Nature Made Melatonin 5 mg Review

Melatonin is the main ingredient here, and this product gives 5 milligrams, more than the dose that worked in studies. Pooling five randomized trials, melatonin lowered the top blood pressure number by about 3.4 points and the bottom number by about 3.3 points compared with control ^[1]. Eight trials in people with metabolic disorders also found lower readings, though results varied a lot between studies ^[2]. In patients taking antipsychotic drugs, the top number fell by about 3.3 points ^[3]. In treated patients with high blood pressure at night, 2 milligrams of slow-release melatonin at bedtime lowered night readings more than placebo ^[4]. However, the benefit seems to depend on the form. Across seven trials, slow-release melatonin cut night blood pressure while fast-release did not help ^[5]. A pooled look at four trials in people with high blood pressure found a small drop that was not statistically significant, and the evidence was low quality ^[6]. The calcium in this product is only a trace amount, far below the roughly 1,000 milligrams used in studies. At study doses, calcium modestly lowered blood pressure in people with normal readings ^[7][8] and lowered the risk of high blood pressure in pregnancy ^[9][10], but this small amount is unlikely to matter. Animal and cell studies are never counted.

The panel is split on melatonin, but most of them use it, mainly for jet lag, schedule disruption, or getting to sleep, and several recommend it for short-term use. Doses they give are far lower than the 5 milligrams in this product: half a milligram, 0.3 to 1 milligram, 1 or 2 milligrams, and a cap of one milligram, though two of them take 3 milligrams and one takes a high dose for the first nights of long travel. Timing advice includes taking it about 3 hours before bed, and one panelist pairs it with blocking bright light. Half of the panel warns against it, citing chronic use, doses in commercial products that are too high, less REM sleep in children, a study linking long-term use to heart failure, and grogginess, and several say it often fails to keep people asleep or fix the real sleep problem. Calcium is a smaller ingredient in this product, and the panel is mixed on it, with some recommending it for bones and one warning against the carbonate form.