The Effects of Melatonin Before Bedtime

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Melatonin is often called a sleep hormone, and it is emphatically not. The most efficacious study was that taking melatonin before bedtime can reduce the time it takes to get to sleep by about 20 to 30 minutes. But again, in the sort of before bed category, avoid the discussion of stressful topics. You could use white noise or some relaxing sounds such as the sea,. keep it dark, use blackout curtains, which can be quite useful.

Sleep can enhance your creativity, lift your spirits, improve your sense of humor, and amplify your sociability. So why do so many of us struggle to get a good night's rest? Russell Foster, a professor of circadian neuroscience at the University of Oxford, says it's because we've let the frantic drumbeat of modern life drown out the steady tick-tock of our biological clocks. That's the bad news. The good news is that Russell's here to share science-backed tips that will have you catching more z's in no time.

Russell's new book is "Life Time: Your Body Clock and Its Essential Roles in Good Health and Sleep."

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