From: Kathryn Aegis (aegis@igc.apc.org)
Date: Sun Aug 23 1998 - 12:13:23 MDT
A note on the melatonin/sleep cycle discussion:
I have not yet experimented with melatonin because I have experienced
success in regulating my sleep cycles with mineral supplementation. A lack
of magnesium, in particular, can affect one's ability to fall asleep and
stay asleep. The calcium, magnesium and potassium triad work to govern
muscular function--calcium helps muscles contract and magnesium helps
muscles relax. Too much of one will inhibit the function of the others, and
sometimes insomnia or low-level anxiety can be traced back to a lack of
magnesium. Chronic health problems, such as diabetes or athsma, have been
correlated with deficiences in this mineral triad, and many doctors are
encouraging regular testing for deficiency.
When I travel on an airplane, a difficult environment for me to relax in, I
take a bolus dose of magnesium, which usually allows for some sleep, and it
prevents that painful stiffness than can result from extended plane flights.
Effective dosage levels range from 250-1,000 mg, depending on the
individual. No real contraindications, and the toxic dose is impossibily
high (8,000 I think) but it's best to know the state of your mineral levels
in general to begin with.
Sin,
Kathryn Aegis
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