Melatonin is a peptide hormone produced by the pineal gland which helps to control normal sleep patterns. Deficiencies of this hormone can lead to cause insomnia; however, melatonin supplementation can effectively treat this problem if diagnosed correctly.
Melatonin 
Melatonin is a hormone that your brain produces in response to darkness. It helps with the timing of your circadian rhythm (24 hours internal clock) and with sleep.
Being exposed to light at night can block melatonin production.
Research suggests that melatonin plays other important role in the body beyond sleep. However, these effects are not fully understood.
Melatonin dietary supplements can be made from animals or microorganisms, but most often they're made synthetically.
Can melatonin help with insomnia?
People with insomnia have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. When symptoms last a month or longer, it’s called chronic insomnia.
According to practice guidelines from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2017) and the American College of Physicians (2016), there’s not enough strong evidence on the effectiveness or safety of melatonin supplementation for chronic insomnia to recommend its use. The American College of Physicians guidelines strongly recommend the use of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as an initial treatment for insomnia.
Is melatonin helpful for preventing or treating COVID-19?
Current research looking at the effects of melatonin on COVID-19 is only in the early stages. There are a few randomized controlled trials (studies evaluating melatonin in people) in progress. At this point, it is too soon to reach conclusions on whether melatonin is helpful for COVID-19.
What are the side effects of melatonin?
A 2015 review on the safety of melatonin supplements indicated that only mild side effects were reported in various short-term studies that involved adults, surgical patients, and critically ill patients. Some mild side effects that were reported in the studies included:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Sleepiness.
The possible long-term side effects of melatonin use are unclear.
Is it safe to take melatonin?
For melatonin supplements, particularly at doses higher than what the body normally produces, there’s not enough information yet about possible side effects to have a clear picture of overall safety. Short-term use of melatonin supplements appears to be safe for most people, but information on the long-term safety of supplementing with melatonin is lacking.
Also keep in mind:
- Interaction with medicines
- Possible allergic reaction risk
- Saftey concerns for pregnant and breastfeeding women
- Saftey concerns for older people
- Melatonin is regulated as a dietary supplements
- Products may not contain what's listed on tge label
Is melatonin safe for children?
In addition to issues mentioned above, there are some things to consider regarding melatonin’s safety in children.
Melatonin supplements appear to be safe for most children for short-term use, but there aren’t many studies on children and melatonin. Also, there’s little information on the long-term effects of melatonin use in children. Because melatonin is a hormone, it’s possible that melatonin supplements could affect hormonal development, including puberty, menstrual cycles, and overproduction of the hormone prolactin, but we don’t know for sure.
Possible melatonin supplement side effects reported in children have usually been mild and have included:
- Drowsiness
- Increased bedwetting or urination in the evening
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Agitation
Symptoms of melatonin deficiency
7 conditions that may be associated with low melatonin
- Restless legs
- Sleep problems
- Changes in mood
- Menopause symptoms
- Symptoms of low thyroid hormone
- Intestinal symptoms
- Increased aging process
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