Last modified on October 19th, 2023
Melatonin gummies are an excellent way to get to sleep and stay asleep.
Sometimes, you might be looking for a gummy option for a child or yourself. You might prefer to take your dietary supplements in the form of gummy vitamins for any number of reasons.
Below, we cover our seven favorite melatonin gummies and provide you with everything you should know about this popular supplement in general, as well as your natural melatonin production.
The Best Melatonin Gummies
The following are our favorite gummy versions of this sleep aid.
Nordic Naturals Zero-Sugar Melatonin Gummies
- Nordic Naturals has a great overall reputation in the supplement world
- Helps facilitate deep, high-quality sleep
- Purity guaranteed
- Gelatin and sugar-free
- Each gummy contains 1.5 mg of melatonin
- Helps prevent oxidative stress
Nordic Naturals gummies with melatonin are a great option if you don’t want a lot of sugar.
Nordic Naturals is known for its great-quality fish oil, which we have reviewed in the past.
This product also lives up to their standards and is affordable.
Nordic Naturals focuses on sustainable, ethical practices in its delivery of high-quality supplements.
Purity and freshness are also prioritized. These gummies are non-GMO, gluten-free, and dairy-free and don’t have artificially derived colors or flavors.
These have a pretty low dose of melatonin, so it might be good if you want to build on your dosage or if you’re giving it to a child.
With that being said, don’t give melatonin to your child without talking to your doctor first.
According to customer reviews, they feel these gummies from Nordic Naturals are effective at helping them sleep, and they feel it’s a pure, strong product.
For example, in one customer review, the user said the 1.5 mg dose was much more effective than a 3 mg dose of another brand they had been taking.
Olly Sleep Gummies
- Blackberry-flavored chews
- It contains not only melatonin but other botanicals to help you relax and fall asleep easily
- Drug-free and non-habit-forming ingredients
- Child-resistant pouch
- Ships with a cold pack in the summer months to prevent melting
- Good flavor
- No synthetic colors
Olly has high-quality sleep products, and their Sleep Gummies are no exception.
First, we like the natural botanical calming blend of ingredients like L-theanine that help you relax and fall asleep more deeply, especially when paired with melatonin.
Each serving has 3 mg of melatonin, and you take one to two gummies 30 minutes before you plan to head to bed.
There are tens of thousands of reviews for the Olly Sleep Gummies, and the majority are positive.
For example, many users say they were shocked at how effective these were, even when other sleep aids weren’t helpful at all.
Many users said these gummies helped with insomnia and their anxiety, and some people called them a miracle.
VitaFusion Melatonin Gummies Max Strength
- 10 mg of melatonin per serving
- Natural strawberry flavor
- More than 33,000 reviews on Amazon
- Inexpensive
- No high-fructose corn syrup
- No artificial flavors
- May help regulate your sleep cycle and can also help with jet lag
We like the VitaFusion Max Strength gummies for a few main reasons.
First, there are more than 33,000 reviews from users on Amazon, the majority of which are very favorable.
We also like that this product has no artificial flavoring, no synthetic dyes, and high-fructose corn syrup.
Another thing that led us to rank this on our guide of the best gummies with melatonin is its cheap, max strength dosage with 10 mg per serving.
Zarbee’s Natural Children’s Sleep Melatonin Gummies
- These melatonin gummies are formulated for children ages three and up
- Natural ingredients
- Contains immune-support ingredients
- Berry flavor
- Drug-free
- Has an average five-star rating on Amazon
- Each gummy has one milligram of melatonin
We like Zarbee’s sleep gummies because pediatrician Dr. Zak Zarbock specifically formulates them for children with difficulty falling asleep, and they’re drug-free.
At the same time, an adult could use them as well. These gummies don’t have any chemicals or alcohol, and they’re flavored with natural fruit extracts.
You’ll find thousands of reviews, primarily from parents who say that these gummies have worked wonders for their children.
In fact, of all the gummies with melatonin we reviewed in this guide, we’d say this one probably has the best reviews consistently.
Zzzquil Pure Zzzs
- Helps you fall asleep without grogginess the following day
- Formulated with an optimal level of melatonin, so you wake refreshed
- Natural botanical blend
- High-rated among users as being effective
- Drug, lactose, gelatin, and artificial flavor-free
We like ZzzQuil Pure Zzzs because they’re formulated not only with an optimal dose of melatonin to help you fall asleep and wake up feeling refreshed, but they also have a botanical blend of ingredients.
These include lemon balm, valerian, lavender, and chamomile. Each of these ingredients is good to promote relaxation and sleep and to alleviate anxiety.
User reviews indicate these work very well and are potent in terms of helping you fall asleep, but not so much that you don’t feel your best the following day. Users tend to describe the flavor as pleasant.
SugarBear Sleep Vitamins
- Vitamin complex to help promote healthy sleep
- Vegan, gluten-free and soy-free
- No artificial sweeteners or flavors
- Made in America
- Contains a proprietary Rest Well Blend of botanicals
Along with melatonin, these berry-flavored gummies also contain what SugarBear calls their Rest Well Blend.
The Rest Well Blend is lemon balm leaf, passionflower, valerian root, and 5-HTP, all of which are relaxing and reduce anxiety.
According to user reviews, these taste good, and if you take two around 30 to 45 minutes before you plan to go to sleep, you should get a full night of rest.
Many users say that they not only help them get to sleep, but they make them feel peaceful, and they don’t feel like a zombie the next day.
What is Melatonin?
Melatonin is one of the most popular supplements. Problems with sleep affect as many as 70 million people.
Around 30% of U.S. adults say they sleep less than six hours a night, contributing to numerous health issues.
Not getting enough sleep lowers your immune system, increases your risk of diabetes and high blood pressure, and lowers productivity.
The hormone melatonin tells your body when it’s time to go to sleep. As a supplement, it can help nudge you into sleep.
The pineal gland produces melatonin, but it’s also found in the gut, bone marrow, and eyes.
Sometimes, it’s referred to as the sleep hormone.
Taking melatonin as a supplement isn’t like taking a sleep aid.
It doesn’t knock you out entirely. Instead, it lets your body know it’s time to relax and fall asleep. If you take it during the day when there’s light exposure, it’s not as likely to help you fall asleep.
How Melatonin Gummies Work
Melatonin is part of your body’s circadian rhythm and sleep phase. The circadian rhythm is your internal clock, which lets you know when it’s time to eat, regulates your sleep schedule, and lets you know when it’s time to wake up.
Melatonin also regulates your hormones, blood pressure, and body temperature.
There’s a natural release as it gets dark outside, unless you have a sleep-wake phase disorder or a sleep-wake rhythm disorder.
Melatonin can also bind to receptors throughout your body to induce relaxation.
For example, it binds to brain receptors to reduce nerve activity, which calms you down. It can lower your dopamine levels, which is something that keeps you awake.
When it becomes light in the morning, it should modulate your body’s melatonin production, helping you know it’s time to wake up.
If you have low levels, you may have difficulty falling asleep or struggle with occasional sleeplessness or a lack of restful sleep.
There are a lot of factors that can impact melatonin production, including:
- Generally, production declines with aging
- Disrupted light-dark cycles, night work, and being overweight can affect melatonin production
- Some nutritional factors play a role
- There are seasonal impacts—we have higher melatonin levels in the autumn and winter and lower levels in spring and summer
- If you drink a lot of caffeine, it can affect the neurotransmitters that play a role in the release of melatonin
- High-intensity exercise too close to bedtime can disrupt your melatonin rhythm
- Stress may play a role because cortisol, the so-called stress hormone, suppresses melatonin
- A magnesium deficiency can impact your melatonin and your ability to get a deep, restful night’s sleep
- Being on your phone at night can impact it because of blue light production. Your body converts serotonin to melatonin at night, but if you’re looking at a screen, it wakes your brain up, then it can’t make that conversion properly.
- Primary sleep disorders such as irregular sleep-wake rhythm disorder
Health Benefits of Melatonin Gummies
We most often associate melatonin supplements with helping us get better quality sleep when we struggle with poor sleep, but there are other benefits.
The use of melatonin in supplement form may be one of the promising areas of natural health right now.
Seasonal Depressive Disorder
Seasonal depression or seasonal depressive disorder affects up to 10% of the global population.
Researchers believe it may be associated with changes in your circadian rhythm from changes in seasonal light.
Since melatonin can regulate circadian rhythm, taking a low-dose supplement may reduce symptoms of seasonal depression.
Human Growth Hormone
Human growth hormone or HGH, is imperative for cellular regeneration.
High levels are associated with more muscle mass and strength.
Taking a melatonin supplement, according to some studies, may increase HGH.
Cancer
Currently, researchers are looking at how melatonin could help prevent or treat cancer. Of course, it’s not a replacement for any kind of cancer treatment, but it is a compelling area of research.
The underlying mechanisms of melatonin that could be relevant as far as cancer include antioxidant activity, the modulation of specific receptors, and the stimulation of apoptosis.
It’s also possible melatonin can reduce the side effects of therapies like chemotherapy and radiation.
Some research has found that melatonin can potentially prevent or treat breast, prostate, gastric, and colorectal cancers.
Inflammation
Melatonin was at one point thought only to be produced in the pineal gland. However, we now know that melatonin is produced in many parts of the body, including in bone marrow cells.
Melatonin can have anti-inflammatory effects.
It may reduce the destruction of tissue during an inflammatory reaction because it can destroy toxic free radicals. That action can minimize damage to organs from inflammation.
It’s sometimes called a master regulator as far as inflammation and cell death.
It can inhibit inflammasome activation and reduce general oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress is linked to many chronic and pathologic conditions.
Immunomodulation
Melatonin abnormalities are increasingly being linked to autoimmune disorders and conditions.
The receptors for melatonin are in many of our immune cells. Melatonin is immunomodulatory, which means it can reduce an overactive immune response in inflammatory diseases or if you have an autoimmune condition.
At the same time, in people who are immunocompromised, it may improve immune function.
Taking a melatonin supplement in early research has been shown to suppress pro-inflammatory cytokine production and block the release of inflammatory substances linked to immune dysfunction.
Eye Health
Having healthy melatonin levels may support eye health.
Since it is a powerful antioxidant, it might reduce the risk of developing eye disorders related to aging, like macular degeneration.
Heartburn and Ulcers
Since melatonin has powerful antioxidant properties, it could help with heartburn and stomach ulcers.
For example, in a small study, participants taking melatonin, tryptophan, and omeprazole saw stomach ulcers caused by H. pylori heal faster.
How to Take Melatonin Gummies
When you’re taking any kind of melatonin supplement, follow the dosage instructions on the package. Every product is different. If you’re ever in doubt, start with the lowest possible dose to see how that affects you before going up.
Overall, as a dietary supplement, melatonin is considered safe. However, you should talk to your healthcare provider before taking melatonin, especially if you’re on any medications or have any health conditions.
Melatonin side effects are rare and usually mild if they occur but can include headache, nausea, dizziness, or drowsiness.
If you’ve never taken melatonin before, you might start with 0.5 mg or 1 mg around 30 minutes before bed. You can increase your dosage to anywhere from 3 to 5 mg.
You should work to have a regular bedtime routine, too, even if you’re going to take a supplement to help you sleep.
Children and Melatonin
Many children have difficulties falling asleep. This is especially true when they have neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD or autism spectrum disorder.
It may be safe for children to take melatonin gummies, but you need to talk to your pediatrician first. There are products marketed explicitly as child melatonin gummies, so they tend to have a lower melatonin dosage overall.
If your child has sleep problems and you’re considering a supplement, you should also set a consistent bedtime and create bedtime cues like a bath and storytime. This will help your child fall asleep more than taking melatonin alone.
What to Know About Gummy Supplements
Overall, melatonin gummies can provide you with the benefits of this supplement and a pleasant taste. However, Be careful when choosing melatonin supplements because they can have added ingredients like artificial flavors and colors.
Check to ensure there’s no added sugar or artificial colors when picking melatonin gummies or gummy vitamins.
Also, not all gummy vitamins are vegan-friendly. If they contain gelatin, for example, that typically comes from animal products.
If you give melatonin gummies to your children or any gummy supplement, keep them well out of their reach. You need to explain that they’re not candy and should never be taken without supervision.
Final Thoughts
The seven products above are our picks for the best melatonin gummies. They’re high-quality, effective products that are well-rated among users. Melatonin can be an essential supplement with many health benefits aside from helping you sleep better. Please talk to your healthcare provider before trying any new supplements.
We encourage you to take a look at some of our other guides related to common melatonin products. For example, we have guides to liquid melatonin and Natrol melatonin supplements.
Melatonin Gummies—Frequently Asked Questions
Are melatonin gummies safe to take?
Overall, melatonin supplements, including in gummy form, are considered safe and well-tolerated, but some people experience mild side effects like daytime sleepiness, dizziness, or headache.
Is it OK to take melatonin gummies every night?
Melatonin gummies for short-term use are considered safe. However, long-term use of gummies with melatonin could lead to a reduction in their effectiveness, and it could negatively impact your body’s natural production of melatonin. Side effects of too much melatonin include fatigue, nausea, and headaches.
Are there negative side effects to melatonin gummies?
The potential negative side effects of melatonin are rare and usually mild if they occur. These can include nausea, dizziness, headache, and daytime sleepiness.
Is 10 mg of melatonin too much?
The general advice from healthcare providers is to take the lowest dose possible of melatonin gummies initially and then work your way up gradually if you do not see the desired results. However, a 10 mg dose of melatonin is considered the safest maximum dose.
How many melatonin gummies should I take to sleep?
There’s not an official guide to the dosage of melatonin gummies, but 1 to 5 mg for adults may be effective for sleep when taken a few hours before bed.
What are melatonin gummies?
Melatonin gummies are a dietary supplement that contains melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced in the brain by the pineal gland. These gummies are a convenient and tasty way to consume melatonin, often used to support healthy sleep patterns.
How do melatonin gummies work?
Melatonin helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle, often called the circadian rhythm. It is released in response to darkness, signaling the body that it’s time to sleep. Melatonin supplements can help manage sleep disorders or alleviate jet lag.
Can I take melatonin gummies with other medications?
Melatonin can interact with certain medications, so it’s essential to ask a healthcare provider if you are taking other drugs, especially sedatives, anti-seizure medications, or blood thinners.
Can I become dependent on melatonin gummies?
Melatonin supplements are not typically associated with physical dependence. However, regular, long-term use can lead to psychological dependence, where you believe you can only sleep with melatonin.
Do melatonin gummies interact with alcohol or caffeine?
Melatonin may interact with alcohol and caffeine. It’s advisable to avoid alcohol and limit caffeine intake while using melatonin gummies to ensure their effectiveness.
Ashley Sutphin Watkins
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