Melatonin for Sleep Maintenance
Melatonin helps sleep onset and circadian timing far more than it helps staying asleep.
Overview
Verdict
How It Works
Dosing & Protocol
Typical dose
- Recommended dose
- 0.5-2mg, prolonged-release if maintenance is the target
- Expected timeframe
- 1-2 weeks
Protocol
- form
- If maintenance is the target, prolonged-release 2 mg is the relevant formulation and is prescription-only in many countries; immediate-release melatonin is cleared within a few hours
- duration
- Not applicable
- co factor
- Evidence is insufficient for immediate-release melatonin and sleep maintenance. Melatonin has a short half-life of roughly 30-50 minutes, so an immediate-release dose taken at bedtime has largely cleared by the second half of the night, which is precisely when maintenance insomnia occurs. Meta-analyses find the consistent effects are on sleep onset latency and overall sleep quality, with wake-after-sleep-onset showing little reliable change. Prolonged-release 2 mg melatonin was developed to address exactly this gap and is licensed for short-term primary insomnia in adults over 55, where endogenous melatonin is reduced - but even there the effect is modest. Night-time awakenings usually have causes melatonin does not touch.
- titration
- Not applicable
- starting dose
- Not applicable as an established treatment for staying asleep with standard melatonin
Evidence
What the studies say
Melatonin for sleep disorders
Ferracioli-Oda, E., Qawasmi, A.
Melatonin reduced sleep onset latency and increased total sleep time and sleep quality across primary sleep disorders.
Tryptophan and vitamin B6 status in relation to melatonin synthesis: a randomized controlled trial
Hudson C, Hudson SP, Hecht T +1 more
Tryptophan supplementation increased overnight melatonin metabolite excretion and improved sleep continuity.
Safety
Caveats
High doses are not better. Time it correctly relative to your target sleep window.
Less likely to help if
Medical Disclaimer
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Individual results may vary. The statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.