How much melatonin should you take?

The number that matters: your body makes only about 0.1-0.3mg of melatonin a night, yet most store bottles sell 3, 5, or 10mg. Huberman repeatedly flags this — commercial doses are supra-physiological, often 10-30x physiological levels — and notes that in healthy adults the evidence shows melatonin increases total sleep by only a few minutes. So if you use it, the experts who are open to it lean low: roughly 0.3-1mg.

But the bigger message from our panel is that melatonin is the most divisive supplement we track (consensus 2.8/5). Huberman actively cautions against it for most healthy adults because it's a hormone with endocrine effects, and he reaches for magnesium threonate (145mg), apigenin (50mg) and L-theanine instead — notably no melatonin. Attia treats it as a last resort after sleep hygiene. Patrick adds a metabolic caveat: melatonin signals the pancreas to cut insulin, which is why taking it (or eating) late can impair glucose control.

Where melatonin earns its place is specific situations, not nightly use: jet lag, shift work, and older adults whose natural production has declined (Huberman concedes the elderly may benefit). Johnson and Hyman are the two who use or recommend it more freely — Johnson takes it nightly in Blueprint — but neither pins an exact sleep dose in the videos we analyzed. Bottom line: start low (0.3-1mg), use it situationally, and protect your own melatonin with morning sunlight and dark evenings first.