Melatonin: A Clock Signal Worth Skipping for Most People

Summary

Melatonin is a **timing signal, not a sleeping pill** — it does **not** suppress your own production or cause dependence (that fear is unfounded), but "low-risk" is not "zero downside for everyone": it shifts glucose tolerance, interacts with common drugs, is sold in the US at doses 74–347% of the label, and is **prescription-only as a hormone in the UK, EU, Japan and Australia**. Its actual sleep benefit is tiny (~7 minutes faster onset), and for ordinary sleep trouble the **free circadian levers (morning light, evening dark, steady timing) beat it and carry mood/metabolic benefits a pill can