Best Melatonin Supplements

As any parent of little children knows, children almost always put up a fuss when you tell them to go to sleep. Adults, on the other hand, would jump at the chance to get some sleep! Whether it’s a tough work schedule, jet lag, or just being stressed out, it’s a challenge at times to go to sleep at a regular time and adhere to a proper schedule. That’s where melatonin supplements can prove to be of help.

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in your brain. The pineal gland gets its cue to produce melatonin when our eyes are in a dark environment. That sets off that drowsy feeling that you have when you sit in the dark.

We’ll see that there are several types of melatonin supplements. They can be derived from animal, plant, or synthetic sources. They can be of assistance in instances of slight insomnia, or when your sleeping schedule has been disturbed for some reason.

We’ll survey the best melatonin supplements in the MSN list. We’ll also provide some pointers about what dosages are safe, and what time of the day it is best to take a melatonin supplement. They’re not intended to act as sleeping pills. But they could be just the thing you need after a long flight or working a late shift.

(You can also check out other over-the-counter dietary supplements among the MSN buying guides.)

Melatonin supplements differ in their dosages, as well as in the form of the supplement: capsules, gummies, liquids, and even in spray form! But, you’ll see that there are supplements that are just melatonin, and supplements that include other sleep-inducing ingredients:

• Only melatonin: You can find supplements that contain only melatonin, plus inactive ingredients. An example is the Spring Valley Fast-Dissolve Melatonin Dietary Supplement. Each tablet contains 10 mg of melatonin. It also contains ingredients such as strawberry flavor, as well as cellulose gum and gum acacia for texture.

Spring Valley Fast-Dissolve Melatonin Dietary Supplement

You can also find pure melatonin supplements in liquid form. This way, you can portion it out to exactly the dosage that you want. An example is the Now Supplements Liquid Melatonin, with 3 mg per ¼ teaspoon.

Now Supplements Liquid Melatonin

There are also melatonin supplements in gummy form, such as the strawberry-flavored Natrol Melatonin Sleep Aid. Each gummy supplies 10 mg of melatonin.

Natrol Melatonin Sleep Aid

• Time-release products: There are also supplements for people who are light sleepers. Taking a large dose of melatonin may get them to sleep, but they may wake up in the middle of the night, and find it hard to go back to sleep again. Products such as NiteThru Advanced Sleep Aid are time-release products. They have melatonin in powder form, for fast absorption, as well as melatonin in bead form, which dissolves more slowly. That way, you receive a steady dosage of melatonin throughout the night, for a deeper sleep.

NiteThru Advanced Sleep Aid

• Melatonin blends: There are also many melatonin products that give smaller dosages of melatonin, but add other ingredients that help relieve stress, or assist your body in producing its own melatonin. An example is the MidNite Drug-Free Sleep Aid Supplement. Each tablet has 1.5 mg of melatonin, as well as plant-derived relaxing ingredients such as lemon balm, chamomile, and lavender.

MidNite Drug-Free Sleep Aid Supplement

Other ingredients that are added to melatonin supplements include:

• Vitamin B6: The body uses Vitamin B6 to produce its own melatonin. So, there are melatonin supplements that also include Vitamin B6.

• Magnesium: This mineral has a effect in relieving stress.

• L-Theanine: This is an amino acid that can be extracted from the tea plant. It can also help you relax and restore your normal sleep pattern.

• Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA): This is also an amino acid that relieves tension and promotes relaxation. It does this by reducing the excitibility of nerve cells. This is an ingredient in Cognitune NuRest Natural Sleep Aid.

Cognitune NuRest Natural Sleep Aid

• Chamomile: Chamomile tea is considered a non-stimulant drink, that helps improve sleep quality and reduce anxiety due to the compound apigenin. Some melatonin supplements will contain chamomile extract.

What Are Some Features of the Best Melatonin Supplements?

Let’s look at some features of the best melatonin supplements:

• Antioxidant as well: Melatonin is also an antioxidant, meaning that it can actually remove free radicals from your system, and even help maintain your gastrointestinal system. It may also have a role in the immune system and in reducing inflammation.

• Try to take it the same time every night: One customer who used the Spring Valley Fast-Dissolve Melatonin said that they worked up to a 10 mg dose, starting first at 3 mg and then 6 mg. They mentioned taking it the same time every night, which was 1 hour before their intended bedtime.

• Make sure you have enough time to sleep off the effects: One customer who took the Nite Thru Advanced Sleep Aid said that it’s best to take it only if you will be able to actually sleep for 8 hours! The manufacturer guarantees that their 10 mg formula will put you to sleep for 7 hours. If you have to be up in less than that, it’s best to try a smaller dosage.

Here are some impressions of customers about their particular choice of melatonin supplement, and how effective they were:

• People who shouldn’t take a melatonin supplement: The products in the MSN list of the best Melatonin Supplements will have warnings that certain people shouldn’t rely on melatonin supplements, or should consult their doctor. These include pregnant or breastfeeding women, people taking anticoagulant or anticonvulsant medications, diabetics, and people suffering from depression or dementia.

• Side effects: There are certain side effects that can be expected with melatonin supplements. Some undesirable side effects are dizziness, headaches, and nausea. Some milder side effects include headache, vivid dreams, mood disturbances, and drowsiness during the day.

• Starting on low dosages: It’s recommended to start on a low dosage, to see if it’s effective, and then work up to higher dosages. Also, if you take too large a dose at first, you may be groggy the next morning. If you take a small dose and still have trouble falling asleep, it should be safe to take another dose.

• When to take the supplement: Some recommend taking their supplement anywhere from 3 hours to 30 minutes before the time you intend to go to sleep. If you wake up in the middle of the night, you can take a small dose of 1.5 mg within 3 hours of when you want to wake up. That should be enough to get the extra few hours that you need.

Wrap Up

We went through some of the best melatonin supplements in the MSN list. There are some very effective ones in 10 mg dosages, and others that put more of an emphasis on good taste or being in easy-to-swallow gummies or liquids. The important thing is that you take one according to the amount of sleep that you need, and how you want to structure your sleep-wake cycle. There’s sure to be a melatonin supplement just for you!