PlainPill

Melatonin

People mainly take Melatonin for sleep, mood, energy. Based on 545 first-hand reports and 688 meta-analyses & systematic reviews in the medical literature. Ranked #142 of 1,974 overall.

47
User score
Mixed
23% positive25% mixed13% negative39% unclear

Of reports that state an outcome, 38% are positive.

Clinical research
AStrong research base
688
meta-analyses
1,128
RCTs
35,874
papers

What Melatonin does, according to users

Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.

What the research says

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.

AStrong research base

3+ meta-analyses or systematic reviews and 10+ randomized controlled trials in humans. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.

Lancet · 2022 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Comparative effects of pharmacological interventions for the acute and long-term management of insomnia disorder in adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Conclusion: Overall, eszopiclone and lemborexant had a favorable profile, but eszopiclone might cause substantial adverse events and safety data on lemborexant were inconclusive. Doxepin, seltorexant, and zaleplon were well tolerated, but data on efficacy and other important outcomes were scarce and do not allow firm conclusions. Many licensed drugs (including benzodiazepines, daridorexant, suvorexant, and trazodone) can be effective in the acute treatment of insomnia but are associated with poor tolerability, or information about long-term effects is not available. Melatonin, ramelteon, and non-licensed

PubMed 35843245 ↗
J Neurol · 2022 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Effect of melatonin supplementation on sleep quality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Conclusion: We found that the treatment with exogenous melatonin has positive effects on sleep quality as assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in adult. In adults with respiratory diseases, metabolic disorders, primary sleep disorders, not with mental disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and other diseases.

PubMed 33417003 ↗
J Pineal Res · 2024 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Optimizing the Time and Dose of Melatonin as a Sleep-Promoting Drug: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis

Conclusion: Meta-regression models showed that insomnia status (β = 0.50, p < 0.001) and time between treatment administration and the sleep episode (β = -0.16, p = 0.023) were significant predictors of sleep onset latency, while the time of day (β = -0.086, p < 0.01) was the only significant predictor of total sleep time. Our results suggest that advancing the timing of administration (3 h before the desired bedtime) and increasing the administered dose (4 mg/day), as compared to the exogenous melatonin schedule most used in clinical practice (2 mg 30 min before the desired bedtime), might optimize the e

PubMed 38888087 ↗
Crit Care Med · 2025 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Melatonin Use in the ICU: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that melatonin administration in the critically ill may improve perceived sleep and reduce delirium, without increasing adverse effects. Certainty of evidence was negatively affected by the risk of bias and inconsistency. Future RCTs should focus on identifying optimal dosing, administration timing, improving measurements of sleep outcomes, and target populations.

PubMed 40662882 ↗

Dosage people report

As stated by users — not a recommendation. Follow the label or your doctor.

0.5 mgbedtime
0.3-3 mgnightly
2-5 mgnightly
3 mgnightly
before sleepas reported
6 mgnightly

Reported side effects

How often each side effect came up across all reports.

drowsiness ×64vivid dreams ×46insomnia ×13fatigue ×11brain fog ×10depression ×9suppression ×3headache ×3

What users say

Verbatim quotes, shortened only — each links to the original discussion.

“200mg L-Theanine + .5mg melatonin works for me at bedtime.”
Source discussion ↗
“I have taken it nightly for 19 years. Doses ranging from .1 to 10mg. Right now I take 3mg per night. It helps me sleep.”
Source discussion ↗
“I take melatonin, fall asleep easily... Melatonin also doesn't help my deep sleep”
Source discussion ↗
“and feeling a bit high on melatonin”
Source discussion ↗
“You forgot Melatonin. See gwern's writeup.”
Source discussion ↗
Top discussions (5)

Other options for sleep

User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 2, 2026. How we rate