Melatonin Benefits

Yes, melatonin works for most of its intended uses:

Melatonin as a sleep aid:

• A meta-analysis across 17 different studies showed that melatonin treatment significantly reduced sleep onset latency by 4.0 min; increased sleep efficiency by 2.2%, and increased total sleep duration by 12.8 min. Most of those studies were done on healthy individuals.
• In elderly and Alzheimer's patients, a significant improvement of sleep quality was found, while there were no significant differences between initial and final neuropsychological evaluation.
• Melatonin has been shown to reduce jetlag and get you back on a normal schedule: Melatonin is remarkably effective in preventing or reducing jet-lag, and occasional short-term use appears to be safe. It should be recommended to adult travelers flying across five or more time zones, particularly in an easterly direction. It also gives very good instructions on how to use melatonin to prevent jetlag.
• However, this study says the opposite with "secondary sleep disorders" such as jetlag or working the night-shift: There is no evidence that melatonin is effective in treating secondary sleep disorders or sleep disorders accompanying sleep restriction, such as jet lag and shiftwork disorder. There is evidence that melatonin is safe with short term use... only one way to find out!

• Melatonin also synergizes with vitamin C, vitamin E and glutathione in the scavenging of free radicals.
• This review briefly summarizes the multiple actions by which melatonin reduces the damaging effects of free radicals and reactive oxygen and nitrogen species.

PricePlow and ClutchWave LLC take no responsibility for the statements and links on this page. Consult your doctor before using any supplements. These statements have not been approved by the FDA.