Melatonin’s one of those go-to supplements people reach for when sleep goes out the window — whether it’s because of jet lag, night shifts, or just plain old stress. But even though it’s easy to get over the counter, how you take melatonin matters. Use it the right way, and it can help reset your sleep schedule. Use it wrong, and, well… you might be even groggier than before.
So, What Even Is Melatonin?
Melatonin is something your brain naturally makes — mainly from a tiny part called the pineal gland. It helps your body know when it’s time to rest and when it’s time to wake up (Hardeland, 2021). Usually, melatonin levels start rising as it gets dark, nudging your body into wind-down mode, and then they drop again in the morning.
Thing is, stuff like late-night screens, weird work hours, or crossing time zones can mess with how much melatonin your body makes. That’s when a little extra support might help.
Best Practices: How to Take Melatonin Without Messing It Up
Here’s a few things to keep in mind if you’re gonna try melatonin:
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Timing is everything. Try taking it 30 to 60 minutes before you plan to go to bed. That gives it a chance to kick in before you're actually trying to sleep (Arendt, 2019).
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Don’t go overboard. More melatonin doesn’t mean better sleep. In fact, smaller amounts (like 0.5 to 3 mg) can work just as well — and you’re less likely to feel groggy the next morning (Ferracioli-Oda et al., 2013).
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Stick with it. Melatonin isn’t a magic sleeping pill — it works best when you use it regularly to gently adjust your sleep rhythm (Walker, 2017).
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Turn off the lights. If you’re scrolling TikTok under bright lights after popping melatonin… yeah, it’s probably not gonna do much. Blue light (from phones, TVs, etc.) can block its effects. Try dimming the lights and staying off screens at least an hour before bed (Chang et al., 2015).
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Don’t use it forever. Melatonin's great for short-term stuff — like adjusting to a new work shift or bouncing back from travel. But if you’re using it every night long-term, that’s something worth chatting about with your doctor (Brzezinski et al., 2005).
Resetting Your Internal Clock (The Right Way)
Melatonin can be super helpful for shifting your sleep-wake cycle, especially if you’ve got jet lag, delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS), or work odd hours. The key? Take it at the right time, depending on what you're trying to fix (Sletten et al., 2010).
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Jet lagged? Take melatonin in the evening once you’ve landed in your new time zone — it can help your body sync up faster (Herxheimer & Petrie, 2002).
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Night owl life? If you’re someone who just can’t fall asleep until 3 a.m., taking melatonin a few hours before your target bedtime might help shift things earlier (Rahman et al., 2019).
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Working nights? For shift workers, melatonin can help cue your body that it’s bedtime — even if it’s 9 a.m. outside (Smith & Eastman, 2009).
Bottom Line
Melatonin can be a solid tool to help with sleep — but only if it’s used right. Getting the timing, dose, and habits lined up makes all the difference. And if you’ve been dealing with long-term sleep troubles, it’s a smart move to talk to a healthcare pro and see if something else might be going on.
References
Arendt, J. (2019). Melatonin: Characteristics, concerns, and prospects. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 34(6), 671-685. https://doi.org/10.1177/0748730419882197
Brzezinski, A., Vangel, M. G., Wurtman, R. J., Norrie, G., Zhdanova, I., Ben-Shushan, A., & Ford, I. (2005). Effects of exogenous melatonin on sleep: A meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine, 6(1), 11-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2004.10.004
Chang, A. M., Aeschbach, D., Duffy, J. F., & Czeisler, C. A. (2015). Evening use of light-emitting eReaders negatively affects sleep, circadian timing, and next-morning alertness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(4), 1232-1237. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1418490112
Ferracioli-Oda, E., Qawasmi, A., & Bloch, M. H. (2013). Meta-analysis: Melatonin for the treatment of primary sleep disorders. PLoS One, 8(5), e63773. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0063773
Hardeland, R. (2021). Aging, melatonin, and the pro- and anti-inflammatory networks. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(2), 863. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22020863
Herxheimer, A., & Petrie, K. J. (2002). Melatonin for the prevention and treatment of jet lag. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2, CD001520. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001520
Rahman, S. A., Kayumov, L., Tchmoutina, E. A., & Shapiro, C. M. (2019). Clinical use of melatonin in delayed sleep phase syndrome: An evidence-based review. Sleep Medicine, 58, 27-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2018.12.006
Sletten, T. L., Revell, V. L., Middleton, B., Lederle, K. A., & Skene, D. J. (2010). Age-related changes in acute and phase-advancing responses to melatonin in humans. Journal of Pineal Research, 49(4), 403-411. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-079X.2010.00804.x
Smith, M. R., & Eastman, C. I. (2009). How to entrain circadian rhythms and improve performance in the real world. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 24(4), 342-354. https://doi.org/10.1177/0748730409338602
Walker, M. (2017). Why we sleep: Unlocking the power of sleep and dreams. Scribner.
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