Does Melatonin Help You Sleep & Why Isn’t It Enough?
Melatonin is having a moment. Though our bodies make it naturally, melatonin is widely used as a dietary supplement, primarily to support sleep. This hormone plays a key role in maintaining circadian rhythm, or the body’s internal clock that controls the sleep and wake cycle. Does melatonin help you sleep? Yes – people commonly reach for it when they’re traveling across several time zones, working the night shift or recalibrating their sleep-wake schedule. But, before you take melatonin for sleep, there are a few things you need to know about it.
Read to learn more.
Does Melatonin Help You Sleep?
The number one question we get is: “Does melatonin help you sleep?” Yes, but it supports more than sleep – and we prefer to pair it with other herbs.
There’s definitely science behind using melatonin for sleep:
Back in 2013, the journal PLoS published a meta-analysis aimed at getting answers to the question “does melatonin help you sleep?” Researchers analyzed 19 randomized, placebo-controlled trials with 1,683 adults and children. Melatonin offered “modest” support for falling asleep and staying asleep.*
Melatonin:
- decreased sleep onset latency.* That means melatonin shortened the amount of time it took for the participants to go from wakefulness to sleep.*
- improved overall sleep quality.* Compared with a placebo, melatonin supported better sleep, which could help you reclaim your time in bed.*
- increased total sleep time.* Those who took the melatonin supplement slept longer overall compared with anyone who took a placebo.*
Our Hello Dreams™ Sleep Strips pair melatonin with our proprietary blend of Calm Down™ herbs to help quiet the mind, drift into deep slumber and awake restored.
Is There A Sleep Aid Without Melatonin?
Yes, there are plenty of sleep aids and dietary supplements without melatonin. For example, herbs like Jujube seed, Poria fungus and Szechuan Lovage rhizome have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries.
Jujube promotes deep, tranquil slumber by reducing irritability and mental distress as well as taming physical tension and restlessness.* It’s the “star” ingredient in our Calm Down™ Herbal Blend. Poria supports Jujube’s sedating action, and it gently calms and soothes the mind and nervous system.* Szechuan Lovage helps provide bodily ease and support for those with occasional sleeplessness.*
In TCM, herbs are combined into formulas, using the concept of synergy to create a final product that is believed to be greater than the sum of its parts. Think of this like hearing one instrument versus a symphony. That’s why we use more than melatonin.
Hello Dreams™ sleep strips help you fall asleep, stay asleep and wake up rejuvenated!* Melatonin eases you to sleep, while the herbs in Calm DownTM herbal blend quiet your mind and body for restorative rest.*
Why not only melatonin? Melatonin can help you drift off to sleep faster, sleep longer each night and overall experience better sleep quality, but it can leave you feeling groggy if you take too much or take it at the wrong time. Including other herbs helps you fall asleep, stay asleep and wake up rejuvenated!* The strips melt on your tongue (no water needed, unlike with capsules!) so you can drift off to dreamland. Just swallow and sleep!
How To Use Melatonin Safely
Melatonin use is on the rise, but research shows that some users ignore the “suggested use” instructions on supplement labels. which can be problematic. Researchers said that while melatonin is “generally regarded as safe,” taking much higher amounts than the recommended serving size is on the rise, too.
The recommended dosage of melatonin typically should not exceed 5 mg per day (it’s no coincidence that’s the amount in one Hello Dreams™ sleep strip). Any time you take a dietary supplement, consult your health-care provider first and follow the recommended use instructions on the label.
Melatonin can have negative effects. Melatonin can leave you with brain fog if you take too much or take it too soon before you have to wake up. (Some people call this a melatonin hangover.) Plus, many supplements you can buy over the counter are poor quality.
Safety matters with melatonin – and all supplements. We combine a potent, precise dose of melatonin with herbs that have been carefully crafted using the latest technologies and the highest safety standards. (We also test those herbs for more than 200 unwanted pesticides and use various methods of identity verification to make sure you’re getting exactly what you want – and nothing else!)
Teamwork makes the dream work — especially when it comes to melatonin! That’s why our Hello Dreams™ sleep strips include melatonin, with added herbs that have a long history of use in TCM.
Why Take a Melatonin Supplement?
While naturally occurring melatonin does help you sleep, many people choose to take melatonin supplements. That’s because lifestyle, age and diet can impact how much our bodies produce. Figuring out the exact bioavailability of melatonin in foods isn’t easy, and it’s not as simple as reading a nutrition facts label, as you can for nutrients like fiber or protein.
Exposure to light can impact the body’s melatonin production. Do you have a screen in front of your face from the moment you wake up until after you’re in bed? Do you have your phone within reach 24/7? That added exposure to blue light interferes with your natural 24-hour internal clock.
Travel, working late and parenting little ones (who might not always sleep through the night) can also impact your sleep-wake cycle and natural production of melatonin.
That’s why taking a melatonin supplement with additional herbs can help. Make Hello Dreams™ sleep strips part of your evening routine. Keep them on your nightstand and reach for one just as you get settled into bed. Let it melt on your tongue, swallow and drift off.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.