6 Ways to Increase Melatonin Naturally

Q: Does breast milk have natural melatonin?

Yes, human breast milk contains melatonin . This is helpful, since newborns can’t produce their own melatonin for several months after birth.

Key takeaways:

Melatonin is a hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle, also known as your circadian rhythm.
The amount of melatonin your body makes is influenced by light exposure. But other lifestyle factors can also play a role in how much of it your body makes.
Some natural ways to boost melatonin include getting sunlight in the morning, avoiding screens before bed, and eating melatonin-rich foods.

Melatonin is a hormone that plays a major role in your sleep-wake cycle — also known as your circadian rhythm. There’s always melatonin in your body, but the amount changes throughout the day.

Typically, your melatonin levels rise when the sun goes down, signaling to your body that it’s time to go to bed. Levels peak between 2AM and 4AM. Then they decrease again throughout the early morning hours. Melatonin levels are lowest when you wake up. Then they increase again in the evening in response to darkness.

Most of the time, your body is able to naturally regulate its production of melatonin. But many factors can affect your melatonin levels and interfere with a good night’s rest.

Natural ways to increase melatonin

Taking a melatonin supplement is one option. But you can also make simple changes to your daily routine that may help you naturally increase your melatonin production.

1. Get sunlight in the morning

Getting exposure to sunlight early in the morning can make you more alert during the day. It can also trigger your body to produce nighttime melatonin earlier, so you feel sleepy earlier at night.

Sunlight has additional benefits that might contribute to better sleep. These include:

Increased serotonin: Serotonin is a brain chemical that regulates your mood, but it also plays a role in other processes, including sleep.
Increased vitamin D: This nutrient has many important roles in the body, like supporting healthy brain function and regulating melatonin.
Fighting seasonal affective disorder: Lack of sunlight can increase your risk for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This is a type of depression that usually affects people in the fall or winter. SAD can cause sleep changes. But sunlight and light therapy are two effective treatments for SAD.

Start your day with 5 to 10 minutes outside if you can. If you can’t, open your curtains as soon as you wake up to let some sunlight in.

2. Sleep in a dark room

Sunlight during the day is helpful. But too much light at night — even dim light — can prevent your body from making melatonin. It can also shorten how long your melatonin levels remain elevated. This can make it harder to fall asleep or stay asleep.

To avoid this, try keeping your room as dark as possible. Ways to do this include:

Getting blackout curtains
Unplugging electronic devices that emit light
Keeping your phone and TV out of your room, if possible

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3. Reduce screen time at night

Research has linked screen time to lower levels of melatonin and poor sleep quality. This includes use of:

Computers
Smartphones
Tablets
Televisions

One survey of more than 45,000 young adults found that people who spend more time looking at a screen in bed are more likely to report insomnia and sleep loss.

4. Watch your caffeine intake

Caffeine helps you feel more alert by blocking adenosine, a chemical in the body that makes you feel sleepy. But research suggests that caffeine also decreases melatonin production — especially if you drink it in the evening.

Up to 400 mg of caffeine each day (around 4 to 5 cups of coffee) is considered safe for most adults. But caffeine affects everyone differently. So, if you’re not sleeping well, reduce your intake by 1 or 2 cups and see how you feel. You can also try having your caffeine earlier in the day to see if that makes a difference in your nightly rest.

5. Try exercising in the morning

Exercising at different times of day can have different benefits. And exercise timing may also affect sleep. A small study suggests that exercising in the afternoon may cause your body to release less melatonin in the evening. This same study found that people who exercised in the morning didn’t have a decrease in their melatonin levels.

But other findings are somewhat mixed. One study found that your chronotype might affect whether an early or later workout benefits your sleep. Your chronotype is your sleep timing patterns that determine when you feel most awake. People who are “night owls” may not have disrupted sleep with an evening workout. And those who rise early might benefit from a morning workout.

Still, if you have trouble sleeping, it may be worth adjusting your exercise schedule to see if it makes a difference in your sleep quality.

6. Eat foods that increase melatonin

Foods may affect the amount of melatonin in your body in a few different ways. Some foods naturally contain melatonin. Others contain nutrients that help regulate or produce melatonin.

Foods that may increase your melatonin include:

Nuts: Many nuts contain melatonin, including almonds, walnuts, and pistachios. Raw nuts are better, since roasting nuts can reduce their melatonin content.
Eggs: Eggs are one of the richest animal protein sources of melatonin. They also contain vitamin D, another nutrient that plays a role in sleep regulation.
Fish: Many types of fish contain anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats may help regulate melatonin production. Examples include salmon, tuna, and sardines.
Bananas: Bananas contain the amino acid tryptophan, which is converted to melatonin in the body. And bananas contain magnesium, which is also linked with better sleep.
Cow’s milk: Cow’s milk contains both melatonin and tryptophan. One study found that milk that was collected from cows at night contains more melatonin and tryptophan than milk collected during the day.
Tart cherries and tart cherry juice: Tart cherries are rich in both melatonin and tryptophan. Data suggests that tart cherry juice can help improve insomnia by increasing sleep time.
Grapes: Grapes — and products made from them, like wine and grape juice — contain melatonin. Grapes are also well-known for being rich in antioxidants, which may also play a role in healthy sleep.
Turkey: Turkey doesn’t contain melatonin, but it does contain tryptophan.

How do you know if you need to boost melatonin?

You may want to think about increasing your melatonin if you’re having disrupted sleep. This may mean you have trouble falling or staying asleep or feel restless throughout the night.

You may also benefit from a natural melatonin boost in these cases:

You’re an older adult, since melatonin production naturally decreases as you age.
You have a neurodegenerative condition that’s associated with low melatonin levels. Examples are Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease.
You have certain chronic health conditions that can lower melatonin production. Examples include heart disease, cancer, or Type 2 diabetes.

Do you need a melatonin supplement?

If you’ve tried to increase melatonin levels with lifestyle changes and haven’t had any luck, you might consider a melatonin supplement. But before you start taking it, it’s important to be aware that it can interact with some medications. And experts recommend you only use it in circumstances when your sleep is likely to be disrupted. Examples include:

Jet lag
Insomnia
Anxiety ahead of a surgery
A work schedule that involves shift work

If you rely on melatonin most nights to help you sleep, be sure to talk with a healthcare professional. There may be better treatment options for you. They can also help diagnose any health problems that might be affecting your sleep.

Frequently asked questions

Research suggests that short-term, low-dose melatonin supplements don't reduce the amount of melatonin your body makes. But there isn’t enough research to know if long-term use of melatonin affects natural production.

Your body can produce 0.01 mg to .08 mg of melatonin each night. But how much each person produces can vary based on factors like age, diet, and certain health conditions that could affect your sleep.

Yes, human breast milk contains melatonin. This is helpful, since newborns can’t produce their own melatonin for several months after birth.

The bottom line

Light exposure has a significant effect on your body’s melatonin production and circadian rhythm. That’s why getting some early morning sunshine and putting away screens an hour or two before bed is your best bet at naturally increasing melatonin. Other tips include keeping your room dark and trying a morning workout. Also, try eating foods like eggs, mushrooms, and cherries — and limit your coffee too.

If increasing melatonin with lifestyle adjustments isn’t working, it may be time to check in with a healthcare professional. They can check to see whether an underlying issue is affecting your sleep. They can also discuss whether a melatonin supplement is right for you.

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Written by:

Lindsay Boyers, CHNC

Lindsay Boyers, CHNC, is a functional nutritionist, licensed esthetician, writer, and editor with over a decade of experience in evidence-based health, wellness, and skincare writing.

Edited by:

Meredith Hoffa

Meredith Hoffa is a senior health editor at GoodRx, where she leads journalists and clinicians covering various well-being topics, particularly in diet and nutrition.

Reviewed by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

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