Topic hub
Melatonin basics
What melatonin is, where it comes from, and why it is better understood as a timing signal than a sleeping draught.
8 guides in this hub
Melatonin is one of the most talked-about and least well explained parts of sleep. It is a hormone the body makes itself, mostly at night, and its job is closer to timekeeping than to switching the brain off.
This hub is the plain-English foundation for everything else on the site. Read it first if you have arrived with a general question, then follow the links into the body clock, sleep questions or research sections.
A timing signal, not a sedative
The rise in melatonin each evening is best understood as the body announcing that biological night has begun. That announcement influences when sleep comes easily, but it does not force sleep in the way a sedative does.
This distinction explains a lot of confusion. Someone can have a perfectly ordinary melatonin rhythm and still lie awake because of stress, caffeine, pain or a schedule that does not match their internal clock.
Made in response to darkness
Production is controlled by a small region of the brain that tracks light reaching the eyes. As evening light falls away, the pineal gland releases melatonin; bright light suppresses it again.
That is why habits around light — morning daylight, evening lamps, screens in bed — come up so often in guidance about sleep timing.
Reading path
Start here: the foundations in order
Five guides that build on one another. Around half an hour of reading gives you the whole picture.
- 1What is melatonin?The hormone itself: what it is and what it signals.7 min read
- 2How does melatonin work?How light reaching your eyes becomes a night-time signal.6 min read
- 3When does the body produce melatonin?The daily pattern, and why your timing may differ from someone else's.6 min read
- 4Melatonin versus sleepiness: what is the difference?Why feeling exhausted and being ready for sleep are not the same thing.6 min read
- 5Forms of melatonin: tablets, capsules, gummies, drops and moreTablets, capsules, gummies, drops, sublingual and time-release forms compared.7 min read
More in melatonin basics
Melatonin Basics
How long does melatonin take to work?
Standard immediate-release melatonin is usually absorbed quickly, with blood levels typically peaking within about an hour, and it is cleared fairly fast. Prolonged-release forms release melatonin gradually over several hours. But "working" depends on more than absorption: melatonin mainly shifts timing, so whether it has an effect also depends on where your body clock is and what is keeping you awake.
6 min readRead the guide →
Melatonin Basics
Melatonin gummies: what to know
Melatonin gummies are chewable sweets containing melatonin, popular because they are easy to take. Their main drawbacks are that independent testing has found the amount of melatonin in some gummies differs considerably from the label, they often contain sugar and other ingredients, and their sweet-like appearance makes accidental swallowing by children a real concern.
6 min readRead the guide →
Melatonin Basics
Melatonin tablets: standard, prolonged-release and sublingual
Melatonin tablets come in three broad types. Standard immediate-release tablets release melatonin quickly. Prolonged-release tablets release it gradually over several hours. Sublingual tablets dissolve under the tongue. The type changes how long melatonin stays active, and prolonged-release tablets in particular should not be split, crushed or chewed unless a pharmacist says it is suitable.
5 min readRead the guide →