Locke Hughes - Melatonin: The Natural Supplement for Better Sleep

Lets start with a simple question: Howd you sleep last night? Ill venture a guess that you probably mumbled fine in response, shrugged your shoulders, and took yet another sip of coffee. But I bet that sleeping fine isnt cutting itnot for your health, productivity, or relationships.

Perhaps fine means that you got a decent nights sleepseven hours or sowith a few wake-ups or bathroom visits along the way. Actually, come to think of it, it was probably more like five or six hours.

Or maybe you got in bed early, but after a few minutes of tossing and turning, you reached for your phone and started scrolling through social media and video clips until the early morning hours. Or perhaps youve been traveling across multiple time zones, which can make it nearly impossible to fall asleep at an appropriate time, no matter how tired you might feel. Whatever your typical nighttime routine looks like, its probably not really fine, is it? After all, you did pick up this book.

I can relate. I too have experienced years of frustrating, fragmented, and fitful nights of sleep. In those days, I felt irritable, anxious, and distractedjust a few of the inevitable side effects of sleeplessness. Every day, around 3 p.m., whether I was at my desk or at home, a sense of heaviness and fatigue would set in, and it was all I could do to keep my eyes open. Sometimes, I didnt. (My apologies to my coworkers; it wasnt youit was me.) I began to feel hopeless and burned out; Id lost the energy to do things that brought me joy.

Put simply, I was exhaustedand it affected my entire life. But, like you, I was far from alone. Most people around the world arent getting enough sleep. In fact, two out of three adults in all developed nations dont obtain the recommended eight hours of sleep per night, and our collective inability to catch sufficient shut-eye has become such an issue for our health and well-being that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a sleep-loss epidemic.

Whats more, countries where the average time people sleep has declined most dramatically over the past centuryincluding the US, the UK, Japan, South Korea, and several countries in western Europehave also witnessed an increase in rates of physical disease and mental disorders as a result of insufficient sleep. Forget our common humanity, its sleep deficiency that seems to be the international currency that unites us around the world. While the causes may be varied and complex, we all simply want to sleep.

The good news? We can.

It is possible to get a good nights rest, without resorting to expensive medications that knock you out into oblivion. It is possible to feel rested and alert, not weary and drowsy, when you wake up in the morning.

Its all possible, thanks to melatonin, a hormone that our bodies create naturally. We just have to learn how to harness its power, nurture its production, and if necessary, how to supplement it.

In the following pages, Ill introduce you to the melatonin your body produces as well as the supplement. Ill elucidate how both can help you fall asleep and bestow numerous other health benefits.

But theres a catch. (Theres always a catch!) Melatonin alone isnt enough to improve your sleep (nor your life) permanently. Thats why this book will also cover the importance of sleep hygiene as well as bedtime routines and how to figure out which one works best for you. Finally, youll find delicious recipes that are simple to makeand that can help deliver you to dreamland, quickly and calmly.

The information in this book has the potential to change your lifejust as it has changed mine. Today, I no longer find myself dozing off or losing concentration every afternoon. I dont dread the sound of my alarm in the morning. Ive lost the weight I could never shake, transformed my relationships, and skyrocketed to success in my career. All thanks to knowing the secrets of sleepand the hormone that controls it.

If you too would like to feel more energized, healthier, and happierevery day, and all daykeep reading. This book will show you how.

People all over the world suffer from poor sleepregardless of country, class, or career path. The majority of people (notably, 56 percent in the US and Japan, and 66 percent in Germany) say they dont catch enough zzzs during the week, according to a 2013 poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation.

The same survey also asked participants how often they can say that they had a good nights sleep. In the UK, 11 percent of people said they can