Melatonin Dose For Sleep, Daily Low Dose For Child and Timing

What is the standard melatonin dose for insomnia, jet lag, adults or children?

This is a summary of the questions I received from my readers.

Each of them have one type of sleep disorder and they know that melatonin supplements is the way to go, but at what dose?

People use melatonin supplements for all kind of health reasons.

First, the insomnia group.

These are people who generally lack good sleep at night.

In this group we broadly have adults and children.

There are also children with disorders like, autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, learning difficulties and intellectual disabilities.

Then there’s the jet lag fellas, people who often jettison the planet and find it hard to adjust to sleep patterns in the new time zones.

The third group is people who use melatonin for specialized purposes such as the management of breast cancer, prostate cancer, Heart Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), High Blood Pressure, Depression, Sarcoidosis, Epilepsy Management, Schizophrenia, Menopause and Osteoporosis.

The Fourth group is people who use melatonin supplements for sun burn and anti-aging.

If you fall under one of the categories I stated and you have attempted to use melatonin you will find out that there is little or no information on melatonin dosage on the internet or elsewhere.

The simple reason is that melatonin supplement is a “supplement” and not a standard drug.

So you have to ask yourself, “What dosage is good for my condition?”

I typically use 3-5 mg at most for insomnia but have friends who take up to 20 mg per night and have had no adverse side effects.

I am not a health professional but here are recommendations I was able to gather after a little research on melatonin dosage depending on it’s use.

Before you read on, you should know that if  it’s your first time using melatonin supplements it is advised you start with small doses and work your way upwards with a doctors consent till you have the desired effect.

Melatonin Dosage for Insomnia and other Sleep Deprivation Effects.

Adults.

The standard dosage for melatonin in adults is 0.3-5mg and it used in the evening.
In rare cases 10mg-30mg has been used with no side effects.

Children.

Children should be given dosages less than 0.3mg 1 hour before bedtime. For teenagers between the ages of 15-20 you may increase their dosage if necessary to 5mg maximum.

Melatonin Dosage for Jet Lag.

The standard melatonin dosage for jet lag in days is half the time zones you cross plus one. This simply means that if you cross six time zones your melatonin dosage when you arrive your destination will be 6/2 + 1=4 days.

It is advised that you start with the recommended adult dosage above of between 0.3-5mg.

Lower melatonin doses apply to children too in cases of jet lag.

Specialized uses of Melatonin.

Melatonin is also used to manage patients with advanced diseases.
The dosage will be determined by the specialist or a doctor.

If you use melatonin supplements for sundry purposes such as to treat sun burn or for anti-aging you may consult the required experts for dosage.

Whatever your usage for melatonin, you just have to be reasonable and avoid overdose.

For more information on melatonin dosage check my melatonin dosage and side effects of taking melatonin page.

For further information on melatonin supplements including side effects, it’s uses and research check my melatonin supplements page.

Return From Melatonin Dose to Melatonin Supplements Page.

Return From Melatonin Dose to Sleep Disorders Home.