Melatonin: What It Is, How It Works, and What You Need to Know

When your body makes melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland that signals it’s time to sleep. Also known as the sleep hormone, it rises in the evening as light fades and drops when morning comes. This natural rhythm helps control your circadian rhythm, the body’s internal 24-hour clock that regulates sleep, hormone release, and other vital functions. Without enough melatonin—or if it’s released at the wrong time—you might struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep, or feel rested.

Many people turn to melatonin supplements when their sleep schedule gets messed up—by jet lag, night shifts, or screen time before bed. But it’s not a magic sleep pill. It doesn’t force you to sleep; it just tells your brain it’s nighttime. That’s why it works best when taken 30 to 60 minutes before your target bedtime. It’s also not the same as prescription sleep aids. While those can be sedating and carry risks like dependency, melatonin is generally mild and doesn’t cause grogginess the next day for most users. Still, it’s not for everyone. People with autoimmune diseases, those on blood thinners, or pregnant women should talk to a doctor first. And if you’ve been taking it for months just to fall asleep, it might be masking a deeper issue like sleep apnea or anxiety.

The science behind melatonin is clear: it helps reset your internal clock. Studies show it’s especially useful for people with delayed sleep phase disorder, where they naturally fall asleep and wake up much later than normal. It also helps blind people who can’t sense light to regulate their sleep cycles. But here’s the catch—most over-the-counter supplements contain way more melatonin than your body naturally produces. A typical dose is 0.5 to 5 mg, but some pills have 10 mg or more. Higher doses don’t mean better sleep—they just increase the chance of side effects like dizziness, headaches, or odd dreams. The key is starting low and going slow.

What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t just a list of articles. It’s a practical guide to how melatonin fits into the bigger picture of sleep, medication safety, and how generic drugs are made accessible. You’ll see how sleep aids like melatonin are studied alongside other treatments, how timing and dosage matter more than you think, and how environmental factors—like light exposure and stress—can disrupt what your body naturally tries to do. Whether you’re trying it for the first time or have been using it for years, these posts give you the real-world details you won’t get from a bottle label.