Melatonin, magnesium and gut motility?

[thoughtparticle]

I'd be interested to hear if anyone else might have had experiences similar to mine on this topic, and/or any thoughts on getting everything optimized.

In the past month, I cut out caffeine entirely, and also started taking melatonin nightly. The reason for eliminating caffeine was that it appeared to be causing reflux, and also just made me tense even in small amounts (i.e. one cup of black or green tea per day). Stopping caffeine was rough initially -- I felt mentally sluggish and was concerned about its long-term effect on my cognitive sharpness. However, after being off it for a month now, I've bounced back and am not concerned about mental acuity. Cutting out caffeine also resolved my reflux.

As for melatonin, besides it being suggested in the ApoE4 realm, it was also recommended by a sleep physician. After trying PAP therapy it was determined that I don't have obstructive sleep apnea, but I do tend to wake frequently in the couple of hours before getting up in the morning and having central sleep apnea episodes (i.e. caused within the brain, not due to physical obstruction) during this time period. The sleep doctor said this is normally supposed to be a period of REM sleep, so fixing it would be important. I found that taking 1 mg of melatonin before bed makes me sleep much better during this part of the night, and greatly cut down on the central sleep apnea.

But unfortunately there was a problem. I now started getting pains on the right side of my abdomen about where the ascending colon is. I don't want to get into TMI, but this appeared to be related to passage of waste through the colon. My lower GI system also seemed to be much slowed-down.

From what I read, both removing coffee and adding melatonin typically reduce gut motility. To address the immediate pain, I drank some decaf coffee (which I realize is not entirely caffeine-free), skipped the melatonin and went on a broth diet for a day or so. This fixed the abdominal pain, but the obstructive sleep apnea was back in spades without melatonin at night. I also wouldn't want to drink decaf coffee long-term.

So at this point I'll talk to my doctors about it, and work on adjusting the amount of fiber in my diet.

One thought: I also hear that magnesium can increase gut motility. I haven't been taking it as a supplement recently, but does magnesium citrate before bed seem like something to try? I vaguely recall having some issues when I tried it a few months ago, but don't remember the details -- maybe just drowsiness.

If anyone has any other ideas, I'd be very interested.

[Plumster]

Hi Thought Particle!

Apparently ginger is good for gut motility! Fresh ginger, ginger tea, etc., according to Dr. Vincent Pedre.
GABA also increases gut motility, according to Dr. Amy Yasko.
Lastly, I would just add drinking lots and lots of water!

I'm interested in the kind of sleep apnea you describe. Where might I read more? I wake up continuously after 2-3 AM and until I get up. I just started taking 0.25 mg melatonin and it really helps.

[thoughtparticle]

Plumster, funny that you should mention ginger because I also picked up some pickled ginger (i.e. Japanese-style) at the market yesterday, and have been having some now and then. I didn't know it affected motility, but have heard it's good as an anti-inflammatory.

I haven't found anything good to read about the sleep apnea issue. I just mentioned my sleep pattern to my doctor, and got sent to my HMO's sleep clinic. A few tests and machine trials later, they concluded I don't have obstructive apnea (the most common kind), but do have central apnea (which is caused within the neurological system). There's a different kind of air machine designed to treat that, but before going that route the sleep doctor suggested trying melatonin. As mentioned, he said that good sleep in the final part of the night is important because that's usually a REM cycle.

At this point I think I'll try a night or two with magnesium before bed but no melatonin and see how my sleep patterns and apnea events are. Then maybe try combinations of magnesium and melatonin. My goal would be to arrive at good combinations and/or amounts so that I have good sleep particularly later in the night but also have problem-free gut function.

[Plumster]

I love sushi ginger. By the way, I also eliminated caffeine from my diet, after drinking coffee every morning for 30 years. It was surprisingly easy and I love being addiction free.

Good luck!

[TheBrain]

Hi Thought Particle,

I use magnesium citrate as an osmotic laxative. I’m currently taking 1600 mg, split up throughout the day. It works and doesn’t make me sleepy. I recently restarted magnesium threonate in the evening (recommended by Dr. Bredesen). It makes many of us here sleepy, but not me. It doesn’t have a laxative effect.

Best of luck figuring out what works best for you.

[thoughtparticle]

TheBrain, thanks for mentioning the different types of magnesium. I have some magnesium threonate which I tried again last night, and which does make me sleepy. But magnesium citrate sounds worth trying for the laxative effect.

Are you taking both the citrate and threonate now? Are you monitoring RBC (red blood cell) levels of magnesium? I see that Bredesen recommends magnesium threonate 2g/day with a target RBC magnesium of 5.2-6.5 mg/dL. I wonder if there are issues if one's level exceeds the high end of that range?

[TheBrain]

I'm taking both the citrate and threonate now. The last time I had my RBC magnesium checked was in May 2018. It was actually below Dr. Bredesen's range at 4.9 mg/dl (5.2-6.5 mg/dl). Which is strange, given how much magnesium I take, and I was eating a lot of food that's considered a good source of magnesium. I should have that checked again and see where I stand. Thanks for bringing that up.