Melatonin and sleep.

When J was a baby I had the bizarre notion that I would not give him medication unless absolutely necessary. It is a measure of how far I have fallen from my principles that I bit the paediatrician's hand off when he suggested we give a trial to Melatonin in order to see if this would help with J's sleep issues.


J can be awake until the wee small hours with ease, he finds it extremely hard to settle down at night and we can still be going at 01.30am on a bad night. A recent holiday with his Dad and grandparents saw an even later 2am before he fell asleep. Not surprisingly I am often exhausted - not least because I need to be awake too as J also LOVES food and thinks nothing of climbing onto work surfaces in order to reach any goodies which might be on the top shelves. The idea of an overtired kid with balance issues (dyspraxia) climbing any height does not bear thinking about. I am amazed that we are not regular attenders of them local A+E department.

So we now have Melatonin 2mgs for J to take an hour before he falls asleep and although it's early days it seems helpful. The first night J took a tablet he fell asleep next to me at 8.45pm and I was in shock, J was under 2 the last time he fell asleep this early. I literally did not know what to do with myself and phoned friends and relatives...."he's asleep...can you believe it"? No they could not either....

So since that first night it has been hit and miss and very dependent on how tired J is that evening. He is still waking to bedwetting but is settling down almost as soon as he is changed. The latest night we have had since he started Melatonin is 00.15am - a vast improvement upon 2am!
So I am going to continue, I have been warned that he cannot take this drug forever and that it's effects may wear off over time but for now I am going to enjoy it and love the idea that on some nights J is getting adequate sleep.