Which is better for calming down and sleeping. If anyone has tried both and/or either I would appreciate feedback.

ronniesteers, I've tried both and had no success, however I only tried the melatonin for a few nights and the valerian for only a couple nights. I figured if it was going to help me, it would have from the start. I'm interested to hear others feedback on this myself, since my sleep patterns are a joke. I can get to sleep quickly, but I will wake up after only an hour or two. After that the intervals get even shorter. The next day I feel sluggish.

Which is better for calming down and sleeping. If anyone has tried both and/or either I would appreciate feedback.
I take melatonin drops every night about 30 minutes before going to sleep. It helps me go into a deep sleep and dream a lot.

I don't like to take either regularly, but during periods when I was in Vegas for days on end and my sleep patterns were irregular, I found that taking a small handful of the valerian root capsules would not only relax me and put me to sleep, but get me flat out dizzy!

I used to also take Kava Kava occasionally but then I read that this had caused liver damage! so I threw away the bottle.

The melatonin - not sure if this works or not, but I have tried it. I might not be the right person to ask because in general I am not very hard to get to sleep, also because I have been clean and sober for many years from an addiction to narcotics, I hate to take anything to get me to sleep. I hate to take anything, period, other than vitamins, minerals and nutritional herbs and supplements.

One thing I have read - nothing works over the long term. The body builds up a tolerance. So, I think you are better off, if you use anything at all, using it rarely.

Ive been using Melatonin for about a month now and find it helps me. I work until 2am and Ive found that when I take it I get sleepy after about an hour compared to being up til 6 or 7 in the morning trying to fall asleep. It does make me a little groggy for the first few days but it does lesson over a few days.

The Melatonin works great for me, but the key is taking the sublingual form. I tried the tablets once and they did nothing and then someone told me the sublingual works better.

Laurie

I swear by someting called "Deep Sleep" It's got valerian root,but also Calif Poppy ,chamomile, passionflower,lemon balm,milky oat seed,and orange peel.

ronniesteers, I've tried both and had no success, however I only tried the melatonin for a few nights and the valerian for only a couple nights. I figured if it was going to help me, it would have from the start. I'm interested to hear others feedback on this myself, since my sleep patterns are a joke. I can get to sleep quickly, but I will wake up after only an hour or two. After that the intervals get even shorter. The next day I feel sluggish.

I don't think melatonin is safe because it encourages your body to stop producing it's own melatonin, so it becomes a vicious cycle. Plus, it's a hormone. I used to take 2-3 hours to fall asleep, only to sleep poorly. Fish oil pills make the BIGGEST difference. Cured my headaches, too. I know everyone has different causes for their sleep, anxiety, headache, etc. problems, but I think for a lot of people (at least for me) they are all somewhat related/linked.

PS - the best fish oil I have tried is Vital Omegas. If you eat fish only do wild, not farmed fish (if it says Atlantic it is most likely farmed).