Use low-dose melatonin for circadian shifting

Take 0.3-1 mg of melatonin 30-60 minutes before your target bedtime. Best used for jet lag recovery, shift work adjustment, or resetting a drifted sleep schedule.

Why It Works

Melatonin is a timing signal, not a sedative. It tells the brain that darkness has arrived. The European Food Safety Authority recommends 0.3-1 mg, which replicates physiological nighttime levels. Doses above 3-5 mg offer diminishing returns and increase side effects.

Tips

• Not ideal for general insomnia — most effective when the problem is timing, not sleep ability
• A meta-analysis found sleep improvements peak at approximately 4 mg/day with diminishing returns above 6 mg
• Choose products verified by USP or NSF; independent testing has found many brands contain incorrect doses
• Extended-release formulas may help with sleep maintenance; immediate-release for sleep onset