Sleep Quality (general)

Adults with sleep-onset difficulties; rule out sleep disorders first.

sleep
reduce sleep onset latency
improve subjective sleep quality

Core stack

Melatonin (immediate-release)
B

Form: tablet

Dose: 0.5–3 mg

1–2 h before target bedtime; lowest effective dose

Short-term use; consider drug holidays

Why: Most useful for circadian issues (jet lag/shift work); mixed evidence for chronic insomnia—CBT-I first-line.

Cautions
  • Daytime sleepiness, vivid dreams; interacts with some meds

Adjuncts

Magnesium (bisglycinate/citrate)
C

Dose: 200–400 mg elemental/day

Evening with food

Notes: Small/older RCTs show modest reduction in sleep-onset latency, mainly in older adults; overall evidence low quality.

Glycine
C

Dose: 3 g 30–60 min before bed

Pre-bed (dissolve in water or swallow capsules)

Notes: Small crossover RCTs suggest improved subjective sleep quality and next-day performance.

Not recommended

  • Chronic, high-dose melatonin: Limited long-term safety/efficacy data for non-circadian insomnia.

Monitoring

  • Sleep diary (SOL, TST)
  • Daytime sleepiness