Melatonin
Sleep
A timing signal, not a sedative. Best evidence is for shifting your clock, not knocking you out.
What the evidence says
Large human evidence for jet lag and delayed sleep phase. Effects on staying asleep are much weaker than the label implies.
What studies used
0.5–3 mg; most retail doses are far higher than trials use. 30–90 min before target sleep time.
Reported from published studies and product labelling — a record of what was used in research, not a recommendation. What is right for you is a conversation with a clinician.
Watch out for
- More is not better — high doses can worsen grogginess
- Shifts your body clock; timing matters more than dose
Evidence base
established literature
Large human evidence base: several phase 3 or 4 trial reports, plus multiple meta-analyses or systematic reviews.
This letter measures how much human research exists, not whether it works for you — the tier above (Strong) is the read on quality.
Research (12)
- Melatonin: Physiological effects in humansNeurochirurgie · 2015
- Melatonin: Clinical Perspectives in NeurodegenerationFront Endocrinol (Lausanne) · 2019
- Melatonin and its ubiquitous anticancer effectsMol Cell Biochem · 2019
- Melatonin metabolism, signaling and possible roles in plantsPlant J · 2021
- Melatonin in Wine and Beer: Beneficial EffectsMolecules · 2021
- Melatonin and Cancer HallmarksMolecules · 2018
- Melatonin receptor ligands: A pharmaco-chemical perspectiveJ Pineal Res · 2020
- Melatonin receptorsAnnu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol · 1991
- Melatonin and its anti-glioma functions: a comprehensive reviewRev Neurosci · 2019
- Melatonin as a chronobiotic/cytoprotective agent in bone. Doses involvedJ Pineal Res · 2024
- Melatonin and their analogs as a potential use in the management of Neuropathic painJ Formos Med Assoc · 2019
- Melatonin: an endogenous miraculous indolamine, fights against cancer progressionJ Cancer Res Clin Oncol · 2020
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