Melatonin
Melatonin in tablets, sublingual tablets, liquid drops and gummies, from 0.5 mg to higher strengths. We explain which form suits sleep onset, why 1 mg is the reference dose and how to time your evening intake.Read more →
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How melatonin works and which form fits your evening
Melatonin is a hormone your own body makes once the light drops in the evening. It does not knock you out. It signals to your body clock that the night has started, which is why the time you take it matters as much as the amount. The approved wording is precise: melatonin contributes to the reduction of time to fall asleep. That effect is reached with 1 mg taken close to bedtime. You will find these products in our MIND + SLEEP range.
More milligrams is not more effect
Products on the market run from 0.3 mg to 10 mg and beyond. The 1 mg reference from the European food safety authority (EFSA) is not a minimum you need to beat. The studies behind the claim found no added benefit on falling asleep from larger amounts in healthy adults. People who wake up with a heavy head are often taking several times their own night-time level. Keeping the amount low and the timing the same every evening usually tells you more than turning the dose up.
The form decides how fast it arrives
A swallowed tablet passes through the liver first, so only part of the dose reaches your blood. That is not a fault, it changes the timing.
- Tablets and capsules: a fixed, predictable dose with a slower start. Take them roughly 30 to 60 minutes before bed.
- Sublingual tablets and sprays: absorbed through the tissue under the tongue, so they act sooner. Hold them there instead of swallowing straight away.
- Liquid drops: you can step down to 0.5 mg or lower, handy if you want to find your own minimum.
- Gummies: easy to travel with and pleasant to take, but the dose is fixed and often on the high side.
- Prolonged release: spreads the release over the night rather than giving one quick peak.
How we choose the melatonin on this page
We judge three things: the amount per serving, the form, and whether added ingredients earn their place. We keep products that let you dose around 1 mg, because that is the level the claim is built on, and we favour sublingual tablets and drops for anyone who wants to go lower. A combination only stays if each ingredient is present in a meaningful amount, not as a trace on the label. Every product passes our compliance team, we test ourselves, and independent labs spot-check batches. See how we select brands and products.
Who melatonin suits
It fits people whose nights have shifted rather than people who simply sleep lightly: late bedtimes, a new time zone, a rotating shift pattern. For travel there is a second approved statement, melatonin contributes to the alleviation of subjective feelings of jet lag, reached with 0.5 mg close to bedtime on the day of travel and the first days after arrival. If your evenings are more about a busy head or tense muscles than a shifted clock, magnesium in the evening is often the better starting point.
Be honest with yourself about the rest of the picture too. Melatonin works alongside darkness, a fixed wake-up time and screens off, not instead of them. Some people notice a difference on the first night, others need a week of consistent timing before the pattern settles. If you want to compare it with gentler botanical options first, browse our wider supplements for sleep and start with the smallest amount you can measure.
Frequently asked questions
Melatonin is a hormone your body produces in the evening as daylight fades. It acts as a time signal for your internal clock, not as a sedative. Supplements add to that signal, which is useful when your clock and your bedtime no longer line up: late nights, travel across time zones or shift work. The approved effect is narrow and worth knowing: melatonin contributes to the reduction of time to fall asleep.
The amounts below are the conditions attached to the two approved statements for melatonin. They are reference values, not personal advice, and higher amounts were not shown to shorten sleep onset further in healthy adults.
| Approved effect | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Reduction of time to fall asleep | 1 mg | Close to bedtime |
| Alleviation of subjective feelings of jet lag | 0.5 mg | Close to bedtime, day of travel and first days after arrival |
Close to bedtime, and at the same time every night. With a swallowed tablet, 30 to 60 minutes before you want to sleep works for most people. Sublingual tablets and drops act sooner, so 15 to 30 minutes is usually enough. Taking it far too early or in the middle of the night can push your clock in the wrong direction, which is why consistency matters more than the exact minute.
Choose on two points: how fast it needs to work and how precisely you want to dose. This is the comparison we use ourselves.
| Form | Route | Speed | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tablet, capsule | Swallowed | Slower | Fixed nightly routine |
| Sublingual tablet, spray | Under the tongue | Faster | Quick onset, no water |
| Liquid drops | Swallowed or held | Faster | Fine-tuning below 1 mg |
| Gummy | Chewed | Moderate | Travel, easy taking |
| Prolonged release | Swallowed | Gradual | Spread over the night |
Sublingual only keeps its advantage if you actually hold it under the tongue instead of swallowing.
Yes, and many people do, but keep the reasons separate. Melatonin is a timing signal for your clock. Magnesium and supplements with L-theanine are chosen for a different part of the evening routine. We would not present a combined product as more than the sum of its parts, and we only stock blends where each ingredient is present in a meaningful amount rather than as a decoration on the label.
Both patterns are used. Occasional use fits travel and the odd disrupted night; a steady nightly routine fits a clock that has drifted, for example after weeks of late bedtimes. If you use it nightly, keep the amount low and the timing fixed, and check now and then whether you still need it by leaving it out for a few nights. If sleep problems continue over a longer period, discuss them with your GP.
It can make you drowsy or dizzy, so do not drive or use machinery until you feel fully alert. Melatonin is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, because there is little data in these groups. If you take medicines, ask your pharmacist or GP first: interactions have been described with, among others, anticoagulants, epilepsy medication and hormone treatments. For children and teenagers, do not start on your own; speak to a healthcare professional.
Usually it is timing, form or expectation rather than the amount. Melatonin shifts a clock; it does not overrule stress, caffeine or bright screens an hour before bed. Only part of a swallowed dose reaches the blood, so a slow tablet taken ten minutes before lights out can arrive late. If your bedtime moves around by hours, the signal has no fixed point to work with. Adjust timing and form first, then reconsider the amount.
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