Melatonin for Kids with Anxiety: Is It Safe? And What Else Can Help Your Child Sleep Naturally?
Sleep is one of the most common struggles I hear from parents, especially those raising anxious kids.
“My child takes hours to fall asleep.”
“They ask to sleep in my bed every night.”
“They need the lights on—and still feel scared.”
“Bedtime ends in a meltdown almost every night.”
When a child with anxiety isn’t sleeping well, it doesn’t just impact them, it affects the entire family. Tired kids are more reactive, more overwhelmed, and less able to cope with the challenges of the day.
If you're living this, you know how fast the cycle spins. Everyone needs a good night's sleep!
Researchers agree: even a 30–60 minute sleep deficit can increase impulsivity, poor memory, and emotional instability in children. That’s why sleep is one of the first things I address when working with families on a drug-free plan to stabilize mood, learning, and behavior challenges, especially when anxiety is in the mix.
Why Sleep Is Especially Tough for Anxious Kids
For anxious children whose nervous systems have been running on overdrive all day, their bodies are still flooded with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline when bedtime comes. They can’t “just relax” when relaxation is exactly what they need. Sleep is when the nervous system does its deepest healing work. Restorative sleep helps regulate emotional responses, strengthens memory, balances hormones, and clears out toxins that build up during the day. Anxious kids who can't sleep get stuck in a loop of stress and dysregulation.
So how do you begin to break it? And is melatonin a safe option for kids?
Is Melatonin Safe for Children with Anxiety?
Melatonin is the hormone that signals to the brain and body that it’s time to sleep. It's also one of our most important antioxidants that protects our cells from damage.
Our bodies make it naturally when it gets dark and cortisol levels drop. But in some kids, melatonin production can be delayed or disrupted making it tough to get to and stay asleep.
Supplementing with a low dose(0.25 to 3 mg) of melatonin can help some children fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. And based on the research at this time when used short term and at low doses, it appears to be safe for most children. Several large-scale reviews report that side effects like daytime grogginess, headache, or dizziness are rare and usually resolve on their own or with discontinuation.
We still don’t have a lot of data on long-term safety, especially with higher doses and especially in kids. So I tend to use melatonin as a bridge; it can interrupt the vicious cycle of poor sleep so everyone feels better, but should not be needed long term.
The goal is to use it to reset your child’s system, not override it.
What Else Helps Anxious Kids Sleep Naturally?
Small doses of melatonin may be fine for your child short term, but if they struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep, or have bedtime anxiety, here are strategies you might try to help increase melatonin's activity without actually giving melatonin:
1. Create a Predictable Bedtime Routine
Anxious children feel safest when they know what’s coming next. When cortisol (our main stress hormone) is high, melatonin can't do its job. A calming, consistent bedtime routine helps lower cortisol and cue the body for sleep. Keep it simple and repeat it nightly: bath, story, lights dimmed, gentle music, snuggles (or whatever works in your family!).
2. Use Essential Oils to Soothe the Nervous System
Sents like lavender, chamomile, cedarwood, and frankincense, or various blends to support Circadian Rhythm, may help soothe the nervous system so Melatonin can do its job. Just a drop behind the ears or on the soles of the feet can signal calm to the brain and body.
3. Support Sleep Hormones with Natural Light and Movement
Morning sunlight and physical activity are powerful ways to balance melatonin and cortisol. Get your child outside in the first hour of the day when possible, even 10 minutes helps.
4. Turn Off Screens Early
Blue light from phones, tablets, and TVs can suppress melatonin by up to 50%. Ideally, screens should go off two hours before bed. If that’s not possible due to homework demands, try blue-light-blocking glasses or screen apps with a warm light filter.
5. Try 5-HTP for Mood and Sleep Support
For anxious children, 5-HTP (5-Hydroxy-Tryptophan) throughout the day can be a helpful supplement. It supports serotonin, which the body uses to make melatonin. 50mg in the morning is a good starting dose. If your child is on any kind of mood medication, consult with a practitioner first.
6. Focus On Breakfast
Hunger and anxiety are closely linked. A breakfast rich in protein, healthy fats and fiber can help reset their internal clock and support stable blood sugar, which is key for emotional regulation. Need breakfast ideas? Click here and grab these
7. Consider Saffron Extract
Emerging research suggests saffron may help increase melatonin naturally, support cognition, and reduce inflammation in the nervous system. It’s gentle and has shown promise in supporting mood and sleep. Look for a standardized extract.
8. Strategic probiotics
Certain gut bacteria, including Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri), Akkermansia, and Bifidobacterium, have been shown to support the production of melatonin in animals. We need further research on how this may translate to humans, but we do know enough now to know that a healthy gut microbiome can enhance sleep.
Bottom Line
If your anxious child is caught in a spiral of poor sleep, melatonin can be a helpful short-term tool. It can be a “pattern-interrup,” but long-term progress comes from calming the nervous system, creating routines that foster safety, and supporting the body's own ability to regulate sleep. Start with small, steady changes:
- Stick to a predictable evening rhythm
- Reduce screen exposure
- Feed the brain with sleep-supportive nutrients
- Support strong resilient gut health
- Build in movement and morning light
- Use supplements like melatonin or 5-HTP sparingly and strategically when needed
Your child doesn’t need a perfect sleep routine. But they do need a system that helps their body and brain feel safe enough to rest. And when that begins to happen, even in small ways, you’ll often see the rest of their emotional world start to settle as well.
References:
Saffron and melatonin synthesis De La Fuente Muñoz, M., Román-Carmena, M., Amor, S., Garcı́a-Villalón, A., Espinel, A., González-Hedström, D., & García, M. (2023). Effects of Supplementation with the Standardized Extract of Saffron (affron®) on the Kynurenine Pathway and Melatonin Synthesis in Rats. Antioxidants, 12.
Adverse effects of melatonin in kids review Händel, M., Andersen, H., Ussing, A., Virring, A., Jennum, P., Debes, N., Laursen, T., Baandrup, L., Gade, C., Dettmann, J., Holm, J., Krogh, C., Birkefoss, K., Tarp, S., Bliddal, M., & Edemann-Callesen, H. (2023). The short-term and long-term adverse effects of melatonin treatment in children and adolescents: a systematic review and GRADE assessment. eClinicalMedicine, 61.
Adverse events related to melatonin Besag, F., & Vasey, M. (2022). Adverse events in long-term studies of exogenous melatonin. Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, 21, 1469 - 1481.
Effectiveness and safety of melatonin review Besag, F., Vasey, M., Lao, K., & Wong, I. (2019). Adverse Events Associated with Melatonin for the Treatment of Primary or Secondary Sleep Disorders: A Systematic Review. CNS Drugs, 1 - 20.
Effectiveness and safety of melatonin review Edemann-Callesen, H., Andersen, H., Ussing, A., Virring, A., Jennum, P., Debes, N., Laursen, T., Baandrup, L., Gade, C., Dettmann, J., Holm, J., Krogh, C., Birkefoss, K., Tarp, S., & Händel, M. (2023). Use of melatonin in children and adolescents with idiopathic chronic insomnia: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and clinical recommendation. eClinicalMedicine, 61.
Sleep and cognitive function Dahl, R. (1996). The impact of inadequate sleep on children's daytime cognitive function.. Seminars in pediatric neurology, 3 1, 44-50 .
Sleep duration and impulsivity Gruber, R., Cassoff, J., Frenette, S., Wiebe, S., & Carrier, J. (2012). Impact of Sleep Extension and Restriction on Children’s Emotional Lability and Impulsivity. Pediatrics, 130, e1155 - e1161.
Sleep and memory Harrington, M., Karapanagiotidis, T., Phillips, L., Smallwood, J., Anderson, M., & Cairney, S. (2023). Memory control deficits in the sleep-deprived human brain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 122.
Microbiome and melatonin Lian, Z., Xu, Y., Wang, C., Chen, Y., Yuan, L., Liu, Z., Liu, Y., He, P., Cai, Z., & Zhao, J. (2023). Gut microbiota-derived melatonin from Puerariae Lobatae Radix-resistant starch supplementation attenuates ischemic stroke injury via a positive microbial co-occurrence pattern.. Pharmacological research, 106714
Microbiome and melatonin Ruteri - Liu, B., Fan, L., Wang, Y., Wang, H., Yan, Y., Chen, S., Hung, I., Liu, C., Wei, H., Ge, L., & Ren, W. (2024). Gut microbiota regulates host melatonin production through epithelial cell MyD88. Gut Microbes, 16.
Microbiome, melatonin and mental health Ahmadi, S., Taghizadieh, M., Mehdizadehfar, E., Hasani, A., Fard, J., Feizi, H., Hamishehkar, H., Ansarin, M., Yekani, M., & Memar, M. (2024). Gut microbiota in neurological diseases: Melatonin plays an important regulatory role.. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie, 174, 116487 .
