How much melatonin should I take?
Most studies used 0.5 to 5 mg of melatonin, and more than 5 mg worked no better for jet lag. Ask your doctor first if you take a blood thinner, have epilepsy, are pregnant or want to give it to a child.
By Erin Rose Updated October 12, 2026 How we score
Melatonin for your dose
Costs are a night at each brand’s list price.
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Our overall pick
Nature Made Melatonin 3 mg $0.051 a night
3 mg a tablet, on USP Verified, a public testing list. The label says: “Adults, take 1 tablet one hour before bedtime with water.”
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You want 1 mg at the lowest cost
Carlyle Melatonin 1 mg $0.037 a night
1 mg a tablet, the lowest cost a night of the 10 we score.
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You want a very low dose
Life Extension Melatonin 300 mcg $0.15 a night (2 capsules, 0.6 mg)
0.3 mg a capsule. In a small study, 0.3 mg raised blood melatonin to the normal night level (Zhdanova 1996). Our cost a night counts 2 capsules, the fewest that reach 0.5 mg.
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You want a gummy
Nature Made Melatonin 2.5 mg Gummies $0.18 a night
2.5 mg a gummy, on USP Verified. Gummies cost more a night than most tablets. More on gummies.
See all 10 melatonin supplements we score, and our picks · what each one costs
The doses the studies used
| What it was used for | Dose | When |
|---|---|---|
| In studies of people with and without insomnia | When trials were combined in one analysis, the benefit peaked at about 4 mg a day (Cruz-Sanabria 2024) | The most common schedule in practice was 2 mg 30 minutes before bed; the authors’ model suggests 3 hours before |
| In studies of jet lag | Trials used 0.5 to 5 mg; more than 5 mg was no better (Herxheimer 2002) | Trials gave it close to bedtime at the destination (10 pm to midnight) |
| In studies of delayed sleep phase (falling asleep very late) | No dose given (NIH, describing a 2018 trial) | In that trial, people took it 1 hour before a set bedtime. This is a diagnosed condition; ask a sleep doctor |
| In studies of adults 55 and older | Trials used 2 mg prolonged-release (a slow-release tablet). In another study, 5 mg clearly improved sleep efficiency (time asleep while in bed); 0.3 mg showed only a trend (Lemoine 2007; Duffy 2022) | Duffy 2022 gave it 30 minutes before lights out |
| Children | Only with a doctor (NIH) | NIH says the best dose and timing are not known |
Insomnia: NIH says there is not enough strong evidence to recommend melatonin for long-term insomnia. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) suggests doctors not use it for that. It calls this a weak recommendation and says that should not be read as proof melatonin does not work (Sateia 2017). One 4-week trial of 3 mg found no change in time to fall asleep (Xu 2020). Lemoine 2007 was written in part by staff of Neurim, which makes a prolonged-release melatonin drug.
When to take it
Trials gave melatonin from 30 minutes to about 4 hours before bed. The labels we read say at bedtime to 1 hour before. The most common schedule in practice is 2 mg 30 minutes before bed (Cruz-Sanabria 2024). One small study gave it 2 to 4 hours before bed (Zhdanova 1996). The analysis that combined these trials found a larger effect when it was taken earlier, and its authors suggest about 3 hours before bed. That is their suggestion from a model, not a tested rule. Melatonin can make you sleepy; the authors of one driving-test study advise caution when driving after taking it (Suhner 1998).
Blood melatonin peaks about 50 minutes after a regular (not slow-release) tablet (Harpsøe 2015). The hour matters: in a study of only 6 men, a dose at 6 or 8 pm helped them fall asleep, but a dose at 9 pm did not (Pires 2001). In the jet lag trials, people took it near bedtime at their destination. Taken early in the day, it can make you sleepy and slow your adjustment (Herxheimer 2002).
Is 1 mg of melatonin enough?
It can be, but the trials do not show 1 mg works as well as a larger dose. 1 mg is inside the range studies used. In a study of 12 healthy young adults given 0.3 mg or 1 mg at 9 pm, melatonin shortened the time to fall asleep, with no “hangover” the next morning (Zhdanova 1996). But in another tiny study of 6 men, 1 mg at 9 pm had no effect (Pires 2001). When trials were combined, the benefit grew up to about 4 mg (Cruz-Sanabria 2024). In jet lag trials, people fell asleep faster on 5 mg than on 0.5 mg (Herxheimer 2002). In 24 healthy older adults, 5 mg clearly improved sleep efficiency, while 0.3 mg showed only a trend (Duffy 2022).
We score 4 products with 1 mg a serving, 2 of them gummies.
| Product | Cost | Label says | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlyle Melatonin 1 mg1 mg a tablet | $0.037 a night | “For adults, take one (1) tablet 30 minutes before bedtime.” | Check price |
| Life Extension Melatonin 1 mg1 mg a capsule | $0.081 a night | “Take one (1) capsule 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.” | Check price |
| Carlyle Melatonin 1 mg Gummies1 mg a gummy | $0.18 a night | “For adults, take one (1) vegan gummy 30 minutes before bedtime.” | Check price |
| Nature's Truth Low Dose Melatonin 1 mg Gummies1 mg a gummy | $0.20 a night | “For teenagers and adults, take one (1) vegan gummy 30 minutes before bedtime.” | Check price |
The dose on the label may not be the dose in the bottle: lab tests have found melatonin far off the label. What the lab tests found, and which melatonin is on a testing list.
Cautions
Ask your doctor first if you take a blood thinner or have epilepsy (NIH), are pregnant or breastfeeding, or want to give melatonin to a child. Mild side effects such as headache, dizziness, nausea and sleepiness have been reported (NIH). Side effects, and who should ask a doctor first.
Questions
How much melatonin should I take?
NIH’s melatonin page does not give a dose. Most studies we read gave 0.5 to 5 mg. When trials were combined in one analysis, the benefit peaked at about 4 mg a day (Cruz-Sanabria 2024). Ask your doctor what fits you.
Is 10 mg of melatonin too much?
For jet lag, doses above 5 mg worked no better than 5 mg (Herxheimer 2002). We found no study showing an extra sleep benefit at 10 mg. Higher doses may bring more mild side effects; see side effects.
When should I take melatonin?
Trials gave it from 30 minutes to about 4 hours before bed. The labels we read say anywhere from at bedtime to 1 hour before. For jet lag, the trials gave it close to bedtime at your destination (10 pm to midnight). Taken early in the day, it can make you sleepy and slow your adjustment (Herxheimer 2002).
Can I take melatonin every night?
NIH says short-term use appears to be safe for most people, but there is little information on long-term use. Short trials of a 2 mg slow-release melatonin drug in people 55 and older found no withdrawal effects after about 3 weeks (Lemoine 2007; some of its authors work for Neurim, which makes that drug). Some labels set their own limit: Carlyle and Nature’s Truth say their melatonin is for short-term, occasional use, and Nature Made says to ask a doctor before using its gummies for more than three months. If you have trouble sleeping most nights, see your doctor. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests doctors not use melatonin for long-term insomnia (Sateia 2017).
How much melatonin can a child take?
Ask your child’s doctor first. NIH says no one knows the best dose or timing for children, and suggests working with a doctor.
Sources
- NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Melatonin: What You Need To Know (last updated May 2024; read October 12, 2026).
- Cruz-Sanabria F, et al. Optimizing the time and dose of melatonin as a sleep-promoting drug. J Pineal Res. 2024. PubMed 38888087
- Herxheimer A, Petrie KJ. Melatonin for the prevention and treatment of jet lag. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002. PubMed 12076414
- Zhdanova IV, et al. Sleep. 1996. PubMed 8843534
- Pires ML, et al. J Pineal Res. 2001. PubMed 11703562
- Duffy JF, et al. High dose melatonin increases sleep duration during nighttime and daytime sleep episodes in older adults. J Pineal Res. 2022. PubMed 35436355
- Lemoine P, et al. J Sleep Res. 2007. PubMed 18036082 (authors include Neurim staff)
- Sateia MJ, et al. Clinical practice guideline for the pharmacologic treatment of chronic insomnia in adults. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017. PubMed 27998379
- Suhner A, et al. Impact of melatonin on driving performance. J Travel Med. 1998. PubMed 9772309
- Xu H, et al. Sleep Med. 2020. PubMed 33157425
- Harpsøe NG, et al. Clinical pharmacokinetics of melatonin: a systematic review. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2015. PubMed 26008214
- Labels: each brand’s product page and the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database, read October 12, 2026. Prices: each brand’s list price (Vitacost where the brand store shows none). We quote no Amazon prices.