There is strong evidence that melatonin has benefits for sleep. It may increase the duration and quality of your sleep and help with insomnia. Dosage determines how it will affect your sleep.

Melatonin is a hormone that your body makes naturally. It’s often called the sleep hormone, as high levels can help you fall asleep.

However, melatonin itself won’t put you to sleep. It lets your body know that it’s time for bed so that you can fall asleep more easily.

Keep reading to learn more about its benefits, as well as potential side effects and risks for certain populations.

Melatonin works with your body’s circadian rhythm.

It lets you know when it’s time to sleep, wake up, and more.

Melatonin also helps regulate:

Because melatonin helps your body prepare for sleep, people who don’t make enough of it at night can have trouble falling asleep.

Many factors may cause low melatonin levels at night, such as:

  • alcohol consumption
  • smoking
  • caffeine consumption
  • shift work
  • aging
  • certain medications
  • blue light exposure

Taking a melatonin supplement may help counter low levels and normalize your internal clock.

It is important to speak with a doctor first to determine if taking melatonin is the best option for you.

A 2019 review of 11 studies demonstrated that taking melatonin before bed decreased sleep latency by almost 3 minutes and increased total sleep time by about 30 minutes, compared with a placebo.

A 2021 review of 23 studies involving people with disease-related sleep disorders found that melatonin significantly reduced sleep disturbances and sleep latency while increasing sleep duration and quality.

Additionally, melatonin may counteract jet lag by syncing your internal clock with the time change. Shift workers may experience jet lag symptoms because they work during hours that are normally used for sleep.

Before using melatonin, though, try implementing healthy sleep habits, such as:

  • establishing a consistent sleep schedule
  • limiting alcohol and caffeine consumption
  • refraining from using electronic devices before bed

In addition to improving sleep, melatonin may help manage other health conditions.

  • Eye health: A 2019 study found that melatonin supplements may reduce age-related macular degeneration by neutralizing free radicals and decreasing inflammation due to its antioxidant effects in the body.
  • Acid reflux and GERD: Melatonin may help alleviate acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) by protecting the lining of your esophagus against irritants such as acid, alcohol, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
  • Tinnitus: Researchers suggest that taking melatonin may reduce significant tinnitus symptoms.
  • Migraine attacks: Melatonin may offer relief due to its ability to inhibit pain sensations.
  • Brain health: Studies suggest that melatonin improves sleep quality and morning alertness in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. However, more research is needed to understand melatonin’s effect on the brain.

If you’re considering trying melatonin for insomnia, start with a low dose supplement.

For instance, start with 0.5 to 1 milligrams (mg) 30 minutes before going to bed. If that doesn’t seem to help you fall asleep, try increasing your dose to 3 to 5 mg.

Taking melatonin in excess of 5 mg is unlikely to help you fall asleep faster. The goal is to find the lowest dose that helps you sleep.

It’s best to follow the supplement instructions. Talk with your doctor before adding over-the-counter melatonin to your routine.

Research suggests that melatonin supplements are safe, nontoxic, and not addictive for either children or adults.

Studies have found no significant adverse events associated with daily melatonin intake in dosages of 2 to 10 mg for up to 3.5 years. No evidence suggests that taking melatonin affects your body’s natural ability to make its own.

However, several short-lived side effects of melatonin supplements have been reported, including:

  • daytime sleepiness
  • fatigue
  • dizziness
  • headaches
  • nausea
  • a cold feeling

Melatonin may interact with a variety of medications by either altering their effectiveness or increasing the risk of side effects.

Medications that melatonin may interact with include:

If you take any of the above medications, talk with your doctor before starting melatonin.

Melatonin may also interact with alcohol. Some research from 2024 suggests that moderate to heavy alcohol use reduces melatonin levels and disrupts sleep quality, but results are mixed.

During pregnancy, melatonin transfers to your developing baby. Melatonin contributes to the development of circadian rhythms and both the nervous and endocrine systems.

Melatonin may also protect the fetal nervous system by safeguarding the baby’s developing nervous system from oxidative stress.

However, few studies have examined melatonin supplementation during pregnancy, so taking melatonin supplements during pregnancy is not recommended.

Additionally, no data exists on the safety of melatonin supplementation during breastfeeding. For this reason, using melatonin supplements while nursing is also not recommended.

The effectiveness of melatonin in children and adolescents is still being investigated.

A 2019 review on melatonin use in children and adolescents found that children receiving melatonin as a short-term treatment fell asleep faster and slept longer than children receiving a placebo.

A 2018 study followed 69 people who had been using melatonin since childhood, for about 11 years. It found that sleep quality wasn’t notably different from those who hadn’t used melatonin.

Tolerance, dosage, and precautions

While some research suggests that long-term melatonin use may delay puberty — as a natural decline in evening melatonin levels is associated with the onset of puberty — more research is needed.

Because researchers don’t yet understand the long-term effects of melatonin use in children, it may be best to help your kids implement good sleep practices first before trying melatonin.

Talk to your child’s pediatrician before starting them on melatonin. They will be able to take your child’s individual needs into account and inform you about appropriate dosage if melatonin is an appropriate option for your child.

Melatonin is a supplement that may help you fall asleep, especially if you have insomnia or jet lag. It may also offer other health benefits.

If you’re considering melatonin, talk with a doctor or pharmacist first to find out whether it’s right for you and whether it might interact with any medications you’re taking.

Then, you can start with a low dose of 0.5 to 1 mg 30 minutes before bed. If that doesn’t help, try increasing your dose to 3 to 5 mg.

Melatonin is generally well tolerated, although mild side effects are possible.