Bottom Line: Pros And Cons
Benefits:
- Widely available in the U.S. over-the-counter without a prescription
- Short-term use is relatively safe with little evidence of toxicity
- Inexpensive product with generics or store brands available
- Lower dose and orally-dissolvable products for children are available
- Comes in a variety of dosage forms and doses
Downsides:
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How Long Does It Take For Melatonin To Work
Melatonin supplements typically begin to kick in between 20 minutes and two hours after ingestion, which is why Buenaver suggests taking one to three milligrams two hours before bedtime.
Additionally, natural melatonin levels rise around two hours before bed, so having a consistent bedtime routine can help signal to your body that its time to ramp up melatonin production.
Melatonin can affect everyone differently, meaning theres no single right answer to how long melatonin lasts. You may need to do some trial and error to figure out when to take melatonin before bed and how much to take so you can stay asleep.
How To Use Melatonin Properly
Dr. Andrefsky offers these tips for using melatonin:
Timing is key. Dont take melatonin right before bed because it takes several hours for it to become effective.
If you are a night owl who normally stays up past midnight, but would like to nod off around 11 p.m., take melatonin at 6 p.m. Conversely, if you go to bed at 8 p.m. and rise at 4 a.m., its better to take melatonin in the late morning or early afternoon.
Dont overdo it. More isnt better. Just 0.3 mg to 1 mg is sufficient, although many over-the-counter preparations may be upwards of 5 mg each. Overusing melatonin has consequences, including:
- Losing effectiveness over time because brain receptors get desensitized to it
- Worsening insomnia
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How Late Is Too Late For Melatonin
Melatonin must be taken at the proper time of day. A persons biological clock might be affected and their sleep and waking hours can be shifted if they take it too early or too late. The National Health Service advises taking melatonin 1-2 hours before to the time you want to go to bed, which for most people is between 8:00 and 9:00 pm.
Considerations When Taking Melatonin
It is a good idea to talk to your doctor before starting any new over-the-counter sleep aids. They can help you establish the correct dosage and timing based on various factors such as your weight, age, and other health conditions or medications you are currently taking. If you are not sure why you are having trouble sleeping, they may also be able to diagnose an underlying sleep disorder or health condition and work out a treatment plan. Improving sleep hygiene habits may also lead to better sleep.
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Be Aware Of The Unknowns
Its widely considered safe to take small doses of melatonin or use supplements over short-term periods. But the effects of long-term usage or taking higher doses is less clear.
We dont have information that its unsafe, but we also dont have information that its safe, Martin said.
Wu said hes less concerned about chronic usage if people are sticking to low doses, appropriate timing and quality products.
But another worry is that melatonin, considered a dietary supplement, is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration as a prescription or over-the-counter drug, which means the FDA is not authorized to review products safety and effectiveness before they reach the market. Experts say this can make it difficult to be certain how much melatonin is in a product and how pure it is.
A 2017 study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that the amount of melatonin in supplements often varies widely from what is listed on the label. Of the more than two dozen supplements studied, actual melatonin content ranged from 83 percent less to 478 percent more than the label stated, researchers wrote. The study also reported that amounts within different lots of a particular product varied greatly.
When Should I Take Melatonin
Melatonin may be used to improve sleep onset, sleep time, or sleep quality. There are several scenarios where you might benefit from taking melatonin for sleep, according to theNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health . These include:
- Experiencing jet lag during or after a long flight or after traveling through different time zones
- Performing shift work that disrupts your sleep cycle
- Having temporary instances of anxiety related to events in your life
- Experiencing the occasional sleepless night
- Being diagnosed with delayed sleep-wake phase disorder
Some healthcare professionals also recommend that children who experience difficulty sleeping due to other health conditions, like autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, take melatoninalthough experts are still unsure about the overall safety and effectiveness of this approach. The American Academy of Pediatrics reminds parents to always discuss supplement use with their childs pediatrician, especially since melatonin is a hormone and may affect the growth and development of a child who has not fully matured.
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Get The Sleep You Need Without Melatonin
You shouldnât rely on the use of melatonin supplements to fall asleep night after night. Instead, turn to them as a short-term solution to help you recover from jet lag or shift your sleep schedule.
As melatonin affects us all differently and more research needs to be done, getting the timing right can be tricky. Try taking melatonin about four to five hours before your normal bedtime to bring your sleep schedule forward and at your usual wake up time to push it back.
For the rest of your nights, harness your brainâs natural melatonin to get a good nightâs sleep. The RISE app can help by reminding you when to do 20+ sleep hygiene habits based on your circadian rhythm and telling you when your Melatonin Window will be each night.
This way, youâll have all the melatonin youâll need for a better sleep, maximizing your energy levels the next day.
Is It Ok To Take Melatonin Every Night
It is safe to take melatonin supplements every night, but only for the short term. This is because less information is available about its long-term safety. Administering melatonin in children also needs caution. Kindly contact your healthcare provider or pediatrician for more advice.
Taking the recommended dose of melatonin may increase your blood melatonin levels up to 20 times more than normal and give you side effects that include:
It will be safer to use melatonin for a short time. Consult your doctor if you wish to continue taking it in the long term.
You can try shifting from melatonin supplements to other options like meditation, muscle relaxation, biofeedback therapy, and more for your sleep issues.
If you find yourself getting addicted to melatonin supplements or suffer from any of its side effects, you need to reach out to your doctor.
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May Help Increase Growth Hormone Levels In Men
Human growth hormone is naturally released during sleep. In healthy young men, taking melatonin may help increase HGH levels.
Studies have shown that melatonin can make the pituitary gland, the organ that releases HGH, more sensitive to the hormone that releases HGH .
In addition, one small study showed that both lower and higher melatonin doses are effective at stimulating HGH release .
Another study found that 5 mg of melatonin combined with resistance training increased the levels of HGH in men while lowering the levels of somatostatin, a hormone that inhibits HGH .
Summary
Melatonin may support eye health, ease tinnitus symptoms, treat stomach ulcers and heartburn, and increase growth hormone levels in young men. Speak with a healthcare professional first if youre considering melatonin supplementation to help treat any of the conditions mentioned to learn if its right for you and whether there are any medication interactions.
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Is It Safe To Take Melatonin With Alcohol
Alcohol can disrupt your natural melatonin levels, so experts recommend against taking melatonin when drinking or when using other sleep medications.
There is limited evidence that melatonin might be helpful in recovering from alcohol use disorders due to the antioxidant effects of melatonin. However, more research needs to be done.
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Health Benefits Of Melatonin
Studies have shown that melatonin is safe and effective as a sleep aid. Medications are usually tested on just healthy adults, but researchers have tested melatonin on a lot of people, including children.
Here are what studies have shown about using melatonin for sleep and other possible health benefits of the supplement.
How Much Melatonin Should I Take Take 17 Year Old
Based on available studies and clinical use, melatonin powder is generally regarded as safe in recommended doses. That means only for kids older than age 10, in doses of three mg or less, for short-term use. But because you probably can, doesnât mean you should use melatonin. Sleep experts say youâre much better off getting your kid on a regular schedule than giving them melatonin. But, if you insist on melatonin for your kid, start it a day or two in advance to get the desired effect. But there are natural ways of enhancing teen sleep, in situations such as adjusting to daylight-saving time: Go to bed an hour earlier on Saturday. Get as much natural light as you can on Sunday, to help your body clock adjust. And make Monday a light day, as much as possible, because missing as little as one hour of sleep can affect performance.
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Taking Melatonin Every Nightand Doing Nothing Else
Melatonin is best taken for those struggling with insomnia but also willing to combine other methods, such as other natural sleep aids and environmental changes, like a pair of sweat wicking pajamas.
Thats also why my Sleep Doctor PM formula comes in the beginning of the night and middle of the night formula. The beginning of the night formula contains melatonin to help you fall asleep but the middle of the night formula does not so that you are able to get back to sleep without waking up with groggy side effects. Letting sleep issues and other conditions go is also not helpful. Melatonin can be used as a temporary aide, but long term, changes need to be made to take control of your sleep problems.
The most important takeaway: taking melatonin is not a panacea. You should start with consulting a doctor and roll out any potentially serious medical conditions or sleep disorders first.
Will Melatonin Get You High
Does melatonin give you hallucinations? There is no evidence to support the claim that taking more melatonin results in hallucinations. However, research shows that melatonin in excessive levels may produce vivid dreams while you sleep. This can be a result of taking the supplement or more REM sleep.
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Do Melatonin Supplements Work For Sleep
Given what scientists know about melatonin and its role in managing sleep, it seems like a supplement should help you slip into dreamland no problem, right? Well, yes and no.
According to guidelines from the American College of Physicians , research on the effectiveness of melatonin is either inconclusive or not strong enough to recommend it as a treatment for chronic insomnia.
This could be due to a number of things, from the unregulated nature of the supplements industry resulting in inconsistent dosage and formulation to how quickly synthetic melatonin is released into your bloodstream.
Melatonin doesnt live that long in your blood, so ideally, youd have a slow-release melatonin pill that would release it all the time and then abruptly stop, Hille explains.
A better bet for chronic insomnia, the ACP says, is cognitive behavior therapy. You can also look at minimizing any potential environmental and behavioral factors that might be messing with your sleep hygiene, like watching TV right before bedtime and drinking coffee too late in the day .
If you just have a random sleepless night every now and again, though, it might be worth a try. Some studies noted a mild improvement for participants using melatonin. Just be sure to talk to your doctor and stop using it if you dont notice an improvement in your sleep.
What Dose Of Melatonin Should You Take
Many melatonin supplements contain five to 10 milligrams per dose far more than you need. Vaughn says that between one-half and three milligrams is the appropriate dose for most people, and that you should take it one to two hours before bed. This is when levels of melatonin in your body naturally start to rise, and when supplementing will be most helpful.
If youre just starting to supplement with melatonin, Ghassi recommends trying one-half milligram to start. If it doesnt help you fall asleep, gradually increase your dose until it does. However, she warns not to take more than five milligrams a night.
All three experts agreed that it doesnt really matter what form of supplement you take. Pills, gummies, tinctures and powders will all have the same effect. What matters is that your supplement actually contains the dose it claims to , and that you take the appropriate dose at the appropriate time.
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May Reduce Symptoms Of Tinnitus
Tinnitus is a condition characterized by a constant ringing in the ears. Its often worse when theres less background noise, such as when youre trying to fall asleep.
Interestingly, researchers recommend considering taking melatonin to help reduce symptoms of significant tinnitus and help you get to sleep .
In one study, 61 adults with tinnitus took 3 mg of melatonin before bed for 30 days. It helped reduce the effects of tinnitus and significantly improved sleep quality .
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How Long Does Melatonin Stay In Your Body
Melatonin doesnt last in the body for long. It has a half-life of 40 to 60 minutes. The half-life is the time it takes for the body to eliminate half a drug.
Typically, it takes four to five half-lives for a drug to be fully eliminated. This means melatonin will stay in the body for about 5 hours.
If you stay awake during this time, youre more likely to feel aftereffects like drowsiness. Thats why its recommended to avoid driving or using heavy machinery within 5 hours of taking it.
But remember, everyone metabolizes drugs differently. The total time it takes to clear will vary for each person. It depends on several factors, including:
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Who Should Take Melatonin And Who Shouldnt
If youre interested in taking melatonin, or if you think you might have a sleep disorder, you should see your healthcare provider who can help diagnose and treat the problem.
If you take too much melatonin, or take it too late in the evening, you can cause yourself to be drowsy, sluggish or have delayed reaction times during the day when you should be more alert. Some common side effects of taking melatonin can include:
- Abdominal cramps.
- Temporary feelings of depression.
Its also important to note that some sleep disorders, like insomnia, can gradually worsen when you take melatonin, especially if youre taking higher doses .
A person who has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep no matter what time it is wont benefit much from melatonin, says Dr. Roth.
Melatonin works differently for everyone, and doctor recommendations vary based on your diagnosis and sleep history. With chronic conditions like insomnia or other similar sleep disorders, its best to see a sleep specialist to get a correct diagnosis and consider cognitive behavioral therapy or other treatments.
Is It Ok To Take 30 Mg Of Melatonin
Generally, an adult dose is thought to be between 1 and 10 mg. Doses near the 30 mg mark are usually considered to be harmful. However, peoples sensitivity to it can vary, making some more prone to side effects at lower doses than others. Taking too much melatonin for you can lead to unpleasant side effects.
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How Else Can You Improve Your Sleep Quality
âMelatonin works synergistically with other practices,â says Dr. Dow. âYouâll get the best results by combining a melatonin supplement with simple sleep hygiene strategies like keeping a consistent bedtime, exposing yourself to natural light first thing in the morning, and keeping the bedroom very dark and cool.â That includes avoiding blue light, so no scrolling through your phone or staring at the clock.
Most importantly, youâll want to seek medical guidance to find the root of your insomnia. âAs a sleep clinician, I first ask why is this person not sleeping?â Dr. Singh says. âThatâs the fundamental thing.â Mental health and quality sleep go hand-in-hand, and melatonin alone canât fix those kinds of issuesnor can it cure chronic, long-term insomnia. So, if you think you need to take melatonin everyday, donât. Instead, talk to your doctor about more effective strategies and treatments for long-term relief.
The Truth About Taking Melatonin To Help You Sleep
Its been a rough day and you must wake up early tomorrow for a breakfast meeting, so you take a melatonin pill, brush your teeth and crawl into bed. Then you stare at the ceiling. And stare. And stare.
Neurologist and sleep medicine specialist John Andrefsky, MD isnt surprised.
Melatonin decreases sleep latency by about six minutes, which is not a lot of time considering people sometimes cant fall asleep for 45 minutes, an hour or two hours, he says. Melatonin affects when you fall asleep, not how quickly.
Dr. Andrefsky says melatonin is more useful in mitigating jetlag than in curing chronic insomnia, so it can be an effective tool for people who travel leisurely or for business.
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