Melatonin Helps You Fall Asleep, but Not Stay Asleep
Tests cited from author Matt Walker’s book found pills with 15 percent to 400 times the labeled dose, and the hormone holds back puberty.
Andrew Huberman · Master Your Sleep & Be More Alert When AwakeAndrew Huberman, a Stanford professor who studies the brain and eyes, cautions that “melatonin will help you fall asleep but it won’t help you stay asleep.”
The hormone, made by the brain’s pineal gland, brings on sleepiness in the evening. Yet many people who take it as a pill wake after a few hours and struggle to drift off again.
There is a deeper reason for caution. In babies and small children, melatonin is released around the clock, and that steady signal holds back brain hormones that trigger puberty. That effect, plus possible effects on other hormone systems in adults, is why he avoids it except in rare cases.
Unlike testosterone, cortisol, or estrogen, melatonin could be bought without a prescription in the United States at least as of 2021. But tests of various brands cited from author Matt Walker’s book Why We Sleep found the actual amount ranged from 15 percent of the label to 400 times more.
Questions people ask
Does the brain make melatonin on its own?
Yes. The pineal gland normally releases it in the evening, roughly 12 to 16 hours after morning waking, to signal that it is time to sleep. In babies and young children, Huberman says, it is released around the clock, and only later shifts to a nighttime-only pattern.
What did tests find in melatonin pills?
Tests of various brands cited from author Matt Walker’s book Why We Sleep found the amount ranged from 15 percent of what was listed on the bottle to 400 times more. Huberman describes melatonin sales as completely unregulated.
Should children take melatonin for sleep?
Huberman says anyone considering melatonin, especially for a child, should first talk with a doctor. His concern is that added melatonin could interfere with the brain signals that time puberty, and possibly with other hormones in adults. He says he personally avoids using it for sleep except in rare cases.