Melatonin
Pineal hormone that regulates circadian rhythms; reduces sleep latency and helps with jet lag and shift work at low doses.
sleepcircadianjet-lag
Dosing model
FLATFixed dose (no body-weight scaling).
Min dose
0 mg
Max dose
5 mg
Rounding
0 mg
Stacks containing Melatonin
Public community stacks that include this ingredient.
recoverysleep
Sleep Onset Support (Low Dose)
by@athlete
Supports sleep onset with minimal next-day grogginess.
Melatonin
3mg
Glycine
3000mg
New
Evidence
2 records
Primary sleep disorders (sleep latency, total sleep time, sleep quality)
Adults with primary sleep disorders (19 studies, n=1,683) • Meta-analysis
Melatonin decreased sleep onset latency (−7 min), increased total sleep time (+8 min), and improved overall sleep quality vs. placebo; statistically significant but modest effect sizes.
Dose: 3 mg • Duration: 2–12 weeks
Doses 0.5–5 mg are similarly effective; higher doses not more effective but may cause next-day grogginess.
Jet lag prevention and treatment
Adult air travelers crossing ≥5 time zones • Cochrane systematic review (10 RCTs)
8 of 10 RCTs found significant reduction in jet lag symptoms with melatonin; 2–5 mg at local bedtime after eastward travel is effective. Timing of dose is critical — wrong timing delays adaptation.
Dose: 5 mg • Duration: 2–4 days at destination
Particularly beneficial for eastward travel across ≥5 time zones. Taking melatonin early in the day can cause sleepiness and delay adaptation.
Forms
Immediate-release melatonin
Most studied; 0.5–3 mg typical effective range.
Extended-release melatonin
May help with sleep maintenance; less data vs. IR.