Melaton-5 by Thorne

If you’ve tried lower-dose melatonin and still lie awake, melatonin 5 mg is a practical next step for adults with trouble falling asleep, jet lag, or shift-work schedule changes. It is most useful when your sleep timing is off rather than when pain or nighttime awakenings are the main problem. Night-owl sleepers who can’t fall asleep at a conventional hour often respond. If your sleep issue is frequent early-morning waking, this is usually not the right tool on its own.

Melatonin is a hormone your brain releases in darkness to set the circadian clock, the internal 24-hour timing system that cues sleep. A dose in the evening signals “night” earlier, which makes falling asleep easier and can shift your sleep schedule. It also nudges core body temperature down slightly, which helps drowsiness. Effects on general anxiety or mood are modest; the main, repeatable effect is earlier sleep onset, often by about 7–12 minutes in trials.

Take one capsule 30–60 minutes before your intended bedtime, ideally on an empty stomach and away from alcohol. Dim lights and screens in the hour before, and get bright light the next morning to lock in the shift. For jet lag, take it at local bedtime at your destination for 2–4 nights. If you become groggy in the morning, step down to 1–3 mg or take it earlier in the evening.

Avoid combining with other sedatives like benzodiazepines, sleep medications, or first-generation antihistamines due to additive drowsiness. Fluvoxamine and ciprofloxacin can raise melatonin levels; oral contraceptives do as well, so use a lower dose. Alcohol blunts melatonin’s effect and worsens sleep quality. If you have diabetes or prediabetes, monitor fasting glucose or a CGM, as evening melatonin can raise glucose in some. Epilepsy, autoimmune disease, and use of anticoagulants warrant clinician guidance.

Skip during pregnancy or breastfeeding due to limited safety data. Do not use for children without clinician direction. If your problem is loud snoring or suspected sleep apnea, start with a sleep evaluation, not melatonin. If morning sedation is persistent even at lower doses, or if vivid dreams are disruptive, discontinue and reassess your sleep schedule, caffeine timing, and light exposure.