Does Melatonin Really Help You Sleep?

Some people with certain kinds of sleep disorders may get some relief from melatonin, research suggests, but there’s less evidence for its use with more common forms of insomnia, according to the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

A 2013 meta-analysis found that, on average, people with insomnia fell asleep about 7 minutes faster with melatonin than with a placebo. While most melatonin side effects are mild, some people take it long term, despite the fact that little is known about the safety of using it for more than three months. 

Because of the lack of evidence, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends clinicians not use melatonin as a treatment for insomnia.

But that doesn’t mean it can’t help anyone.

About 5 to 10 percent of people may feel sleepy after taking melatonin, says Alcibiades Rodriguez, MD, the medical director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center-Sleep Center at New York University.

“Usually the people that get more benefit are the elderly, maybe 70 or older, and young patients,” he says. That’s because older patients and young children are less likely to produce sufficient melatonin on their own, though it’s important to consult a medical professional before giving a child melatonin. There’s still little research on melatonin in kids and some concern about how it might affect development, especially around puberty. The AASM says that parents should be especially cautious, since the actual amount of melatonin can vary dramatically from the amount listed on the label. (See more about melatonin for kids.)

Because the general cue for the body to start releasing melatonin is the change from daylight to darkness, supplements may be essential for people with circadian disorders related to blindness, Czeisler says. It can also help people who need to fall asleep at a time that’s not in sync with their natural clock, like people working a night shift or anyone experiencing jet lag because they have traveled to a new time zone.

Czeisler says melatonin may help some extreme night owls—people whose internal clock makes them inclined to fall asleep hours later than would be considered reasonable—by helping to get their body clocks on a more normal schedule.

Start small and don’t overdo it. Many stores sell supplements that are packed with far more melatonin than the body naturally produces. Czeisler recommends starting with a low dose, between 0.2 and 0.5 mg. The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement trade group, says doses should not exceed 10 mg, even though products with higher doses are available.

Get it from a safe source. Supplements aren’t subject to the same standards set by the Food and Drug Administration for safety and efficacy as are over-the-counter and prescription drugs. That means supplement makers don’t have to show that their products work. Certain supplements may contain a higher or lower dose or may have other potentially dangerous ingredients. Labels from the supplement-verifying organizations such as ConsumerLab.com, NSF International, USP, and UL can provide some assurance that a product contains what’s listed on its label and that the product isn’t contaminated with something risky.

Make sure it won’t interact dangerously with other drugs you take. Melatonin can change the way other drugs work, making blood pressure and diabetes drugs less effective and increasing the effects of blood-thinning drugs, for example. Talk to your doctor before taking melatonin if you take any medication.

Be careful driving the next morning. Short-term use of melatonin is generally considered safe, Rodriguez says. But some people do report drowsiness, headaches, dizziness, or nausea. The Council for Responsible Nutrition says not to drive while using melatonin.

Be cautious about long-term use. Studies have shown that melatonin appears to be safe when used for three months or less, according to reviews of research and the NIH. But a lack of long-term studies means we don’t know if long-term use is safe.

Talk to a doctor about sleep problems. Whether or not melatonin helps you, you should consult your doctor if you’ve had trouble sleeping for three months or longer, according to Rodriguez. “The longer insomnia goes, the more difficult it is to treat,” he says.