[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":275},["ShallowReactive",2],{"supplement-melatonin":3,"supplement-article-titles":235},{"supplement":4,"related":75},{"slug":5,"name":6,"aliases":7,"categories":9,"tagline":11,"evidenceGrade":12,"evidenceSummary":13,"dose":14,"timing":20,"mechanism":21,"description":22,"effects":23,"safety":36,"sideEffects":37,"interactions":41,"references":44,"relatedCalculators":63,"relatedArticles":66,"relatedSupplements":70,"lastVerified":74},"melatonin","Melatonin",[8],"N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine",[10],"sleep","Not a sleeping pill — a clock signal. Used correctly it shifts your circadian timing; used like a sedative it mostly disappoints.","B","Meta-analyses confirm reduced sleep latency and strong effects on circadian problems — jet lag, shift work, delayed sleep phase. The average latency improvement in ordinary insomnia is real but modest (~7 minutes).",{"low":15,"high":16,"unit":17,"label":18,"frequency":19},0.5,5,"mg","0.5-5 mg; 0.5-1 mg is often as effective as more","30-60 minutes before target bedtime","30-60 minutes before your target bedtime; for shifting your clock earlier, small doses several hours before bed work better than large doses at bedtime","Melatonin is the hormone your pineal gland releases as light fades, signaling circadian night to every clock-bearing tissue. Supplemental melatonin acts on MT1\u002FMT2 receptors to phase-shift that clock and modestly lower alertness — a timing signal, not a hypnotic, which is why dose timing matters more than dose size.","Melatonin is the most misunderstood popular supplement, and the misunderstanding is baked into how it is sold. It sits on the shelf next to sleep aids, gets dosed like a sleep aid, and disappoints people who expected a sleep aid — because it is not one. Melatonin is the hormone your brain uses to announce that night has arrived. Supplementing it does not sedate you; it moves the announcement.\n\nRead that way, the evidence sorts cleanly. Where the problem is timing — jet lag, shift work, the delayed sleep phase of night owls — melatonin has some of the best data in sleep medicine, with a Cochrane review finding it remarkably effective for jet lag when taken at the destination bedtime. Where the problem is garden-variety insomnia, meta-analysis finds it shaves an average of about seven minutes off sleep latency: real, but a fraction of what prescription hypnotics or CBT-I deliver.\n\nDosing is where practice diverges furthest from evidence. Receptor studies and dose-response trials point to 0.5-1 mg as sufficient — often more effective than the 5-10 mg gummies that dominate the market, which can leave morning grogginess and spillover of elevated melatonin into the next day. More timing signal is not more sleep. Equally important is the quality-control problem: analyses of retail products have found actual content ranging from a fraction of the label to several times it, so third-party-tested brands matter more here than almost anywhere.\n\nSafety at low doses and reasonable durations looks good, with grogginess and vivid dreams the common complaints, though long-term nightly use in healthy adults is less studied than the sales volume implies. The best use is surgical: shift the clock when the clock is the problem, at the smallest dose that works — and treat chronic sleeplessness as the behavioral and light-exposure problem it usually is.",[24,28,30,33],{"effect":25,"grade":26,"note":27},"Reduces jet lag","A","Cochrane-reviewed; take at destination bedtime",{"effect":29,"grade":12},"Shifts circadian timing (delayed sleep phase, shift work)",{"effect":31,"grade":12,"note":32},"Shortens sleep latency in insomnia","average ~7 minutes — real but modest",{"effect":34,"grade":35},"Improves sleep maintenance through the night","C","Low toxicity at studied doses and durations; not habit-forming. Long-term nightly use is under-studied relative to its popularity, retail product content is unreliable without third-party testing, and children’s use should involve a pediatrician.",[38,39,40],"Morning grogginess at higher doses","Vivid dreams","Headache",[42,43],"Additive with sedatives and alcohol.","Can affect anticoagulant, anticonvulsant, immunosuppressant, and blood-pressure medication — check with a pharmacist if you take any of these.",[45,51,57],{"authors":46,"year":47,"title":48,"journal":49,"url":50},"Herxheimer, A., & Petrie, K. J.",2002,"Melatonin for the prevention and treatment of jet lag","Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1002\u002F14651858.CD001520",{"authors":52,"year":53,"title":54,"journal":55,"url":56},"Ferracioli-Oda, E., Qawasmi, A., & Bloch, M. H.",2013,"Meta-analysis: melatonin for the treatment of primary sleep disorders","PLoS ONE","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1371\u002Fjournal.pone.0063773",{"authors":58,"year":59,"title":60,"journal":61,"url":62},"Erland, L. A., & Saxena, P. K.",2017,"Melatonin natural health products and supplements: presence of serotonin and significant variability of melatonin content","Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.5664\u002Fjcsm.6462",[10,64,65],"caffeine-half-life","epworth-sleepiness",[67,68,69],"using-melatonin","sleep-optimization","caffeine-half-life-sleep",[71,72,73],"l-theanine","magnesium-threonate","ashwagandha","2026-08",[76,124,174],{"slug":71,"name":77,"aliases":78,"categories":81,"tagline":83,"evidenceGrade":12,"evidenceSummary":84,"dose":85,"timing":89,"mechanism":90,"description":91,"effects":92,"safety":101,"sideEffects":102,"interactions":105,"references":106,"relatedCalculators":119,"relatedArticles":121,"relatedSupplements":122,"lastVerified":74},"L-Theanine",[79,80],"theanine","N-ethyl-L-glutamine",[82,10],"nootropic","The amino acid in green tea that takes the edge off stress — and off caffeine — without sedation.","Consistent placebo-controlled trials show reduced subjective stress and improved attention when combined with caffeine. Trials are numerous but mostly small and short.",{"low":86,"high":87,"unit":17,"frequency":88},100,400,"once daily; 100-200 mg alongside caffeine is the studied pairing","With your coffee for the pairing effect, or 30-60 minutes before bed for relaxation. It does not sedate, so daytime use is fine","L-theanine crosses the blood-brain barrier and increases alpha-wave activity associated with relaxed alertness. It modulates glutamate signaling and raises GABA, serotonin, and dopamine levels modestly — enough to blunt the sympathetic stress response without acting as a sedative.","L-theanine is the reason a cup of green tea feels different from a cup of coffee with the same caffeine. It is an amino acid nearly unique to tea leaves, and its signature effect is what researchers call relaxed alertness: alpha-brain-wave activity rises, subjective stress drops, and none of it comes with drowsiness or impaired performance.\n\nThe best-replicated use is the caffeine pairing. Multiple placebo-controlled trials of caffeine plus theanine — typically 100-200 mg of each — show improved attention-switching and reduced susceptibility to distraction compared with caffeine alone, alongside less jitter and a smaller blood-pressure bump. If caffeine gives you the output but also the edge, this is the cheapest fix with actual evidence behind it.\n\nOn its own, theanine’s case is solid but narrower. Randomized trials in adults under stress show reductions in subjective anxiety and stress-marker responses at 200-400 mg. The sleep evidence is thinner: theanine does not knock you out the way melatonin shifts your clock, but by quieting pre-sleep arousal it can shorten the wind-down, and small trials in adults and in children with ADHD report better subjective sleep quality.\n\nThe safety profile is about as clean as supplements get. No meaningful side effects have surfaced at studied doses, tolerance does not appear to build, and there is no withdrawal. That cleanliness is part of why it is popular — but keep the claim honest: theanine polishes the experience of being alert or winding down; it does not add horsepower on its own. Treat it as a modifier, best used to make caffeine more usable or evenings less wired.",[93,95,98],{"effect":94,"grade":12},"Improves attention when paired with caffeine",{"effect":96,"grade":12,"note":97},"Reduces subjective stress and anxiety","200-400 mg in acute-stress trials",{"effect":99,"grade":35,"note":100},"Improves sleep quality","via reduced pre-sleep arousal, not sedation","Exceptionally well tolerated at studied doses with no established toxicity, no tolerance build-up, and no withdrawal. Generally recognized as safe as a tea constituent consumed for centuries.",[103,104],"Occasional mild headache","Drowsiness at very high doses in sensitive users",[],[107,113],{"authors":108,"year":109,"title":110,"journal":111,"url":112},"Haskell, C. F., et al.",2008,"The effects of L-theanine, caffeine and their combination on cognition and mood","Biological Psychology","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1016\u002Fj.biopsycho.2007.09.008",{"authors":114,"year":115,"title":116,"journal":117,"url":118},"Hidese, S., et al.",2019,"Effects of L-theanine administration on stress-related symptoms and cognitive functions in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial","Nutrients","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.3390\u002Fnu11102362",[64,10,120],"pss-10",[69,68],[123,5],"caffeine",{"slug":72,"name":125,"aliases":126,"categories":130,"tagline":131,"evidenceGrade":35,"evidenceSummary":132,"dose":133,"timing":139,"mechanism":140,"description":141,"effects":142,"safety":150,"sideEffects":151,"interactions":155,"references":157,"relatedCalculators":170,"relatedArticles":171,"relatedSupplements":173,"lastVerified":74},"Magnesium L-Threonate",[127,128,129],"magnesium threonate","MgT","Magtein",[82,10],"The magnesium form engineered to reach the brain. The animal data is striking; the human evidence is still early.","The brain-penetration rationale and animal results are strong, but controlled human trials are few and small — one RCT in older adults with cognitive complaints and limited sleep data. Promising, not proven.",{"low":134,"high":135,"unit":136,"label":137,"frequency":138},1.5,2,"g","1.5-2 g\u002Fday magnesium L-threonate (~144 mg elemental)","often split, with the larger share in the evening","Evening for the sleep-adjacent benefits, or split morning and evening. Give it weeks, not days — brain magnesium changes slowly","In animal and laboratory models, threonate has raised brain magnesium more effectively than some common forms, and elevated brain magnesium increased synaptic density and NMDA-receptor-dependent plasticity. Whether the same delivery advantage or cognitive mechanism is clinically meaningful in humans remains uncertain. Systemically it behaves like any magnesium: a cofactor in 300+ enzymatic reactions and a modulator of GABA and glutamate tone.","Most magnesium forms are a bioavailability story; threonate is a destination story. Developed at MIT specifically to raise brain magnesium levels, it did something in rodents that ordinary magnesium salts could not: measurably increased synaptic density and improved learning and memory. That mechanism is why it costs several times what citrate or glycinate do.\n\nThe human evidence has to be graded more cautiously. The headline trial randomized older adults with cognitive complaints and found improvements in executive function and processing speed over 12 weeks, with the treated group performing like substantially younger controls on a composite score. It is a genuinely encouraging result — from a single, small, industry-connected trial that still awaits large independent replication. Sleep data is similarly early: plausible mechanism, positive anecdotes, thin trial evidence.\n\nWhat you are actually buying with threonate is a bet on the delivery mechanism. If your goal is fixing a plain magnesium deficiency — which affects a sizable share of adults and degrades sleep, mood, and blood pressure on its own — cheaper forms like glycinate or citrate do that job well. Threonate’s case is specifically cognitive: memory, learning, and the sleep-quality effects that flow through brain magnesium rather than serum magnesium.\n\nDosing follows the trials: 1.5-2 g of magnesium L-threonate daily, which delivers a modest ~144 mg of elemental magnesium — well under the supplemental ceiling. It is gentle on the gut precisely because of that low elemental load, one practical advantage over citrate. Take it in the evening, expect nothing for the first weeks, and judge it at the two-month mark. This is a compound where the honest pitch is high mechanistic promise, moderate human proof, and a price that only makes sense if the cognitive angle is the point.",[143,146,147],{"effect":144,"grade":35,"note":145},"Improves cognition in older adults with complaints","one 12-week RCT; awaits independent replication",{"effect":99,"grade":35},{"effect":148,"grade":12,"note":149},"Corrects low magnesium status","any absorbable magnesium form does this","Well tolerated in trials, with a low elemental magnesium load that avoids the laxative effect of citrate or oxide. People with kidney impairment should not supplement magnesium without medical supervision.",[152,153,154],"Mild drowsiness","Headache in a minority of users","GI upset (uncommon at standard doses)",[156],"Magnesium binds some antibiotics (tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones) and bisphosphonates in the gut — separate doses by at least 2 hours.",[158,164],{"authors":159,"year":160,"title":161,"journal":162,"url":163},"Slutsky, I., et al.",2010,"Enhancement of learning and memory by elevating brain magnesium","Neuron","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1016\u002Fj.neuron.2009.12.026",{"authors":165,"year":166,"title":167,"journal":168,"url":169},"Liu, G., et al.",2016,"Efficacy and safety of MMFS-01, a synapse density enhancer, for treating cognitive impairment in older adults: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial","Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.3233\u002FJAD-150538",[10,65],[172,68,67],"magnesiumthreonate",[5,71],{"slug":73,"name":175,"aliases":176,"categories":181,"tagline":184,"evidenceGrade":12,"evidenceSummary":185,"dose":186,"timing":191,"mechanism":192,"description":193,"effects":194,"safety":205,"sideEffects":206,"interactions":210,"references":213,"relatedCalculators":230,"relatedArticles":232,"relatedSupplements":233,"lastVerified":74},"Ashwagandha",[177,178,179,180],"Withania somnifera","winter cherry","KSM-66","Sensoril",[10,182,183],"performance","general-health","The best-supported adaptogen for stress and sleep — with trial durations, and a rare-but-real liver caveat, worth knowing about.","Multiple independent RCTs show reduced perceived stress, lower cortisol, and improved sleep quality at 300-600 mg\u002Fday of root extract. Strength and hormone findings are positive but from fewer, smaller trials.",{"low":187,"high":188,"unit":17,"label":189,"frequency":190},300,600,"300-600 mg\u002Fday of root extract (e.g. KSM-66, 5% withanolides)","once daily or split; evening dosing favors the sleep effect","Evening for sleep and stress; with food. Trials run 8-12 weeks — judge it on that horizon, and take periodic breaks","Withanolides appear to moderate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis output — trials consistently measure lower morning cortisol — and to act on GABAergic signaling, which fits the reduced-anxiety and improved-sleep findings. Effects on strength and testosterone are downstream of the same stress-axis moderation, per the leading hypothesis.","Of all the adaptogens, ashwagandha is the one where the modern trial record most nearly matches the traditional reputation. Used in Ayurvedic practice for millennia as a calming tonic, it now has a stack of randomized controlled trials measuring exactly that: in stressed adults, 300-600 mg of root extract daily reliably lowers perceived-stress scores and morning cortisol versus placebo over 8-12 weeks.\n\nThe sleep findings are nearly as consistent. Trials in both insomniacs and healthy adults report faster sleep onset and better sleep efficiency, with the effect concentrating in people whose sleep problem is the wired-and-anxious kind — unsurprising if stress-axis moderation is the mechanism. This is a different tool than melatonin: melatonin shifts your clock; ashwagandha quiets the arousal keeping you from using it.\n\nThe muscular claims deserve a more careful reading. A handful of trials in untrained men found meaningfully larger strength gains and small testosterone increases when supplementation accompanied a new lifting program. The results are genuinely positive but come from fewer, smaller studies with commercial sponsorship common — grade C territory, promising rather than proven.\n\nTwo caveats keep this entry honest. First, case reports of liver injury, while rare against the scale of use, are real and documented; the pattern typically resolves after stopping, but it argues for buying tested brands and respecting doses rather than indefinite daily use. Second, ashwagandha nudges hormone systems — it can raise thyroid hormone levels, matters in pregnancy (avoid), and can add to sedatives and immunosuppressants. None of that makes it dangerous for a healthy adult at trial doses; it makes it a compound to treat like the pharmacologically active thing it is, rather than a harmless herb.",[195,197,199,202],{"effect":196,"grade":12},"Reduces perceived stress and cortisol",{"effect":198,"grade":12},"Improves sleep onset and quality",{"effect":200,"grade":35,"note":201},"Increases strength gains in new lifters","small trials, commercial sponsorship common",{"effect":203,"grade":35,"note":204},"Raises testosterone","small effects in stressed or training populations","Well tolerated in trials at 300-600 mg\u002Fday for up to 12 weeks, but long-term safety is not established. Rare but documented liver-injury case reports mean you should stop and seek medical care for jaundice, dark urine, unusual fatigue, or right-upper-abdominal pain. Avoid during pregnancy and breastfeeding, before surgery, and with thyroid or autoimmune disease; ask a clinician about diabetes, blood-pressure, sedative, or immunosuppressant medicines.",[207,208,39,209],"Drowsiness","GI upset","Rare liver-enzyme elevation",[42,211,212],"Can raise thyroid hormone levels — coordinate with your doctor if on thyroid medication.","May counteract immunosuppressant therapy.",[214,220,225],{"authors":215,"year":216,"title":217,"journal":218,"url":219},"Chandrasekhar, K., Kapoor, J., & Anishetty, S.",2012,"A prospective, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of safety and efficacy of a high-concentration full-spectrum extract of ashwagandha root in reducing stress and anxiety in adults","Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.4103\u002F0253-7176.106022",{"authors":221,"year":115,"title":222,"journal":223,"url":224},"Langade, D., et al.","Efficacy and safety of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract in insomnia and anxiety: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study","Cureus","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.7759\u002Fcureus.5797",{"authors":226,"year":115,"title":227,"journal":228,"url":229},"Lopresti, A. L., et al.","An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha extract: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study","Medicine","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1097\u002FMD.0000000000017186",[120,231,10],"gad-7",[68,67],[234,5],"rhodiola-rosea",{"\u002Fblog\u002Fa1c-blood-sugar-guide":236,"\u002Fblog\u002Fascvd-heart-risk-guide":237,"\u002Fblog\u002Fbiological-vs-chronological-age":238,"\u002Fblog\u002Fcaffeine-half-life-sleep":239,"\u002Fblog\u002Fcalorie-deficit-guide":240,"\u002Fblog\u002Fcode-plunge-healthspan":241,"\u002Fblog\u002Fexploring-biomarkers":242,"\u002Fblog\u002Ffish-oil":243,"\u002Fblog\u002Fftp-functional-threshold-power":244,"\u002Fblog\u002Fgarmin-instinct-e-vs-instinct-3-vs-fenix-e":245,"\u002Fblog\u002Fgrip-strength-longevity":246,"\u002Fblog\u002Fheart-rate-training-zones":247,"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-strong-am-i":248,"\u002Fblog\u002Fhydration-and-performance":249,"\u002Fblog\u002Fintermittent-fasting-evidence":250,"\u002Fblog\u002Fmagnesiumthreonate":251,"\u002Fblog\u002Fmenstrual-cycle-vital-sign":252,"\u002Fblog\u002Fmetabolic-age-explained":253,"\u002Fblog\u002Fnutrition-basics":254,"\u002Fblog\u002Foura-ring-4-vs-whoop-5":255,"\u002Fblog\u002Fpeptides-what-the-evidence-actually-shows":256,"\u002Fblog\u002Fpregnancy-weight-gain-guide":257,"\u002Fblog\u002Fprotein-for-muscle-growth":258,"\u002Fblog\u002Frace-time-prediction":259,"\u002Fblog\u002Fringconn-gen-2-vs-oura-ring-4-vs-galaxy-ring":260,"\u002Fblog\u002Fsamsung-galaxy-watch-ultra-2-vs-apple-watch-ultra-4":261,"\u002Fblog\u002Fsarcopenia-muscle-loss":262,"\u002Fblog\u002Fsleep-optimization":263,"\u002Fblog\u002Fstrength-training-fundamentals":264,"\u002Fblog\u002Funderstanding-bmr-tdee":265,"\u002Fblog\u002Funderstanding-body-composition":266,"\u002Fblog\u002Fusing-melatonin":267,"\u002Fblog\u002Fvdot-running-training":268,"\u002Fblog\u002Fvitamind":269,"\u002Fblog\u002Fvo2-max-guide":270,"\u002Fblog\u002Fwearable-health-tracking":271,"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhoop-mg-vs-whoop-5":272,"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhoop-vs-garmin-cirqa-vs-fitbit-air-vs-amazfit-helio":273,"\u002Fblog\u002Fwilks-vs-dots-powerlifting":274},"A1C: What Your Three-Month Blood Sugar Average Actually Predicts","Your 10-Year Heart Attack Risk: Making Sense of Your ASCVD Score","Biological Age vs Chronological Age: What Really Matters","Caffeine Half-Life: Why Your Afternoon Coffee Is Still Working at Midnight","Calorie Deficit 101: The Science of Sustainable Weight Loss","Cold Plunge and Healthspan: What the Evidence Actually Supports","Biomarkers: The Numbers That Actually Predict Your Health","Fish Oil and Omega-3s: What the Evidence Actually Supports","Functional Threshold Power: Why Cyclists Define Themselves by One Number","Garmin Instinct E vs Instinct 3 vs Fenix E: What Each Step Up Buys","Grip Strength: The Simplest Longevity Test in Medicine","Heart Rate Zone Training: A Complete Guide","How Strong Am I, Actually? Reading Strength Standards Honestly","Hydration and Performance: How Much Water Do You Really Need?","Intermittent Fasting: What the Research Actually Says in 2026","Magnesium Threonate: The Form That Actually Reaches Your Brain","Your Menstrual Cycle Is a Vital Sign — Here Is What to Track","Metabolic Age: What Your Smart Scale Is Actually Telling You","Nutrition Basics: Building a Solid Diet Without Overthinking It","Oura Ring 4 vs Whoop 5: Two Screenless Wearables, Two Different Philosophies","Peptides: What the Evidence Actually Shows","Pregnancy Weight Gain: The Range That Matters More Than the Number","Protein for Muscle Growth: How Much Do You Really Need?","How Fast Could You Run a Marathon? The Honest Math of Race Prediction","RingConn Gen 2 vs Oura Ring 4 vs Galaxy Ring: The Subscription Math","Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 vs Apple Watch Ultra 4: Your Phone Already Chose","Sarcopenia Starts Earlier Than You Think","Sleep Architecture: Understanding Your Sleep Cycles","Strength Training Fundamentals: Progressive Overload and One-Rep Max","BMR vs TDEE: Understanding Your Metabolism","Understanding Body Composition: Beyond the Scale","Melatonin: What It Actually Does and How to Use It Right","VDOT: Running Its Most Accurate Intensity System","Vitamin D: The Deficiency You Probably Have","VO2 Max Explained: The Gold Standard of Cardiovascular Fitness","Making Sense of Your Wearable Data: From Metrics to Action","Whoop MG vs Whoop 5.0: Is the ECG Worth $120 a Year?","Garmin Cirqa vs Amazfit Helio Strap vs Fitbit Air vs Whoop 5","Wilks vs DOTS: The Math Behind Ranking Powerlifters Fairly",1791499029085]