Back to School Series: Melatonin
For the next few weeks, I want to focus on things that are “back to school” related. Even if our children are too young for school, these tips will help with getting the whole family back on a regular schedule.
Let’s talk about melatonin.
One evening about a month before my daughter was due to go back to school, I was flipping through the newspaper and saw a page labeled “Back to School Basics”, and right there on the top of the page was a picture of kids melatonin.
Ridiculous. For a few reasons.
For one, last year US poison control centers received more than 52,000 calls about melatonin overdoses.
Second, melatonin is unregulated and amounts in each gummy can vary as much as 465%. Some gummies contain 9mg of melatonin, instead of the 1.5mg that is advertised on the bottle.
Lastly, melatonin is produced in our bodies. With a few relatively easy changes to your bedtime routine, you can help your child’s melatonin production and not need to supplement it.
So, let’s learn how.
Start by turning off screens at least an hour before bedtime. The blue light, as well the bright, direct light will delay melatonin production.
Next, during your bedtime routine, dim the lights around the house- especially around the bedroom. Bright bathroom lights can disrupt melatonin production, and because teeth brushing and using the toilet can come last in your bedtime routine, those bright lights can delay melatonin production we’re aiming for.
Lastly, exposure to bright sunlight in the morning, as well as natural light in the evening can help regulate melatonin production. This is harder through winter, because the sun goes down so early, but for back to school in the early fall, it will work just fine.
Start all these tips now, with a little time before school starts so you can help your child’s melatonin production regulate in time for school.
Questions? Head over to my Work With Me page to schedule a call.
Links to the resources I used for this post:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5263069/
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/03/1102933012/melatonin-poisoning-kids-sleep-aid-overdose
