From gummy to tablet to liquid to patch, melatonin has taken over many high school students’ night routines as an attempt for a good night’s sleep. This quick-acting hormone supplement has been around for decades, but has recently gained widespread popularity through social media and word of mouth.  

   By working together with your circadian rhythm (your body’s clock), melatonin levels rise as it gets darker and binds to receptors in your body that help ease your body and mind. This powerful antioxidant also reduces dopamine, which is the hormone causing you to stay awake.  

   Once social media outlets including Instagram and TikTok took hold of melatonin products, many teenagers went to Amazon, CVS, Target, and even places like Urban Outfitters to test it out. Ranging from about 5 to 20 dollars, melatonin-infused gummies and tablets are sold over the counter and have proved to have minimal side effects. These effects can include dizziness, headaches and nausea.

   However, it does have many health benefits: eye health is enhanced, stomach ulcers and heartburn is reduced, tinnitus symptoms are eased, and growth hormone levels in men are increased. As long as a safe amount of melatonin is taken, which would be 0.5 to 3 milligrams, the health benefits usually add up and ultimately help many fix their sleep schedules. 

   With everything going on around the world adding even more stress to the average high schooler, melatonin, in my opinion, is an effective and easy way to help ease nerves and gain a restful night’s sleep.