UCslug Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Hello all, I have read a few threads on melatonin but could not find any brand recommendations that are Whole30 approved. My husband has a Mental Health issue and has not been able to sleep for most of the week. He falls asleep fine but wakes up at 1 or 2am ready to go and is not tired during the day (part of the Mental illness), so I am thinking one of the slow release tablets/drops would be best for him. I am new to this supplement and don't know which brands would be best and not have too many additives. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UCslug Posted June 26, 2015 Author Share Posted June 26, 2015 Hello all, my husband suffers from Bipolar disorder and has stopped all meds in the hope of using the Paleo diet to help/eliminate symptoms. He has been off meds since December and has been mostly Whole30/Paleo with the only Whole30 rules not being followed are occasional snacks and beer and sushi, but otherwise he eats Paleo 95% of the time if not more. He is having a manic episode right now and his biggest issue is not sleeping. I was going to get him some melatonin and try that (he has been taking a double dose of unisom every night this week and still sleeps less than 4 hours). Can anyone recommend a brand of melatonin that may help and be Whole30 approved? If you have been in this situation and can provide other advice or recommendations I would be so grateful to hear about anything that has worked for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators ladyshanny Posted June 26, 2015 Administrators Share Posted June 26, 2015 Hi UCSlug, I have merged your two topics, please don't post the same thing in different places across the forum. As far as supplements, if you husband is not actually doing a Whole30 and is drinking beer and eating sushi, does the melatonin supplement really need to be Whole30 approved? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted June 26, 2015 Moderators Share Posted June 26, 2015 If he has a prescription for something that would help him, go with that, even if the ingredients are not W30 compliant. Doctor-ordered prescriptions will always trump W30 rules, especially in a case like this. If he has found some improvement from the dietary changes but still has some issues, it may be time for him to speak to his doctor and get updated prescriptions for any symptoms that have not improved, or that may come up sporadically. I don't know of a particular brand of melatonin that's W30 approved, but in general, look for ones with the least added extra stuff. This article has a checklist of things to look for in supplements in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UCslug Posted June 26, 2015 Author Share Posted June 26, 2015 Thank you for the recommendation. He actually "saw the light" when we heard an RN speak the other night about the Paleo lifestyle and while he admits that she said all the same stuff I have said for two years, hearing it from someone else has opened his eyes, that cheating is not a good option (he actually had scheduled a work meeting a local brewery and cancelled last minute because he couldn't imagine having a beer and met at our house with water instead). So I guess I should have made that more clear. While he has been cheating in the past, going forward he would like to be compliant to help him out. He is currently not taking dr. prescribed medication and does not want to be on "meds". So I am trying to find what I can that is "natural" or as close to that can help him. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlaccini Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Hi There, Two things that might assist him dietary wise with achieving sleep: Lots of starchy vegetables - eg: plantains, potatoes, squash, beets, carrots, parsnips, celery root - basically ANY root vegetables Eat them especially during meal 3. Do not eat any fruits before going to bed - this will not help and cause waking as well. A Magnesium supplement - we recommend unflavoured Natural Calm around these parts. I am pretty sure I was suffering from pretty bad depression previously (I was undiagnosed as I didn't want to go on meds). Starchy vegetables are essential for keeping my mental health good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted June 26, 2015 Moderators Share Posted June 26, 2015 Melatonin is useful in mild cases of sleep disturbance, but will not overcome the effect of a manic episode. I personally have trouble sleeping and while melatonin helps me a little, it does not work to keep me asleep when I am worrying about anything. We don't recommend specific brands because vendors occasionally change formulations and make recommendations invalid. However, you can go on Amazon.com and search for "melatonin timed release" and find compliant varieties. I understand your husband's desire not to be on medications, but stopping meds and eating paleo to see if it will work to control bipolar disorder is not promising. A better approach would be to work with his physician, take prescribed meds, follow a paleo diet and see if he does well enough to reduce and finally eliminate meds. Food is important, but it will not fix everything. Magnesium is amazingly important to sleep. I consulted a doctor a few weeks ago and she gave me an injection of magnesium. I slept better for a week. I was surprised because I eat magnesium-rich foods and took Natural Calm (a magnesium supplement) every day. Go figure. The same doctor switched me from Natural Calm (magnesium citrate) to magnesium aspartate supplement when I complained about loose stools. It made a big difference for me. It appears I am more sensitive than average. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeadowLily Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 A much larger number of people with diabetes may experience some kind of sleep problem or sleep disorder but not recognize it as a health-related condition, says Naresh Punjabi, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “One of the things we’ve learned over the last two decades is that diabetes itself increases the risk of sleep disorders,” he says. (Most of the research relates to type 2.) On the flip side, not getting enough sleep has also been shown to have a detrimental effect on blood glucose levels and is associated with an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes in the first place, creating something of a chicken-and-egg question. Regardless of which came first, the answer is for people to treat both: Experts agree that well-controlled diabetes leads to better sleep, and better sleep leads to better control of blood glucose levels. “Refreshing sleep and restorative sleep can improve glucose metabolism, reduce sleepiness during the day, and may improve your ability to better manage your diabetes,” says Strohl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acha Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Thanks, Tom, for mentioning the alternative magnesium. I will talk to my doc about that, as I had my colon removed several years ago and can't tolerate ordinary magnesium supplements. On bipolar, I have to agree with Tom. My partner also suffers from BP; for sure, diet, exercise and good sleep hygiene are essential to optimize mood stability, but it's often dangerous for BP sufferers to go off their meds. Thankfully, one common treatment, Lithium, has been shown to be fairly easy to tolerate for most people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.