Does Melatonin Have Calories? The Complete Nutritional Profile

What Is Melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone produced naturally by the body's pineal gland that helps control your circadian rhythm. Known as the "sleep hormone," it signals to your brain when it's time to go to sleep or wake up.

Melatonin levels begin to rise in the evening as exposure to light decreases, making you feel sleepy. Production stops in the morning when light exposure increases, revving your body up for the day.

Supplemental melatonin aims to mimic this cycle. Taking it before bed helps cue your brain that it's time for rest.

Melatonin as a Dietary Supplement

While your body makes melatonin naturally, you can also get it as an over-the-counter oral supplement. It's sold as tablets, capsules, gummies, and liquids.

Supplementing with melatonin may help if you have trouble falling asleep or wake frequently. It's most effective when taken at the right biological time - 30 minutes to 2 hours before your natural bedtime.

The optimal dosage can vary widely by individual. Most experts suggest starting with the smallest effective amount, like 0.5-1mg.

Does Melatonin Have Any Calories?

Melatonin is a hormone, not a food or macronutrient. So melatonin itself does not contain any calories or nutritional value.

However, dietary supplements are combined with other inactive ingredients that may add calories. Let's look at the calorie content of different forms of melatonin supplements.

Melatonin Tablets and Capsules

Melatonin tablets or capsules contain melatonin powder, along with fillers, binders, colorings, and coatings needed to create the pill form. These additional ingredients likely add only trace amounts of calories per serving.

For example, a typical 5mg melatonin tablet contains less than 1 calorie. Even taking a higher 10mg dose would result in negligible caloric intake.

Melatonin Gummies

Melatonin gummies include gelatin, sugar, corn syrup, and other ingredients that make them chewy and sweet. This means they can pack more calories per piece than plain tablets.

Calories in gummies range from 9-13 per gummy. Taking the typical dose of two 5mg gummies before bed would provide around 20 extra calories.

There are also sugar-free melatonin gummies available with minimal calories. But these are made with artificial sweeteners that some people prefer to avoid.

Melatonin Liquid

Melatonin liquids typically list zero calories or less than 1 calorie per full dose. The main additions are water, ethanol, and flavorings.

However, always check the product details. Some melatonin liquids contain sugars or glycerin that bump up the calorie content slightly.

A Note on Calories from Inactive Ingredients

While the melatonin itself is calorie-free, even low-calorie inactive ingredients can add up if you take other supplements as well.

Be aware of your total caloric intake from supplements if you need to restrict calories for health or weight loss reasons.

Otherwise, the tiny amount of calories from melatonin pills, gummies, or liquids shouldn't impact your diet or nutrition.

Comparing Melatonin Supplement Forms

Along with varying calorie content, melatonin supplement forms differ in other ways too. Heres an overview of the pros and cons of each:

Melatonin Tablets

Pros:

• Precise dosing
• Easy to swallow
• Least calories

Cons:

• May have more additives
• Not chewable

Melatonin Capsules

Pros:

• Easy to swallow
• Delayed-release options
• Can open to mix contents into food/drink

Cons:

• Difficult to divide doses
• Gelatin capsules not vegetarian

Melatonin Gummies

Pros:

• Great taste
• Chewable
• Fun and easy to take

Cons:

• More calories
• Sugar content
• Not the most precise dosing

Melatonin Liquid

Pros:

• Super easy to swallow
• Very flexible dosing
• Fast absorption

Cons:

• Potential alcohol content
• Can have strong taste

Consider your preferences, needs, and lifestyle to decide which melatonin form makes the most sense for you.

Other Tips for Taking Melatonin

To get the best sleep-promoting effects from melatonin without excess calories or additives, follow these guidelines:

• Start with the lowest effective dose (0.5-1mg).
• Take 30-120 minutes before your target bedtime.
• Choose instant or controlled release as needed.
• Pair with magnesium, zinc, and vitamin B6.
• Avoid bright lights, screens, and meals right before bed.
• Take nightly for 2-4 weeks, then cycle if needed.
• Talk to your doctor about correct dosage and safety.

Finding your optimal melatonin supplement approach takes some experimentation. But with a little tweaking, it can greatly improve your sleep without diet downsides.

General Health Benefits of Melatonin

In addition to its sleep-regulating effects, research shows melatonin offers other wellness perks. Melatonin may:

• Boost immune function
• Increase antioxidant activity
• Improve exercise performance when taken at night
• Reduce symptoms of heartburn and GERD
• Enhance skin health
• Help manage metabolic syndrome
• Ease headaches and migraines

Melatonin also has shown potential in slowing tumor growth and improving outcomes in cancer patients. More research on these applications is underway.

Is Melatonin Safe?

When used occasionally and in normal doses, melatonin is very safe for most adults. The most common side effect is mild drowsiness.

Rarely, melatonin may cause nausea, dizziness, irritability, vivid dreams, and confusion. High doses long term can lead to low progesterone levels and hypothermia.

Certain groups should use caution with melatonin:

• Pregnant or breastfeeding women
• Children and adolescents
• People with autoimmune disorders
• Those taking immune suppressing medications

Talk to your doctor before taking melatonin if you have any medical conditions or take other medications.

The Bottom Line on Melatonin and Calories

Pure melatonin is a hormone without calories or nutritional value. However, with supplements you may

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.