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What is Melatonin and what does it do in the body?
Melatonin is a hormone that is manufactured from serotonin that is secreted by the pineal gland. In 1958, Melatonin’s identification became the first piece of scientific evidence for the role of the pineal gland; the ancient Greeks thought the pineal gland was the seat of the soul and in the 17th and 18th century madness was associated with the pineal gland.
Melatonin is a “biological timekeeper” of hormone secretion. It is involved with your circadian rhythm or the natural biorhythm of hormone secretion. Melatonin is controlled by the central circadian rhythm generator called the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus; it adjusts melatonin levels in response to light. Melatonin helps control periods of sleepiness and wakefulness; the release of melatonin is stimulated by darkness and suppressed by light. Melatonin also helps regulate body temperature.
Melatonin helps maintain a regular menstrual cycle. It also has protective effects on brain cells, specifically against heavy metal damage, and thus is helpful for preventing Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
What are some causes of melatonin deficiency?
Some conditions associated with lower levels of melatonin are autism spectrum disorder, insomnia, poor sleep quality, seasonal affective disorder, and mood disorders; it is normal for melatonin levels to decrease with age.
Artificial light exposure late at night can prevent the release of melatonin and lack of light exposure during the day can also impede melatonin production. Not getting the proper nutrients for melatonin production including l-tryptophan, and vitamin B6. Tryptophan is the amino acid that is the precursor to 5-HTP, which turns into serotonin and then into melatonin; B6 is needed for these conversions to happen.
Can you have high levels of melatonin?
Yes, increased levels of melatonin is associated with high levels of fatigue. Increased levels of melatonin have been observed in people with chronic fatigue syndrome. It is also normal for children and adolescents to have higher levels than adults.
What is Melatonin used for?
Melatonin is used for its antioxidant activity and for promoting longevity. Studies in rats with melatonin supplementation have shown an increase in lifespan.
In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), melatonin can help prevent oxidative damage and beta-amyloid release caused by heavy metals. In one study, melatonin given to AD patients increased sleeping time, decreased nighttime activity, and improved mental function. Melatonin also helps improve circadian rhythm, which is often disturbed in AD. It supports the regulation of sleep cycles, alertness, temperature, and hormone production.
In Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), clinical studies have shown that there are abnormalities in the production of melatonin or its release in people with ASD. Studies have also shown that melatonin supplementation improves sleep quality in ASD when taken before bedtime. Some studies have shown that melatonin supplementation in ASD is associated with improved sleep, better daytime behavior, and minimal side effects. Melatonin helped decrease the time to fall asleep as well as increase sleep duration.
Melatonin can be helpful for cancer treatment and prevention. Melatonin may protect against many of the toxic effects of chemotherapy. Melatonin has anti-cancer effects, especially against breast cancer. It can be especially important for night shift workers to take melatonin before bedtime to help prevent breast cancer because the exposure to artificial light at night may suppress the normal nighttime production of melatonin.
Melatonin may also be effective for insomnia. It may be helpful in both inducing sleep and maintaining sleep. However, it is normally only effective in individuals with low melatonin levels; people with normal melatonin levels normally do not experience a sedative effect from supplementing with melatonin. Melatonin supplementation appears to be most effective for elderly experiencing insomnia because low melatonin levels are common in the elderly. However, melatonin supplementation has shown to be helpful for insomnia in elderly, perimenopausal women, and children.
Melatonin has been shown to improve sleep quality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, tetraplegia, taking beta-blockers, fibromyalgia, a small subset of chronic fatigue syndrome patients, and children with epilepsy.
Melatonin may be helpful for children with migraine and tension type headaches. Studies have shown that children taking 3mg of melatonin for 90 days experienced less headache frequency and shorter headache duration.
It has been shown that patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) had significantly lower excretion of the urinary metabolite of melatonin, suggesting that melatonin is involved in IBS by acting on the enterochromaffin cells in the GI tract. Studies with IBS patients showed that melatonin can be helpful for IBS symptoms; one study showed that only IBS-C patients experienced an improvement in IBS symptoms of visceral pain, abdominal bloating, and constipation while IBS-D patients did not experience this. To read more about IBS and its types, check out our blog post: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Melatonin may be helpful with jet lag. Jet lag is normally related to the passage of time and our experience with it; melatonin is helpful for keeping us in sync with the world around us by playing a part in our circadian rhythm so it may be helpful for jet lag. When traveling between time zones east-bound, it may be helpful to take melatonin at the new bedtime to help you sync into the sleep cycle in the new time zone. However, when traveling westbound less than 6-8 time zones, it may be helpful to take a lower dose of melatonin later in the evening.
Melatonin may be helpful in GERD, infertility, headaches, tinnitus, metabolic syndrome, nicotine withdrawal, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and ulcerative colitis.
What are food sources of melatonin?
Some foods high in melatonin include tart cherries and tart cherry juice, nuts (especially pistachios and almonds), milk and dairy products, mushrooms, fish, goji berries, eggs, rice, oats, bananas, apples, and tomatoes.
What are the available forms of melatonin?
Melatonin comes as melatonin in various dosages. Some options for melatonin are: Melatonin 0.5 Pure, Melatonin 3 Pure, Melaton-5 Thorne, Melatonin 10 Vital, and Melatonin 20 Allergy Research Group.
Melatonin also comes in slow-release, time-release, or control-release formulas which release the melatonin over time. This form is typically used to help people stay asleep because the melatonin is released over time as you sleep. Some options for this kind of melatonin are: Melatonin CR Xymogen, Melatonin Timed Release Source Naturals, and Slow Motion Melatonin Allergy Research Group.
Liposomal melatonin is melatonin that is present inside of a phospholipid complex to increase bioavailability as well as absorption rate and speed. It also prolongs the systemic effects of melatonin in the body, which should result in better sleep throughout the night. An option for Liposomal melatonin is Liposomal Melatonin Quicksilver.
What are contraindications of melatonin?
Melatonin should not be used if pregnant or breastfeeding. Melatonin should not be taken if you are taking zolpidem, fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, and progesterone. Since melatonin is metabolized by CYP1A in the liver, other drugs metabolized on this way such as acetaminophen, omeprazole, theophylline, warfarin, and estradiol should be used with caution and used only if recommended by your physician. It is always advised to talk to your physician before starting a supplement to see if it may interact with your other medications or supplements.
Since melatonin can cause drowsiness, you should not drive or operate heavy machinery after taking melatonin.
What are the side effects of taking melatonin?
Common side effects of high dosage melatonin include headaches, dizziness, nausea, and drowsiness. Other side effects may include:
References
Cleveland Clinic. (2025, April 28). Melatonin. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23411-melatonin
Gulbin, Staci. (2025, May 5). 10 Foods Rich in Melatonin: The Organic Eater’s Guide to Better Sleep. Organic Authority. https://www.organicauthority.com/energetic-health/foods-rich-in-melatonin
Haas, E.M. (2006). Staying Healthy with Nutrition: The Complete Guide to Diet and Nutritional Medicine: 21st Edition. Ten Speed Press.
Hechtman, Leah. (2019). Clinical Naturopathic Medicine: Second Edition. Elsevier.
MayoClinic. (2022, October 28). Is melatonin a helpful sleep aid- and what should I know about melatonin side effects. MayoClinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/melatonin-side-effects/faq-20057874
Murray, M.T. & Pizzorno, J. (2021). Textbook of Natural Medicine: Fifth Edition. Elsevier.
Murray, M.T. & Pizzorno, J. (2012). The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine: Third Edition. Atria.
