Melatonin 3 mg Time Released – Sustained Sleep Support | 60 Vegetarian Capsules
Melatonin 3 mg Time Released is a single-ingredient sleep supplement. Each vegetarian capsule holds 3 mg of pure crystalline melatonin, and the label says about 1.5 mg is released in the first hour and the rest over the next five hours. The bottle holds 60 capsules. Take one half an hour before bedtime to promote sustained sleep and support a healthy sleep-wake cycle.†
This one is for adults who drift off fine but want support that lasts past lights-out, on nights when sleep seems to run out before the alarm does. Regular melatonin clears your bloodstream quickly; this capsule spreads its 3 mg over about six hours, per the label.†
If you're in your 30s or 40s, you're probably already working on energy, food and exercise so you can keep going strong at 75. Sleep sits underneath all of it. Aging isn't optional. Getting old is. A steady bedtime is one of the least glamorous ways to add life to your years.
Why people take Melatonin 3 mg Time Released
- To promote sustained sleep, the job printed right on the label.†
- To settle into sleep more easily, with about 1.5 mg of melatonin released in the first hour, according to the label.†
- To keep melatonin support going after that first hour, as the remaining 1.5 mg is released over the next five hours.†
- To support a healthy sleep-wake cycle, since melatonin is the signal your body uses to tell night from day.†
What's in each serving
| Ingredient | Amount per serving | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Pure Crystallin Melatonin | 3 mg | * (Daily Value Not Established) |
Serving size: 1 Vegetarian Capsule. Servings per container: 60 (the bottle holds 60 vegetarian capsules, one capsule per serving), a 60-day supply at the label's serving. Other ingredients: Enhance™, cellulose, deep mined calcium phosphate, vegetable cellulose (preservative-free, from capsule shell), magnesium trisilicate, silica, and magnesium stearate. Label statements: "NO soy, salt, yeast, gluten, egg, sugar, starch, or preservatives." "Releases approximately 1.5 mg of Melatonin in the first hour and the balance over the next five hour period." "Formulated with Enhance™ metabolite uptake enhancers. Contains citrus products."
How Melatonin 3 mg Time Released works
Melatonin is your body's "it's night" signal
Melatonin is a hormone made mostly by the pineal gland, deep in the brain. Your body releases it at night, and bright light turns it down: in a classic 1980 study, bright artificial light suppressed nighttime melatonin in six healthy people, while dimmer ordinary room light did not (Lewy 1980). Think of it as a clock signal, not a knockout pill.†
A little extra adds to that signal. In a sleep-lab study, 12 healthy young volunteers took 0.3 mg of melatonin, 1 mg, or a placebo at 9 PM. Both doses shortened the time it took to fall asleep, and neither changed the structure of their sleep or hurt next-morning mood and performance (Zhdanova 1996).†
Why time released
Swallowed melatonin doesn't hang around. A systematic review of 22 studies found that immediate-release melatonin peaked about 50 minutes after a dose with a half-life of about 45 minutes, and only about 15% of an oral dose reached the bloodstream (Harpsøe 2015).
A slow-release design stretches that out. In a 1985 study, 2 mg of melatonin in a regular gelatin capsule or an oil solution kept blood levels at or above normal nighttime levels for 3 to 4 hours, while a slow-release pill kept them high for 5 to 7 hours (Aldhous 1985). Per the label, this capsule releases about 1.5 mg in the first hour to help you settle in, and the other 1.5 mg over the next five hours to keep the signal going.†
Why timing matters as much as dose
Melatonin also nudges your body clock, so timing counts. In a lab study of 34 healthy adults aged 18 to 42, a 0.5 mg dose shifted the timing of the body clock; compared with the same team's earlier 3 mg study, run the same way, both doses moved the clock by similar amounts when each was taken at its own ideal time (Burgess 2010). This capsule's label sets the timing: half an hour before bedtime.†
What the research does and doesn't show
The healthy-adult studies are small and short, and none tested this exact capsule. The slow-release data come from a 2 mg pill studied in 1985; this product's release pattern is the one stated on its label. We haven't found healthy-adult trials measuring how much extra sleep a time-released form adds, so we won't promise extra hours. What the evidence supports is modest: melatonin helps tell your body it's night, and slow release keeps that signal up longer.†
What else is in the capsule
The shell is vegetable cellulose, which is why the label calls it a vegetarian capsule. Everything else in the capsule is listed above exactly as the label prints it. The label describes Enhance™ as "metabolite uptake enhancers" and says the capsules contain citrus products; we make no further claim about it.
How to take Melatonin 3 mg Time Released
Directions (from the label): "One capsule 1/2 hour before bedtime on an empty stomach, as a dietary supplement."
- Skip the bedtime snack. The label says empty stomach, and in the 1985 study, when the slow-release form peaked depended heavily on whether people had eaten (Aldhous 1985).
- Take it when you're done for the night. Sleepiness is one of melatonin's known mild side effects (Andersen 2016), so don't take it before driving or anything that needs you alert.
- Skip the bright lights. Bright light at night turns down your own melatonin (Lewy 1980), so save brightly lit tasks for earlier in the evening.
Caution (from the label): "Individuals under 18 years old, under a physician's care, or pregnant and lactating women, or those considering pregnancy, should consult their health care practitioner before using." Ask your healthcare practitioner before use if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition.
Don't take our word for it
- Verified by independent labs. ISO 17025-accredited labs check our test results.
- Every ingredient lot tested before use. Federal rules only require an identity test on incoming dietary ingredients. We test every incoming lot, the melatonin included, for identity, potency, heavy metals and microbes.
- If it misses spec, it doesn't go in a bottle. More than 99% of our tests pass, and the lots that don't are rejected.
- A certificate of analysis for every lot. Every production lot of this capsule has its own.
Made in the USA. Made and tested in Mt. Angel, Oregon. It's a farm town of about 3,500 in the Willamette Valley, and it's home to our UL-certified cGMP facility. The people who formulate, make and test this capsule work under one roof, and the owners work in the building too; we've been owner-run since 2017. We've been making supplements in Oregon since 1974. That's 52 years, and we're not getting old either.
Frequently asked questions
How is time-released melatonin different from regular melatonin?
It releases its dose gradually instead of all at once: per the label, about 1.5 mg in the first hour and the other 1.5 mg over the next five hours. Regular melatonin peaks within about an hour and fades within a few hours; a slow-release form kept blood levels up for 5 to 7 hours in a 1985 study (Aldhous 1985).†
When should I take it, and with or without food?
Half an hour before bedtime, on an empty stomach, per the label. Food is one of the factors known to change how the body handles melatonin (Harpsøe 2015), and with a slow-release form it shifted when the peak arrived (Aldhous 1985).
Is 3 mg too much melatonin?
Not according to the safety research, though the label's one capsule is the place to stay. A 2016 review found short-term melatonin use safe even at very high doses, with only mild side effects reported, such as dizziness, headache, nausea and sleepiness (Andersen 2016). The lab studies above saw effects at doses of 1 mg and below, so if you'd rather start smaller, Sleep Dots with 1 mg of melatonin per dot are made for that.
Will it make me groggy in the morning?
It might. In the 1996 sleep-lab study, 1 mg or less didn't hurt next-morning mood or performance (Zhdanova 1996), but this capsule has 3 mg, and sleepiness is one of melatonin's known mild side effects (Andersen 2016). Take it only at bedtime, and if mornings feel foggy, ask your practitioner about a smaller dose.
Can I take it with Sleep Dots or Sleepy Sleep?
Ask your healthcare practitioner first, because both contain melatonin. Sleep Dots have 1 mg per dot, and Sleepy Sleep, our herbal blend with 1 mg of melatonin, pairs it with chamomile, hops, lemon balm, passionflower and 25 mg of 5-HTP per capsule. None of the labels give directions for combining them, so the simple approach is to pick one.
Can I take it with magnesium?
Nothing on these labels says not to. Good Magnesium, 200 mg of magnesium per capsule, uses a rice protein chelate, and Calming Mag Powder, a magnesium drink for before bed, has 400 mg of magnesium and 500 mg of glycine per scoop. Neither one contains melatonin. If you take medication, check with your practitioner first.
Is it safe to take with my medication?
Ask your healthcare practitioner before you start. Some medicines change how the body handles melatonin, including oral contraceptives and fluvoxamine, and so do caffeine and smoking (Harpsøe 2015). The label also asks anyone under a physician's care to check first.
References
- Lewy AJ et al. Light suppresses melatonin secretion in humans. Science. 1980. PubMed
- Zhdanova IV et al. Effects of low oral doses of melatonin, given 2-4 hours before habitual bedtime, on sleep in normal young humans. Sleep. 1996. PubMed
- Harpsøe NG et al. Clinical pharmacokinetics of melatonin: a systematic review. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2015. PubMed
- Aldhous M et al. Plasma concentrations of melatonin in man following oral absorption of different preparations. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1985. PubMed
- Burgess HJ et al. Human phase response curves to three days of daily melatonin: 0.5 mg versus 3.0 mg. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010. PubMed
- Andersen LP et al. The Safety of Melatonin in Humans. Clin Drug Investig. 2016. PubMed
†These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
