supplement Sleep & CircadianHormone & Endocrine
An endogenous indoleamine hormone produced by the pineal gland that signals biological night. Exogenous melatonin is studied for sleep-onset latency and circadian phase shifting (e.g., jet lag, delayed sleep phase).
N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine · chemical MEL · abbreviation 73-31-4 · cas
Synonyms drive on-site search and are used to index ingested research papers and tweets to this page.
Lower doses are often as effective as higher doses for sleep onset. This page summarizes research and is not medical advice.
| Goal | Route | Dose | Frequency | Timing | Cycle | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shorten time to fall asleep Adults with sleep-onset difficulty Start at 0.5 mg ~30–60 min before desired sleep time. | oral | 0.5–1 mg | 1×/day | before-bed | Continuous | |
| Re-entrain circadian phase after travel Travelers crossing multiple time zones Taken at local target bedtime for the destination time zone. | oral | 0.5–3 mg | 1×/day | before-bed | Continuous |
Reduces sleep-onset latency in adults with insomnia symptoms.
Sleep onset positive
Shifts circadian phase, useful for jet lag and delayed sleep phase.
Circadian alignment positive
No indexed research or commentary linked yet.
Melatonin’s effects are time-of-administration dependent: it acts both as a mild hypnotic near habitual bedtime and as a chronobiotic that shifts the circadian clock. Dose and timing matter more than magnitude.
See the structured protocol table and cited research below.