Does Melatonin Actually Help You Sleep, And How?

If you’ve ever struggled with your sleep (and every week, about 6-10% of us do), chances are you’ve heard of melatonin supplements.

Popular in the US, where, unlike in the UK, melatonin can be sold over the counter, the supplement is said to make you fall asleep faster, increase your quality of sleep, and help you sleep longer.

But what actually is melatonin? How does it work, and does it really help with sleep?

Melatonin is a hormone our brain naturally makes. We begin producing more of it after it gets dark; it peaks in the wee hours of the morning, and gradually decreases again as the day progresses.

When it reaches the receptors in your body, melatonin helps to keep your “circadian rhythm,” or body clock, on track.

When you supplement with melatonin, you give your body more of the circadian rhythm-regulating hormone. Once the added melatonin reaches those receptors we mentioned earlier, it can help with your sleep-wake cycle.

That matters because when our body clock is aligned well, we feel sleepier at night and more awake in the morning.

Some research has shown that our Circadian rhythm might matter more than sleep duration when it comes to feeling rested, while other research has suggested that the body clocks of people with insomnia work differently from those without it.

It takes about one to two hours to act, the NHS said.

There is some evidence to suggest that appropriate doses of melatonin supplementation can help people to fall and stay asleep, especially those with insomnia and people with a delayed sleep phase.

It can also be useful in keeping the circadian rhythms of blind people in check.

It’s usually only recommended for short-term use. In the UK, if it’s prescribed, it’s most likely to be for one to four weeks; in some cases, it can be as long as 13 weeks.

Still, “Our body likely produces enough melatonin for its general needs,” The Mayo Clinic added.

Melatonin was once available over the counter in the UK, but since 1995, it’s been reclassified. Formerly treated as a supplement, it’s now regarded as a medicine.

That means only doctors can prescribe it.

Speaking to HuffPost UK previously, Dr Suzanne Wylie, GP and medical adviser for IQdoctor, said, “In the UK, melatonin is classified as a prescription-only medicine, so you can’t buy it over the counter. This is because, while melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate sleep, the correct dose needs to be titrated on a case-by-case basis”.

Here, melatonin often comes in 2mg slow-release tablets. In the US, however, where it’s treated as a dietary supplement, a 2021 paper found that over-the-counter supplements contained anywhere from 74-347% of the recommended dose.

“It can also interact with other medications or underlying health conditions, which is why it’s important to use it under medical supervision,” Dr Wylie continued.

“As a GP, I might prescribe it in certain situations, such as short-term sleep disorders in adults, or for children with neurodevelopmental conditions like autism or ADHD, but for most people, we recommend safer, evidence-based sleep hygiene strategies before considering medication.”