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?ankfully,
parents
have moved past this, but just like any other ?fad,? it?s out with the old and in with the new. and the ?new? in this case is melatonin
, a natural supplement. on the other hand, some parents are using melatonin not for their own sleep
benefit, but for those of their children. some children may have difficulty producing melatonin or may have another exception that is keeping them from sleeping. sleep habits can determine many aspects of a child?s health and behavior. parents understand that a child?s amount of sleep is critical to their well-being, and that melatonin may help them get more rest. what is melatonin? melatonin is a naturally produced hormone made in our pineal gland. it is a result of tryptophan (the ingredient in turkey that makes us sleepy). ?e amount of melatonin our bodies produce is dependent on the amount of light?natural and synthetic?we are exposed to. melatonin?s purpose is to regulate the body?s clock. melatonin tells the body when it is time to sleep and when it is time to wake up. it also plays a significant role by darla noble if you were to ask parents what they miss most about their pre-parenting days, the hands-down answer would be sleep. parents miss being able to sleep in. ?ey miss uninterrupted sleep. ?ey miss sleeping without having to keep one ear or eye open. ?ey miss solely relying on an alarm instead of children?s cries to get them out of bed. but to what extent are parents willing to go to get the kind of sleep they had before becoming parents or to assure that their children get the kind of sleep their little bodies need? a few years ago, it was somewhat of a ?fad? to give children a dose of benadryl in order to get them to sleep. benadryl is a drug. while it has been proven to be a safe drug, the possibility exists for regular and continued use as a sleep aid to result in dependence. ?is means the child?or adult?has difficulty falling asleep without the medication in his or her system. while the instances of dependence are rare, a child?s well being is simply not worth the risk. children using melatonin: is it safe? 56 brparents.com | march 2017
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