Melatonin vs Valerian
Which is better for sleep?
Awaiting clinical review. This comparison is built from sourced entries but has not yet been signed off by a pharmacist or clinician.
Short answer
Pick melatonin. Its evidence for falling asleep is Moderate but the effect is small (about 7 minutes faster across 19 trials), while valerian's is Limited: more people report sleeping better, but measured time to fall asleep differed by 0.70 minutes and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine advises against it for chronic insomnia. Melatonin has its own limits: NCCIH says the evidence for chronic insomnia is not strong enough, and long-term safety is unknown.
Small but measured gain: about 7 minutes faster to fall asleep in a 19-trial meta-analysis
People report better sleep, but measured sleep onset and the best-designed trials show no effect
Side by side
| Attribute | Melatonin | Valerian |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence for sleep | Moderate (falling asleep (adults)) | Limited (sleep quality and insomnia) |
| Best for | Jet lag | Subjective sleep quality |
| How fast | Same night | 2 weeks |
| Typical form | Oral tablet or capsule, 0.5–5 mg | Root extract, 300–600 mg at night |
| Main caution | Long-term safety unknown; overdose risk in children | Adds to alcohol and sedatives; not for pregnancy |
| Safe in pregnancy? | Safety research is lacking | Not established; EU regulator advises against |
| Longest use covered | Long-term safety not established | Studied up to 6 weeks |
| Children | Overdose risk; keep all products locked away | Not recommended under 12 |
Which should you pick?
Choose Melatonin if
- you mainly struggle to fall asleep and want the option with a measured, if small, benefit
- you are an adult, not pregnant or breastfeeding, and not on warfarin or another blood thinner
- you can judge it over about a week and stop if there is no clear gain
Choose Valerian if
- you prefer a herbal option and accept that the evidence is Limited, judged over 2 to 4 weeks
- you take warfarin or another blood thinner (melatonin's entry says to ask first; valerian's lists no such row)
- you are not pregnant, take no sedatives and do not drink alcohol around bedtime
Questions people ask
Can I take melatonin and valerian together?
No interaction between the two is recorded in either entry, and neither reviews the pair being taken together. Valerian's entry advises against combining it with sedatives or alcohol; melatonin's records only blood thinners, so its silence on sedatives and alcohol is a gap in the sources, not clearance.
Does melatonin or valerian work better for sleep?
Melatonin has the better-measured effect: about 7 minutes faster to fall asleep and about 8 minutes more sleep across 19 placebo-controlled trials. More people report better sleep on valerian than on placebo, but time to fall asleep differed by only 0.70 minutes and the best-designed trials found no effect. Both effects are small.
How long before I know whether it is working?
For melatonin, the trials suggest judging over about a week and stopping if there is no clear gain. For valerian, the EU monograph recommends 2 to 4 weeks and says to see a doctor or pharmacist if sleep has not improved after 2 weeks.
Is either safe to take every night?
The entries cannot say. Melatonin's long-term safety has not been established, and valerian's trials ran up to 6 weeks. Both are advised against in pregnancy or without safety data, and melatonin is a particular risk if children swallow it by accident.
Sources
- Meta-analysis Ferracioli-Oda E, Qawasmi A, Bloch MH. Meta-analysis: melatonin for the treatment of primary sleep disorders. PLoS One. 2013.
- Regulator guidance NCCIH. Melatonin: What You Need To Know. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, reviewed May 2024.
- Systematic review Taibi DM, Landis CA, Petry H, Vitiello MV. A systematic review of valerian as a sleep aid: safe but not effective. Sleep Med Rev. 2007.
- Meta-analysis Fernández-San-Martín MI, Masa-Font R, Palacios-Soler L, et al. Effectiveness of valerian on insomnia: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. Sleep Med. 2010.
- Umbrella review Valente V, Machado D, Jorge S, Drake CL, Marques DR. Does valerian work for insomnia? An umbrella review of the evidence. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2024.
- Regulator/health agency NCCIH. Valerian: Usefulness and Safety. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (last updated May 2025).