Melatonin and Children

Is Melatonin right for kids with Autism, ADHD and other Sleep Problems?

Melatoninand Children’sSleep Problemsis being talked about every day.

Mothers around the world are beginning to turn tomelatonin supplementsas a way to solve their kids sleep problems.

I usemelatonin supplementsa lot. It isvery effective in tackling my sleep problems. Am an adult and I have noproblems usingmelatonin supplementsor recommending it to another adult, butgiving it to children is another issue entirely.

If like me you probably have a bottle ofmelatonin stacked somewhere. Suddenly your child is havinginsomnia causingher not to sleep properly or even sleep at all. Now you arewondering ifmelatonin and children’s sleep problemsis a good combination.Sleepin Childrenis a very sensitive issue.

Trying to find out thesideeffects of melatoninon your kid is the first right step. You mighthave seen your neighbor tucking in her kids after a littlemelatonindosageofliquidmelatonin.

Let’s delve into the facts about melatonin and children’ssleep disorders…

Isit medically right?

Some parents usemelatonin supplementstogive their sleep deprived child a good night’s rest andtheyreport that it has proved to be atremendous help even though somedoctors advise against it.

Susan Zafarlotfi of theInstitute forSleep-Wake Disorders at Hackensack University MedicalCentre in New Jersey said thatparents have confirmed that melatonin is effective as anaturalsleeping aid.

She also counseled against melatoninsupplement prescription for children under the age of 10 and that themelatonindosageshould be less than 3 milligrams.

Irrespective of the success rates in theadministration of melatonin in children, medical professionals have been waryof prescribing melatonin for children. This is based on the fact that most studiesof melatonin andchildren sleep problemshave been carried out on children whoare autistic or children that have other development disabilities.

This is because their bodies produce littleor no melatonin.

So far there have been no reports on thelong-termsideeffects of melatoninin children.

ShouldI give my child melatonin?

Do what I did. Before I gave my childmelatonin I took her to a pediatrician.Medical conditionssuch as breathingdifficulties and behavioral problems should be crossed out as factors causingher to have insomnia.

Melatoninshould not be used on childrenwho are healthy and who just don’t wantto go to sleep or have a bad sleepinghabit. I recommend thatif youwant to correct your child’s bad sleepinghabits, try and reduce thetime your child spends in front of the television,computers andtelephones before she goes to bed.

Most American kids havetelevisions andcomputers in their rooms and the more they spend timewith those things the morelikely they develop sleep disorders.

Melatonin Supplementshas also been used totreat children with severe head injuries and their brains can no longer producemelatonin.

Conclusion.
Your child’s brainproduces thenecessary amounts ofmelatonin,except in children with developmental issues. Professionals haveadvised that caution should not be thrown to the wind in theadministrationmelatonin for children with sleep problems.

SleepSpecialisthave also concluded that taking melatonin supplements is safe whenused for short periods of time, both in children and adults. They also notedthat when prescribed to children, melatonin supplements have been effective andrarely associated withside effectslike seizures, agitation, behavioralchanges.

As a parent I know you are worried aboutmelatonin and your children’s sleep problems, but before you give her amelatonin dosage try and find out first of all why she is having troublesleeping.

I also advise that if she has been diagnosed withchronic insomniaorother sleep disorders you should employ the use of otheroverthe counter sleep aids. And be sure to take her to asleep expertor apediatrician.

Ifmelatonin supplementshas been prescribed foryour kid then you might want to make sure he takes the right dosage by checkingout the rightmelatonindosageand also ourliquidmelatoninpage which is the best for kids.