Melatonin is also available as a supplement marketed to help with sleep issues like occasional insomnia and jet lag.
While melatonin signals to your body that it’s time to sleep, it doesn’t directly induce drowsiness.
Combining it with a healthy sleep routine and calming sleep environment can help you achieve better sleep over time.
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Relying solely on melatonin may mask these deeper issues, preventing you from getting the proper treatment and relief.
Since melatonin helps regulate your circadian rhythm rather than inducing immediate sleepiness, timing is essential.
Taking it too early or late can interfere with your natural circadian rhythm and reduce effectiveness.
Being mindful of the timing can help your body align with melatonin’s sleep-promoting signals.
Taking melatonin for sleep involves finding the lowest effective dose that helps regulate your sleep cycle.
Larger doses can lead to side effects like headaches, dizziness, and daytime sleepiness.
Over-the-counter melatonin supplements typically contain 1 to 10 milligrams (mg) per dose.
The body does not require large doses to signal that its time to sleepsometimes, less is more effective.
Some people also report experiencing agitation, mood swings, skin irritation, and nightmares.
Most clinical studies examine melatonin use for weeks to months, not years.
Some studies raise concerns that long-term melatonin use may delay puberty in children and adolescents.
As a result, there are variations in the quality and potency of melatonin supplements among brands.
The same study found that 26% of melatonin supplements contained unlisted ingredients that could pose health risks.
Look for supplements verified by organizations like theU.S.
Pharmacopeia (USP)orNSF.
Who Should Avoid Melatonin?
National Institute of General Medical Sciences.Circadian rhythms.
National Institutes of Health.Use of melatonin supplements rising among adults.
Cruz-Sanabria F, Carmassi C, Bruno S, et al.Melatonin as a chronobiotic with sleep-promoting properties.Curr Neuropharmacol.
2023;21(4):951-987. doi:10.2174/1570159X20666220217152617
Center for Environmental Therapeutics.Melatonin and its uses.
National Institutes of Health: News in Health.Good sleep for good health.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Missing the mark with melatonin: finding the best treatment for insomnia.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Restless leg syndrome.
Roach GD, Sargent C.Interventions to minimize jet lag after westward and eastward flight.Front Physiol.
2024;76(5):e12985.
2023;18:49-59. doi:10.2147/CIA.S361519
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.Melatonin: what you gotta know.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sleep.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pediatric melatonin ingestion - United States 2012-2021.
