Dr. Rozen at the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Insitute reccommended that I take 3 mg of melatonin for a few days and then increase this to 6 mg.
You can buy melatonin at any pharmacy like walgreens or CVS. I have been taking it at bedtime for the past couple of nights 20 minutes before bed. If you live in Australia or the European Union you are going to need a prescription.It has been very helpful in helping me get to sleep. For the past few nights I have fallen asleep within 30 minutes where as before it was taking me between an hour and 2 hours to fall asleep.
Melatonin is intimately involved in synchronizing the body’s hormone secretions, setting the brain’s internal clock and generating circadian rhythms (daily biorhythms). These patterns govern the release of hormones that regulate such body functions as reproduction and digestion. Significantly, melatonin also works around the clock to signal the body, which is sensitive to light cues, when to sleep and when to awaken. Typically, the pineal gland begins excreting melatonin around dusk, rapidly increases its output between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., and then decreases its output again as daylight appears.
Melatonin is widely used to relieve insomnia and the symptoms of jet lag, two common problems of modern life. Unlike many other sleep aids, melatonin isn’t addictive. The hormone may promote health in other ways as well. As an Antioxidant, it hunts down and eliminates cell-damaging Free radicals, possibly helping to prevent or delay the development of heart disease, cancer and other conditions. When combined with certain cancer drugs, it may destroy malignant cells. Other preliminary findings suggest a possible role in lessening the nerve damage associated with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, and an ability to prevent strokes and heart attacks by reducing high blood pressure.