Sleeping better with melatonin

06 Mar 2016 | Reading time: 1 min

I’ve suffered from insomnia for as long as I can remember – certainly since I was a teenager. Melatonin has provided some relief, putting me to sleep more quickly and deeply. It’s safe to use daily for up to three months; more research is needed on long-term use.¹ Melatonin is a tricky to obtain: it’s not available in the UK, though you can buy it over-the-counter in the US (and can import it into the UK). My summary:

the most effective dose is 0.3mg²
taken 1–2 hours before bedtime³

Melatonin sold over-the-counter tends to come in very large doses. Buy the lowest dose you can find, likely 1mg, and use a pill cutter to get to the required dose (I take 0.25mg). Gwern has written a very comprehensive article on melatonin for those interested.

The Efficacy and Safety of Exogenous Melatonin for Primary Sleep Disorders: A Meta-Analysis, Nina Buscemi. ↩
Melatonin Treatment for Age-Related Insomnia, Irina V. Zhdanova. ↩
This is the bedtime used in the three largest studies examined in Ferracioli-Oda’s meta-analysis. ↩

Henry Stanley Now Subscribe Archive Email me

Sleeping better with melatonin

Henry Stanley ^Now ^Subscribe ^Archive ^{Email me}