We’ve all been there. Lying awake at 2 a.m., eyes open, counting sheep that never seem to lead anywhere. So you reach for that familiar bottle of melatonin gummies. After all, it’s natural, right?
Not so fast.
While melatonin has earned a reputation as the go-to natural sleep solution, what many people don’t realize is that supplementing with it can actually interfere with your body’s natural rhythms and hormones over time. To understand why, let’s start with what melatonin actually is and what it isn’t.
What Melatonin Really Does
Melatonin is a hormone primarily produced by your pineal gland, a small structure deep in your brain that helps regulate your sleep–wake cycle, also called your circadian rhythm. Interestingly, your body also makes melatonin in other areas, including the gut, retina, and immune system, where it supports digestion, reduces inflammation, and aids in cellular repair.¹
Melatonin primarily influences the REM phase of sleep, which is the lighter, dream-filled part of sleep. That is not the same as deep sleep, or restorative sleep, when your body repairs tissues, balances hormones, and regenerates cells. So while melatonin can help you fall asleep faster, it will not necessarily help your body heal while you sleep.
Plus, modern life gets in the way. Melatonin levels rise in response to darkness, signaling your body that it is time to rest, and fall when exposed to light. Cortisol, your natural wake-up hormone, is supposed to rise in the morning to get you going. Late-night screens and artificial lighting often disrupt this rhythm, leaving many people sleep-deprived and out of sync.
Constant exposure to artificial light, especially blue light from phones, TVs, and computers, tricks your brain into thinking it is still daytime. This suppresses melatonin production, delays sleep, and disrupts your circadian rhythm. Over time, that disruption can affect everything from your hormones and metabolism to your mood and immune function.
Restoring natural sleep is not just about getting more hours. It is about resetting your biology so your body knows how to deeply rest.
Why I Don’t Recommend Traditional Melatonin
As someone who’s worked with patients and clients for decades, I’ve seen the drawbacks of relying on synthetic or isolated hormones. Melatonin is a hormone, and introducing any hormone in its native state can disrupt the body’s natural endocrine balance.
Regular use of melatonin supplements can suppress your body’s own production of it, and studies show it may influence other hormones, including those related to reproduction, metabolism, and even puberty in children.
For example, research has found that:
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High doses of melatonin can suppress ovulation when combined with progesterone²
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It can interfere with estrogen signaling³
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Long-term use in children may delay the onset of puberty⁴
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It influences leptin (the hormone that regulates appetite and metabolism) and insulin sensitivity, affecting blood sugar balance⁵
While these effects are not always severe in adults, it’s important to remember that hormones work in delicate harmony. When you add one in from the outside, the whole system can shift.
Dr. Garber’s Top 5 Sleep Tips for Restorative Rest
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Power down your screens.
Avoid “doom scrolling” or watching the news before bed. Blue light and emotional stimulation both suppress melatonin production and keep the nervous system on high alert. -
Create a wind-down ritual.
Dim the lights, sip a calming herbal tea (like chamomile or valerian root), and take a few deep belly breaths or try Legs Up the Wall yoga pose. Consistency signals your body that it’s time to transition into rest mode. -
Support your circadian rhythm.
Expose yourself to natural light in the morning (through your window doesn't count — get outside!) and keep evenings calm and dim. This helps your internal clock regulate hormones that control sleep and wakefulness. -
Eat early and lightly.
Large or late meals can keep digestion active and make it harder to fall into deep sleep. Aim to finish dinner at least two hours before bed. -
Nourish your nervous system.
Use biotherapies like Dr. Garber’s Sleep Aid to calm the body and mind naturally, helping your body reach the deep, restorative phase where true healing happens.
Why I Created Sleep Aid Without Melatonin
When I developed Dr. Garber’s Sleep Aid, my goal was to help people reach the deepest, most restorative phase of sleep — the phase where true healing occurs at a cellular level. To do that, I needed to work with the body’s innate healing intelligence, not override it.
For the reasons listed above, and because it is not a biotherapy, I chose to formulate Sleep Aid without melatonin and instead with ingredients that support natural rest by acting on the nervous system, the heart, and the sleep centers of the brain. Each component comes from one of the three biotherapeutic modalities I use: Gemmotherapy, Lithotherapy, and Organotherapy (you can learn more about them here).
Inside Dr. Garber’s Sleep Aid
Each ingredient in Dr. Garber’s Sleep Aid is carefully chosen to guide your body into the deepest, most restorative stages of sleep, supporting natural repair, calm, and balance.
Lime Tree Buds (Tilia tomentosa) — Gemmotherapy
Traditionally used as a sedative, Lime Tree buds mimic the effects of GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid), the neurotransmitter that quiets nerve activity and reduces excitability. Studies show that Tilia tomentosa acts as an anxiolytic (a compound that reduces anxiety) and helps the mind transition smoothly into sleep⁶.
Fig Tree Buds (Ficus carica) — Gemmotherapy
These buds calm nervous tension that often begins in the stomach, helping balance the gut–brain axis. Fig Tree buds restore inner calm, relieve stress, and help the body shift naturally into rest mode.
English Hawthorn Shoots (Crataegus oxyacantha) — Gemmotherapy
English Hawthorn supports heart rhythm and circulation while calming the central nervous system. Its regulatory effect on heart rate and nervous tone promotes a steady, balanced sleep pattern.
Rhodonite — Lithotherapy
Known as the Stone of Compassion, Rhodonite contains manganese, an essential mineral that promotes parasympathetic activity, AKA the body’s “rest and digest” state. It encourages calm, lowers stress, and supports deep, restorative sleep.
Bulbinum Extract — Organotherapy
Derived from the medulla oblongata, the brain’s sleep center, Bulbinum helps calm overactive midbrain activity. The midbrain plays a key role in regulating the sleep–wake cycle, and when overstimulated, it can prevent you from staying asleep. Bulbinum helps bring this rhythm back into balance, supporting the body’s ability to reach deep sleep.
The Bottom Line
Melatonin can be useful in very specific situations — such as helping the body adjust to jet lag — but it’s not designed to restore the quality of your sleep. True rest happens in the deep, regenerative stages of the night, when your body repairs, detoxifies, and heals.
That’s exactly what Dr. Garber’s Sleep Aid is designed to support.
So before you pop that melatonin gummy, remember this: better sleep doesn’t come from forcing your body to rest. It comes from restoring your body’s natural ability to fall asleep deeply, peacefully, and naturally.
References:
¹ National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Melatonin: What You Need to Know. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/melatonin-what-you-need-to-know
² Frontiers in Endocrinology. Melatonin and reproduction. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2020.00085/full
³ Touro College Scholar Journal. Melatonin and estrogen pathways. https://touroscholar.touro.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1138&context=sjlcas
⁴ eClinicalMedicine (The Lancet). Melatonin and puberty. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(23)00260-2/fulltext
⁵ Frontiers in Endocrinology. Melatonin and metabolic hormones. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2019.00488/full
⁶ Medical Sciences (Basel, Switzerland). Enhancing Sleep Quality: Assessing the Efficacy of a Fixed Combination of Linden, Hawthorn, Vitamin B1, and Melatonin. https://doi.org/10.3390/medsci12010002
