to have a lot of opinions about this stuff, but this is really between you and your sponsor and god. I had a period some years ago, coming off of graveyards, whereby my body would only let me sleep for two hours (nap time !) and then I was up, waiting for my next shift. Between the anxiety and the exhaustion, I was ready to crack—and this is a very dangerous place for the recoverying addict to be in. Anyhow, I ended up getting some Ambien from my doctor, and it worked. It allowed me to get the sleep I so desperately needed and also to find a routine and rhythm that wouldn't result in relapse or suicide or both. So once I no longer needed the Ambien, I stopped taking it; it had served its purpose beautifully.

Good luck and PM me if you wanna chat about any of this.

I have two suggestions: this and this. Helps tremendously.