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Dr. Richard Wurtman’s Sleep Answer is an over the counter product meant to work as a sleep aid for people who are struggling to get the rest they need at night. These capsules are supposed to make it easier to fall asleep at night as well as to remain sleeping throughout the night. In this way, the product is designed to assist people who are restless and can’t fall asleep as well as people who can fall asleep but whose sleep is broken because they wake up before they should.
Despite the fact that melatonin supplements are exceptionally commonplace and can be purchased virtually anywhere that sleep capsules are sold, the official website for this product claims that Dr. Richard Wurtman’s Sleep Answer is somehow different in the way it provides its users with melatonin.
The official website does cite research supporting the use of melatonin for reducing sleep struggles, however, it should be noted that the cited research was for melatonin as an ingredient and not specifically for this product. Still, it does say something that the substance used in this formula is backed up by research published in the Lancet, which is a respected medical journal.
Unfortunately, the cited research is so old that the Lancet does not provide an online abstract of its methods and results. Therefore, without looking through medical journal archives in person, it is impossible to know whether the study showed positive results and by what means and dosage, and whether that is reflected in this product.
The official website claims that the research showed that participants fell asleep up to 20 minutes sooner than those who did not use it, that their nighttime waking was decreased, that they were less restless, that their sleep was as much as 88 percent more efficient, and that they woke feeling energized and rested instead of being groggy.
The marketing for this pill does take the opportunity to point out that as popular as melatonin supplements are right now, they are frequently misused and, therefore, may not be as helpful as they could be. The claim is that the doses in most melatonin supplements are simply too high and that this “overwhelms” the melatonin receptors in the brain, which forces them to shut down instead of functioning as they should. It directly states that “the more melatonin you take, the WORSE you may sleep.”
Instead, this product provides the “right dose” of melatonin, by breaking down the sleep aid into two doses. The first dose is right inside the pill’s fast dissolving shell. This releases 0.3 mg of liquid melatonin. Over the following 3 to 4 hours, the inner capsule gradually releases 0.6 mg of melatonin to help the user to remain restful throughout the night.
I have used this product, although NOT every single night, as directed. That may account for my mixed experience. I am a 66 year old male, struggling with Restless Legs Syndrome for most of my adult life, now also dealing with enlarged prostate problems necessitating night-time trips to the bathroom. So with that said, I have had mixed results with Sleep Answer. It has not necessarily helped me fall asleep faster, nor has it kept me asleep; in fact, some times I actually wake up in the middle of the night and stay awake for an hour or so! The next day I feel groggy for hours usually until about noon. But there have been other times when the product did indeed seem to work. My guess is I need to use it EVERY night, which I intend to do for a month to see if that will help.