Melatonin has become the bedtime routine many people barely think about anymore: brush your teeth, plug in your phone, take a gummy, and turn out the lights. Because melatonin is available without a prescription and is naturally produced by the body, it’s easy to assume that taking it nightly is essentially harmless. Yet sleep experts draw an important distinction between occasional short-term use and relying on a supplement indefinitely to treat persistent insomnia. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says melatonin appears relatively safe for short-term use, but its long-term safety has not been established.
That uncertainty doesn’t mean nightly melatonin has been proven dangerous; it means researchers don’t yet have enough high-quality evidence to say with confidence what years of routine use may mean for everyone. If taking melatonin every night has become something you do automatically, there are several things worth understanding before tonight’s dose.
