Life Extension Melatonin 6 Hour Timed Release, 300 mcg, Extended-Release Formula for Gentle Sleep Support, Healthy circadian Rhythms, Cellular Defense, Gluten-Free, Non-GMO, Vegetarian, 100 Tablets

I have used melatonin for years. I would always wake in the middle of the night, usually after 4 hours, and have trouble getting back to sleep. (I took half of a 5 mg tablet or dissolving lozenge.) The combination of extended release, which actually works, and a tiny, close to physiologic dose, appears special. I was skeptical of the tiny dose but perhaps this contributes to not experiencing the “this is morning” effect when I do wake in the night. And I do still frequently wake, but with this preparation I go back to sleep easily. For me, the effectiveness of this preparation is qualitatively different.

Personally, I feel as if Melatonin in stores has a much higher concentration than necessary for adequate sleep. Usually, 5-10mg is what you'd get at Walmart or Walgreens, and it only serves to keep me up even longer rather than putting me to bed; however, with this brand, its 300mcg concentration is around what the body would produce in a normal day anyway, so I find it much easier to go to bed after only a few minutes since taking it. The pills are very small and easy to swallow, I don't even use water most of the time.

I’ve tried just about every kind of melatonin over the years—fast dissolve, gummies, sprays, even teas—and while most helped me *fall* asleep, none could help me *stay* asleep. I’d wake up at 3 a.m. staring at the ceiling, wide awake, wishing I’d never taken anything at all. Then I found this 6-hour time-release melatonin from Life Extension, and it’s honestly been a quiet miracle in my nightly routine. The first night, I noticed the difference. I didn’t feel that “melatonin hangover” or grogginess that some formulas give you. Instead, it felt like my body just… naturally drifted off and stayed there. The best part? When I woke up in the morning, it wasn’t with that heavy, foggy feeling—just calm, rested energy. Here’s what really impressed me: it eases you into sleep gently and then *keeps you there*, thanks to the time-release formula. It’s like having a quiet sleep assistant working in the background all night, releasing just enough melatonin to keep your brain from hitting that “wake up too early” button. I take one about 30 minutes before bed, do my usual wind-down routine, and by the time I hit the pillow, my mind is calm and my body feels ready. I’ve had some of the best, most consistent sleep of my adult life using this—especially after struggling with pain and restless nights post-surgery. If you’re tired of products that work for an hour and then leave you tossing and turning at 2 a.m., this is the one to try. It doesn’t feel like a pill—it feels like finally remembering what real sleep is supposed to be like.

I've now tried this brand and this smaller dose for about 4 nights, 2 of those nights consecutively. I must say that this dose does seem to work. It seems unintuitive to take a smaller dose and have it work, but it does. I read that most people take the higher dose because they think "more is better" and because that most brands will sell the higher dose because of a patent on the smaller dose. The patent is on 1mg or less by MIT, because Professor Wurtman discovered that small doses of this (0.3 MILLIgrams) (.3mg = this brands 300mcg) worked better. When the melatonin receptors in the brain are exposed to too much of the hormone, they become unresponsive. I've read that occurs in about 3 days. As a result, many people don't think melatonin works at all. To get around paying for the patented version, companies sell the higher doses, even though efficacy is almost nil. Crazy! After hearing about this, I bought this to try out, because I too was one of those people that it seemed to not work after a few times of taking it. Larger doses seem to help me when using once in awhile, but not when used consistently. Great product, and it seems this brand knows its supplements.

Sometimes less is more, and that seems to be the case with Melatonin. Apparently you can overload your body with too much Melatonin, leading to poor sleep results. My wife and I have both had good results with this dosing over a period of a couple of months.

This one is pretty good, but not quite excellent. We are using this one for our sweet daughter who really struggles with sleep. We love the studies showing that low dose is often more effective, and extended release is the way to go in the world of melatonin. We decided to try this one first because it was smaller than some other pills, and therefore easier for her to swallow. We have had pretty good results but not life changing. This is most likely because the level of anxiety that is preventing sleep is profound. The good news is that these pills are pretty small. they are just about the size of an advil tablet. This makes them easy for most people, and a decent amount of children to swallow. This is great news in my view. They do seem to have a decent extended release, but the real pro here is that it is just enough that she wakes up without a melatonin groggy feeling or hangover. It is always a massive bummer to wake up not feeling refreshed, and when you are dealing with sleep issues this is the worst as you are already tired - you don't need to add to it. For us this keeps her sound asleep for about 5 to 6 hours. No, that doesn't sound like much, but that amount of time has been life changing for us. We like this one, but again...it doesn't seem to have enough of an extended release for our needs. For now we will continue to use this one as it is a significant change for us, and we are grateful for that!

I take this alongside glycine and 99% of the time, these sleep supplements keep me rested for the next day. It doesn't work 100% of the time but overall given how low this price is, it's a no brainer to have this brand of melatonin at your disposal.

I emailed the company that makes this melatonin product ("Quality Supplements and Vitamins, Inc.", dba, "LifeExtension"), twice, after purchasing and receiving this product, and discovering that no source was given on the bottle for the melatonin used in the product. They responded with what I would call a "public-relations"-type letter that did not, in my opinion, address my concerns. It appears to me that they intentionally tried to "snow" me with misleading statements that did not respond to my questions. They attached a copy of their "COA" for this product that indicates that they perform tests for bacterial, fungal and heavy-metal contamination. This is probably sufficient, I believe, for testing samples of botanical materials, but is insufficient, I believe, for the testing of melatonin, or other drugs - which manufactured melatonin is. Melatonin, or any drug, should, in my opinion, be tested for purity and chemical contamination (which is the whole purpose of using "USP verified" materials). They argued, essentially, that because they are not required to do this by law, that it was unnecessary and just a marketing gimmick - I would say a very-good marketing gimmick. They emphasized that they comply with "current Good Manufacturing Practices", which is a good thing, but is, in my opinion, misleading in this instance, as cGMP will do nothing to prevent the use of impure and chemically-contaminated drugs that may be used in compounding a product - even without the manufacturer's knowledge. A pharmaceutical-grade compound is "a drug, biologic, or reagent that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or for which a chemical purity standard has been established by the United States Pharmacopeia-National Formulary (USP-NF) or British Pharmacopeia (BP)." Melatonin, as a manufactured product, is a drug. It is not "unfortunate" that some manufacturers meet this standard. In my opinion, if a company's melatonin does not meet this standard, it should not be sold for human consumption. Researchers, performing studies with animals normally require this standard for the products they use, to prevent the harming of their test animals. It is shocking, to me, that a company would show less concern to their customers, than researchers show to their test animals. Consumer Reports states: "When you purchase any melatonin product (or any other dietary supplement, for that matter), make sure to look for the “USP verified” label. This seal indicates that the product has been subject to voluntary testing and meets US Pharmacopeia Convention standards (meaning the product is accurately labeled and free of harmful substances)." Consumer Reports further states: "Researchers from the University of Guleph in Ontario, Canada, tested 31 different melatonin supplements from 16 different brands. ... Here’s what they found: "The actual melatonin content of those products ranged from 83% less to 478% more than the amount advertised on the label, with most products (21 out of 31) failing to fall within 10% of the label claim." "Variability within individual products was also high; some products differed by as much as 465% in their melatonin content from one package to the next." "Eight of the tested products also contained serotonin, a by-product of melatonin degradation that has its own medicinal effects and risks associated with overuse." "... for most people, serotonin poses an even bigger risk. It's possible to overdose on very low levels of this chemical, the study's authors write. The condition is known as “serotonin syndrome,” and can range from mild (shivering and diarrhea) to severe (muscle rigidity, fever and seizures)." I do not know if this company's product was included in this test - it may not have been, but the whole point is, if USP-verified melatonin is not used, we have no way of knowing if it is safe for consumption. If this company complies with cGMP standards, it would suggest that there should be uniformity from pill to pill in the dosage present, and that they have not themselves contaminated the product during the manufacturing process, but the quality and safety of the melatonin included is still not addressed. This may be one great product, but without independent certification (through USP verification} of the melatonin they use, we have no way to know this. I've tossed my bottle in the trash to be safe, even though I am not one that likes to waste my money. If what I've read on the internet is true, a lot of unsafe, even dangerous, drugs and chemicals are being manufactured in third-world countries, and imported to the United States for use by the largely-unregulated supplement industry. With so many companies, today, making the maximization of profits their only concern, why should anyone trust any manufacturer who considers the independent verification of the purity of the ingredients they use in their products as unimportant?