Functional medicine doctor Frank Lipman, M.D., summarized why on a recent episode of the mbg podcast: Melatonin, he explained, is a hormone and in addition to promoting sleep, it also affects a number of other processes in the body. “Taking a lot of melatonin—a lot of people take 3 to 5 milligrams to sleep—over time is going to affect your other hormones and suppress your body’s own ability to make melatonin,” Lipman said.
And while these high doses may help some people fall asleep faster, there is limited evidence that melatonin will improve your overall sleep quality. As such, he doesn’t recommend taking it as a nightly sleep supplement.
Instead, he says a nonhormonal formula like mbg’s sleep support+, made with magnesium bisglycinate, PharmaGABA®, and jujube, is better suited for nightly use.*