Sleep Science Blog

The Melatonin Dose Most People Get Wrong

• The largest melatonin dose-response meta-analysis (26 RCTs, 1,689 people) confirmed that sleep onset and total sleep time plateau between 1mg and 3mg.
• While 3mg produces strong sedation in lab settings, it frequently triggers vivid dreams, midnight awakenings, and next-morning grogginess.
• 1mg delivers ~85% of peak sleep onset speed without dream disturbances or morning hangover.