Valerian or melatonin: which is better for sleep?

The answer in one table

Valerian or melatonin: the difference in brief.

They often sit on the same shelf and get compared like two brands of the same thing. That is a mistake. Melatonin and valerian do not work on the same lever of sleep, and that is exactly what should guide your choice.

Melatonin is a hormone your body makes itself. It does not knock you out: it sends a time signal, "it is night". Valerian is a plant whose root has been used since antiquity to support relaxation and sleep. One speaks to your body clock, the other to your nervous tension.

For everything about each one, in detail, see our pages on melatonin and on valerian. Here we focus on a single question: which one to choose, and when.

How melatonin works

Melatonin, a clock more than a sleeping pill.

Every evening, as the light fades, a small gland in the centre of the brain, the pineal gland, starts secreting melatonin. Its level climbs during the first part of the night, then falls again in the early morning. Light, especially the blue light from screens and LEDs, slows this production.

This night-time peak acts as a conductor. It tells the whole body it is time to slow down: body temperature drops, alertness falls, the body gets ready for sleep. So melatonin does not "make" you sleep the way a sleeping pill does: it makes sleep possible at the right time. To find out more, discover mushrooms for better sleep.

That explains its real value, and its limits. When your clock is out of sync, because of a flight east, evenings that stretch to 2 am or a night-shift rota, melatonin taken at the right time can help reset it. When your clock works fine but you are tense, it does much less.

In Europe, two health claims are authorised for melatonin. The first: melatonin contributes to the reduction of time taken to fall asleep, with 1 mg taken close to bedtime. The second: melatonin contributes to the alleviation of subjective feelings of jet lag, with at least 0.5 mg taken close to bedtime on the first day of travel and on the following days. These are the only promises a manufacturer is allowed to make.

In France, a food supplement provides less than 2 mg of melatonin a day. Above that, it becomes a prescription-only medicine. It comes in immediate-release form, for falling asleep, or prolonged-release form, for staying asleep.

How valerian works

Valerian, the plant of relaxation.

Common valerian is a tall plant with pink flowers that grows in damp meadows across Europe. It is not the flower that is used but the root, dried and then ground into powder or made into an extract. Its smell is famous: strong, musky, likened by many to old socks.

Valerian has been used for sleep since at least ancient Greece. The monographs of the European Medicines Agency recognise it for temporary nervousness and mild sleep disorders.

Its chemistry is complex. Researchers have focused mainly on valerenic acid and valepotriates, and several laboratory studies suggest an interaction with the GABA system, the brain's main "brake" system. But no one yet knows exactly which molecule does what, and it is probably the root as a whole that counts.

Two practical points set it apart from melatonin. First, it is often taken over time: the monographs state that the optimal effect may take two to four weeks of regular use. Second, it does not touch your body clock. It will not bring your sleep time forward if you are a natural night owl, but it can support a mind that struggles to let go.

Note that it has no authorised health claim in Europe: like most plants, its file is still awaiting assessment. A serious manufacturer will therefore talk about tradition and studies, never about "valerian that makes you sleep".

Which one for your profile

Your night, your choice: six situations.

Rather than looking for "the best", start from what wakes you up or keeps you awake. Here are the most common cases, and the most consistent option for each.

Do you recognise yourself in several boxes? That is common. Stress pushes bedtime back, late bedtimes keep fatigue going, fatigue increases sensitivity to stress. Combined formulas exist for exactly these multi-cause nights.

Three questions to choose

Melatonin or valerian: the quick test.

Answer these three questions in order. In under a minute, you will know which way to go.

And if you tick none? Your problem may lie elsewhere: coffee too late, a heavy dinner, a bedroom that is too warm, alcohol, or a disorder that deserves medical advice. We come back to this in the section on when to see a doctor.

How to take them

Dose, timing, duration: how to use them.

With melatonin, timing matters as much as the dose. With valerian, regularity makes the difference. Here are the benchmarks to know, always adapted to your product's label.

A common mistake with melatonin is raising the dose when the effect disappoints. More is not better: a high dose can leave you groggy the next day without helping you fall asleep faster. Better to check your timing and your exposure to light in the evening.

With valerian, the opposite mistake is common: take it for two evenings, feel nothing, stop. Give it a few weeks, taking it at a set time. And if the smell puts you off, choose a capsule rather than a tea.

Valerian and melatonin together

Can you combine valerian and melatonin?

Yes, and it is actually a common combination. Because they do not act on the same lever, they do not overlap: one gives the time signal, the other supports relaxation. Many sleep formulas sold in pharmacies are built on this pair, often with magnesium or other plants added.

That is the thinking behind our formula Sleep+. It brings together five ingredients in a single capsule, taken with water 30 minutes before sleep:

• Melatonin, for the signal to fall asleep, at a food-supplement dose.
• Valerian, the traditional plant for evening relaxation.
• Reishi, the mushroom that Chinese medicine has linked with calm for centuries.
• Magnesium bisglycinate, a well-tolerated form of magnesium, which contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
• Acacia fibre, a gentle fibre that rounds off the formula.

The advantage of a combined formula: one dose, doses designed to work together, and no need to stack three bottles on your bedside table. The drawback: if you do not tolerate one of the ingredients, you have to switch product. If you already take melatonin or valerian on its own, do not combine it with Sleep+: choose one or the other.

If your difficult nights come mainly from days under pressure, the Relaxation Pack pairs Sleep+ in the evening with Anti-Stress in the morning. The idea: tackle tension during the day, so it is not waiting for you intact at 11 pm.

Side effects and precautions

What to know before taking them.

Melatonin and valerian are generally well tolerated by adults at food-supplement doses. That does not make them harmless. With melatonin, the most reported side effects are headaches, next-day drowsiness, dizziness and nausea. With valerian, mainly digestive upset, headaches and sometimes a heavy feeling on waking.

In 2018, France's food safety agency (Anses) published an opinion on melatonin food supplements, after collecting reports of adverse effects. It recommends that certain groups avoid these products, and that everyone else take them only for short periods, when needed.

And dependence? Neither melatonin nor valerian is known to cause dependence comparable to sleeping pills. On the other hand, getting used to a pill to sleep can mask an underlying problem. Take regular breaks to check whether you still need it.

The habits that matter

What helps both.

No supplement will make up for a bedroom at 24 degrees, a coffee at 5 pm or a phone under your pillow. Conversely, a few simple habits make both melatonin and valerian far more effective.

• Regular wake-up times, weekends included: this is the first setting of your body clock.
• Daylight in the morning and dim light in the evening, with no screens in the hour before bed.
• Your last coffee in the early afternoon. Our Brainstoorm contains only 20 mg of caffeine per cup, but we keep it for the morning too.
• A cool, dark, quiet bedroom, around 18 degrees.
• A light, not-too-late dinner, and no alcohol to "help" you sleep.
• A ritual of a few minutes: reading, slow breathing, herbal tea, always in the same order.

To learn more about the link between stress, cortisol and difficult nights, read our article on how to lower cortisol.

When to see a doctor

When a supplement is no longer enough.

Melatonin and valerian are aids for temporary difficulties. They do not treat chronic insomnia, sleep apnoea or depression. Talk to your doctor if:

• Your difficulties have lasted more than three months, at least three nights a week.
• You are sleepy during the day, to the point of dozing off in meetings or at the wheel.
• You are told you snore loudly or stop breathing during the night.
• Your insomnia comes with persistent sadness, marked anxiety or pain.
• You have needed a product every night for months to sleep.

For chronic insomnia, European guidelines put cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia first, before any medication. It is delivered by trained professionals, sometimes online, in a few sessions.

Sources

1. Ferracioli-Oda E., Qawasmi A., Bloch M. H. (2013). Meta-analysis: melatonin for the treatment of primary sleep disorders. PLoS One, 8(5).
2. Herxheimer A., Petrie K. J. (2002). Melatonin for the prevention and treatment of jet lag. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
3. Bent S., Padula A., Moore D., Patterson M., Mehling W. (2006). Valerian for sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The American Journal of Medicine, 119(12).
4. Fernández-San-Martín M. I. et al. (2010). Effectiveness of Valerian on insomnia: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. Sleep Medicine, 11(6).
5. Anses (2018). Opinion on the risks associated with consuming food supplements containing melatonin (in French).
6. Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods.

Keep reading

Sleep better: go further.

Sleep is one of our favourite topics. Discover our guides and the ingredients in our evening formulas, or browse the page of all our active ingredients.