Sleep-Obsessed Millennials Are Ditching Melatonin… Here’s Why
· Vice
For years, melatonin basically owned the sleep wellness category. If somebody couldn’t sleep, the automatic answer was usually some variation of “just take melatonin.” Gummies, capsules, sleepy mocktails, teas, dissolvable tablets, pillow sprays, skin patches… the supplement became unavoidable and put into anything practical. But lately, melatonin’s reputation has gotten a little complicated.
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A growing number of millennials are starting to rethink their relationship with the supplement, especially people deep into wellness culture who spent years experimenting with sleep hacks, routines, and recovery habits. The issue isn’t that melatonin is suddenly bad. So don’t worry about it if you need to take it. But a lot of people are realizing that it doesn’t always feel as simple and predictable as they originally thought.
As sleep wellness keeps evolving, people are starting to move away from the whole “just knock yourself out” approach.
Beautiful woman in pajamas cami top and alarm clockALSO RELATED: Best THC and CBD Sleep Gummies That Will Make You Stop Raw-Dogging Insomnia
1. Dosages Got Weirdly High
A lot of people don’t realize how strong some melatonin products actually are. Dr. Emma Lin, a pulmonologist and sleep medicine physician, explained to VICE that melatonin “doesn’t directly sedate patients” and instead “regulates circadian rhythm by signaling when it’s time to sleep based on environmental cues (such as light).” Which alludes to the issue that many sleep supplements contain far more melatonin than the body naturally produces, and that partially explains why some users wake up feeling groggy or mentally foggy the next morning.
Millennials are already tired enough. Nobody wants their sleep aid making them feel hungover before work.
2. Sleep Culture Changed
Wellness culture started treating sleep more holistically. It’s not about forcing yourself unconscious as fast as possible anymore. The vibe basically changed from: “how do I knock myself out?” To, “how do I actually wind down properly?” And melatonin doesn’t always fit neatly into that newer approach.
People now obsess over the nighttime rituals and routines that seem less aggressive, like the chamomile tea, the right room temperature, the favorite weighted blanket, and the brown noise playlist.
3. The Hangovers Got Old
One of the biggest complaints about melatonin is the grogginess and “sleep hangover” feeling some people get the next day.
So while some people still genuinely love and rely on melatonin, other people wake up feeling like they got hit by a tranquilizer dart.
Palliative care physician, Dr. Morvarid Rezaie explained to VICE that melatonin is often misunderstood as a sedative when it’s really intended to help regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycle. That’s why dosage and timing can make such a huge difference. Taking too much melatonin, or taking it too late, can leave users feeling sluggish the next day, especially with higher-dose products.
4. Blends Took Over
This is probably one of the biggest reasons here—there’s better options now.
Melatonin’s unpredictability is part of why some consumers started moving toward other nighttime wellness ingredients entirely. Dr. Matthew Roberts, a toxicologist and researcher tells VICE that, “different compounds may influence different aspects of the sleep process, which is why combinations are often used rather than relying on a single mechanism.”
Single-ingredient sleep products started feeling kind of outdated once sleep gummies combining compounds like THC, CBD, CBN, magnesium, and other calming botanicals entered the scene. Basically, people are looking for sleep support that feels smoother and more balanced rather than relying on one ingredient to do everything.
Dr. Lin notes that CBN and CBD work differently: “CBN acts primarily as an inducer of sleepiness, whereas CBD reduces anxiety, thereby reducing mental alertness.” She added that “many cases of insomnia are related to stress and respond well to CBD,” while “CBN may be more applicable in cases where the issue is a lack of sleepiness rather than anxiety or alertness.”
That’s part of why brands like Oola is getting some attention. Oola’s Sleep Ease Gummies are formulated with cannabinoid blends for nighttime relaxation without the melatonin.
(opens in a new window)Sleep Ease Gummies (opens in a new window)
$79.99 at Oola Buy Now (opens in a new window)5. Millennials Got Burned Out
Millennials spent years getting told to optimize every part of their existence, including sleep. At some point, people started pulling back from the more intense “biohack yourself unconscious” approach.
Melatonin still has a place, “it regulates the body’s internal clock [when needed],” says Dr. Lin. So it depends on how it’s used. Melatonin is better utilized when your sleep schedule is off, like jet lag, odd work hours, or occasional late nights, none of which are daily sleep issues. So melatonin is not a sustainable option for people seeking to improve their sleep problems on a regular basis.
People still want help sleeping. They just don’t necessarily want to feel chemically flattened in the process.
No More Melatonin For the Tired Millennial
Melatonin isn’t disappearing anytime soon. It still works well for plenty of people dealing with jet lag, schedule shifts, or occasional sleep support that comes with long distance travel and unusual long nights. But melatonin is clearly losing some of its dominance in wellness culture.
Millennials are more interested in feeling calm enough to naturally fall asleep, instead of trying to get KO’d right off the bat. That’s maybe why nighttime routines got so elaborate. And why blends (like Oola’s) involving cannabinoids, calming ingredients, and nervous system support started taking over.
People still want help sleeping. They just want that help to feel smoother, gentler, and slightly less like taking a hormonal sledgehammer before bed.
(opens in a new window)Sleep Ease Gummies (opens in a new window)
$79.99 at Oola Buy Now (opens in a new window)The post Sleep-Obsessed Millennials Are Ditching Melatonin… Here’s Why appeared first on VICE.