Should you take melatonin to sleep better when the time changes? The answer is nuanced: it can help reset the internal clockbut it is not a harmless sleeping pill. In the show “The advice of Doctor Kierzek” on ICI, the doctor calls for caution.
Melatonin does not trigger sleep like a sleeping pill
The first point recalled by Dr Gérald Kierzek is essential: melatonin is a hormone naturally produced when the light drops. He describes it as “the hormone of darkness”: it signals to the body that night is coming and helps regulate the biological clock.
But, he insists, it does not “make” you sleep like a sleeping pill. Its image speaks for itself: melatonin acts more like an orchestra conductor, not like an on-off button. To delve deeper into the real role of melatonin in sleep, we must therefore understand it as a synchronization signal, not as an automatic solution against difficult nights.
In terms of effectiveness, the chronicle remains measured. The doctor speaks of a “modest” effect: on average, a few minutes saved in falling asleep, no more. This idea is consistent with a meta-analysis published in PLOS ONE by Ferracioli-Oda, Qawasmi and Bloch, who found a statistically significant, but limited, effect on sleep onset latency.
The benefit seems especially clearer when it comes to adjusting a rhythm: jet lag after a long trip, or certain sleep-wake rhythm disorders with very late falling asleep. In certain children, particularly with autism or attention disorder, Dr Kierzek reminds that this may be a prescription and medical advice, not a family self-medication.
Food supplement or medication: it is not the same framework
In France, melatonin can be found under several statuses. Dr. Kierzek discusses over-the-counter supplements and prescription medications. Regulatory nuance matters:
food supplements based on melatonin are regulated at doses of less than 2 mg per dayaccording to ANSES, but that does not make them harmless.
There are also melatonin medications, including 2 mg extended-release tablets indicated short-term in certain patients 55 years of age or older with primary insomnia with poor sleep quality, according to information from the Public Drug Database. It is therefore better to avoid boiling down the difference to a simple question of “higher dose”. To situate these uses, our file on melatonin against insomnia reviews its indications and its limits.
“Natural does not mean risk-free.”
Dr. Kierzek’s formula sums up the safety part. ANSES has reported adverse effects with supplements containing melatonin: headaches, dizziness, drowsiness during the day, nightmares, irritability or digestive problems. The most concrete risk on a daily basis is the sleepiness the next dayespecially before driving or using dangerous machinery.
The doctor does not recommend taking it without medical advice during pregnancy or breastfeeding, in children and adolescents, as well as in cases of inflammatory or autoimmune disease, epilepsy, asthma, mood or behavioral disorders, or when drug treatment is in progress. In the event of persistent sleep disorders or with repercussions during the day,
medical advice allows you to avoid missing out on a cause that needs to be taken care of.
Actions to take to get through the time change better
For the transition to winter time, Dr Kierzek first highlights simple benchmarks, centered on the internal clock. These trails do not guarantee a perfect night, but they often help the body to readjust without complement reflex.
- Expose yourself to morning light 20 to 30 minutes outside, presented as the best reset of the clock;
- Keep regular bedtimes and wake-ups, including weekends;
- Avoid screens in the hour before bed;
- Maintain a cool room, around 18°C;
- Avoid coffee in the middle of the afternoon;
- Do not use alcohol to fall asleep.
These tips are similar to the benefit of exposing yourself to natural light in the morning to synchronize the sleep-wake rhythm. For children and the elderly, who the time change can be more destabilizing, Dr. Kierzek also suggests gradually shifting bedtime and meals by a quarter of an hour per day.