Melatonin – a go-to sleep aid for kids and adults alike in many households in America – continues to create media buzz, with conflicting messages that leave people uncertain about its safety.

Some headlines point to melatonin’s supposed immunity boosting power, while others point to unestablished links between melatonin and heart failure.

I’m a pediatrician and sleep medicine doctor specializing in children, adolescents and adults.

In my experience, many families go through difficulties with sleep for several months and even years before they seek out specialty care, and often they come across information online that isn’t tailored to the right age group or sleep condition. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved any insomnia medications for children, so pediatricians don’t have many options.

Melatonin is the most widely studied sleep aid in children. Still, I find that many parents feel uncertain about using melatonin, and some even experience guilt if they do, despite some clear benefits with appropriate use.

Adequate, regular and healthy sleep is essential for functioning our best throughout the day, and people deserve to get sleep information that is supported by evidence.

Melatonin’s role in shaping circadian rhythms

Melatonin is released during evening hours by a tiny, pine cone-shaped endocrine gland deep in the brain called the pineal gland.

Melatonin levels peak in the middle of the night and plummet by morning. Once the melatonin signal starts to come on, it rises and then falls during the night. This process is “circadian” in that it happens daily.

Light is the strongest inhibitor of melatonin production. Darkness removes that inhibition and allows the pineal gland to release melatonin. This is why sleep specialists often advise against exposure to bright light and encourage natural light exposure during the day – particularly in the morning – to solidify natural sleep patterns based on circadian rhythms.

Melatonin and sleep regulation

Unlike other over-the-counter sleep aids, melatonin affects two pathways that encourage........

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