Sleep Well Tonight with These Homemade Melatonin Gummies

You know what’s the total pits? Insomnia. Especially the kind caused by stressing out about not being able to sleep. It’s its own form of cruel and unusual punishment. But whenever sleeplessness rears its ugly head, I turn to my natural medicine cabinet for relief.

Recently I’ve been having the best luck with melatonin, and when I saw melatonin gummies at the store, I knew they were onto something. No tea to brew, tinctures to swallow or pills to pop? Sign me up. And just like our tummy-soothing charcoal gummies, they’re fun to eat in addition to being functional.

Just eat a few of these cherry gummies at bedtime and you’re ready to catch some zzz’s. Oh, and the best part? You control the dosage and ingredients.

How to Make Melatonin Gummies

I have tried practically every insomnia remedy under the sun.

My go-to used to be sleepy time tea because, guys, that stuff works. But between boiling the water, steeping the tea, letting it cool then waiting for it to kick in, I could never time it quite right.

I was either falling asleep at 7 pm or midnight, neither of which were my goal. And if that wasn’t enough, it would often keep me half the night peeing, thus defeating the purpose.

And melatonin capsules are great, but the standard dose is 3mg and I don’t always want to take that much. A dab will do, so they say.

That’s what makes these single-dose gummies so perfect. They contain just enough melatonin to help you drift off to sleep, plus a few other natural ingredients specifically chosen to help you relax and stay asleep.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone you body makes in response to darkness that makes you feel sleepy. If you have trouble falling asleep, supplementing with a bit of melatonin can encourage your body to relax and help you fall asleep more easily.

Sea Salt

Sea salt naturally contains magnesium, calcium, potassium, and a plethora of other nutrients said to help relax the body and calm the mind. Magnesium is especially great because it encourages muscle relaxation and helps regulate the body’s stress response system. [source]

Raw Honey

While it doesn’t promote sleep directly, honey may help boost blood sugar and keep you feeling full, so you can sleep more soundly. [source]

Tart Cherry Juice

While you can choose any fruit juice you like for flavoring, I’m a fan of tart cherry juice because it’s rumored to have sleep-inducing properties. Plus, it’s super low in sugar so you don’t have to worry about getting a sugar high right before bed.

How Much Melatonin Do You Need?

Figuring out how much melatonin you need per gummy depends on the brand of melatonin you choose and the size of your mold.

I use NOW Liquid Melatonin because it’s effective, it tastes good and it’s cheap. If you would like to use another brand, go ahead. Just know that the dosage might different and you’ll need to adjust the recipe accordingly. 

And I use this heart mold. Again, a different size mold will require you to adjust the recipe.

For my gummies, I worked out that approximately 1 ounce of liquid melatonin (or 1/2 bottle of NOW Melatonin) would make about 110 gummies that contain 1 mg each. 

How did I calculate my melatonin?

I figured out how many drops will give me 1 mg of melatonin. According to the NOW dosage instructions, 20 drops = 3 mg. So, 7 drops = 1 mg.

My silicone molds have 110 cavities (55 cavities in each mold), and since this recipe makes enough to fill both molds, that means I need 770 drops of melatonin in the entire batch of gummies (7 drops x 110 cavities = 770 drops).

Each 2-ounce bottle of melatonin contains about 1,320 drops (66 servings x 20 drops = 1,320 total drops). I rounded down and said that 770 drops is roughly half of 1,320. While, technically, that means each gummy will contain a little less than 1 mg melatonin, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Once made, it’s best to store your melatonin gummies in an airtight container in the fridge. If properly refrigerated (and not stored on the kitchen counter) they should keep for two weeks. If you can’t possibly go through 100 gummies in that time, try halving or even quartering the recipe to make smaller batches.

Melatonin Gummy FAQ

Can I take a melatonin gummy every night?

While melatonin is technically safe to take every night for short term sleeplessness, I prefer to only use it occasionally. Melatonin is a hormone your body makes in response to darkness. When you start supplementing with melatonin, like in the form of gummies, your body doesn’t need to make as much (or any at all). And that can disrupt your circadian rhythm or cause you to be reliant on melatonin supplements in order to fall asleep. 

How long does it take for a melatonin gummy to kick in?

They can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to kick in.

What happens if you take too much melatonin?

Too much melatonin can cause nausea, headaches, irritability and dizziness. While it doesn’t require a trip to the emergency room, it’s definitely not pleasant.

Does melatonin make it hard to wake up?

Too much melatonin can disrupt your circadian rhythm, making it harder to wake in the morning. If you find that taking 3 mg of melatonin at night makes you feel groggy, then cut back to 2 mg or even 1 mg.

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Melatonin Gummies

Please note, the measurements used here are for a standard gummy bear sized mold and makes approximately 100 gummies. If you use a mold with larger cavities, you will need to adjust the amount of melatonin used to ensure that the 1mg/gummy dosage remains the same.

Prep Time20 mins

Cooling TIme2 hrs

Total Time2 hrs 20 mins

Course: Wellness

Keyword: sleep

Yield: 110 gummies

Author: Stephanie Pollard

Cost: $15

Equipment

• Silicon mold
• Spoon or dropper

Materials

• 1 ½ cups tart cherry juice
• ½ cup water
• 1/4 cup unflavored gelatin powder Approx. 8 envelopes
• 3 tablespoons raw honey
• Pinch sea salt
• 1 ounce liquid melatonin I used Now Foods Liquid Melatonin which contains 3 mg melatonin for every 1/2 dropperful. Yours might be different.
• Silicone gummy mold each cavity should be about .7” x .5” or the size of a standard gummy bear to ensure proper dosage

Instructions

• Mix juice and water in a small saucepan.
  
• Slowly mix the gelatin powder into the juice. Then add the honey and salt.
  
• Turn on low heat and gently whisk for 2-3 minutes until gelatin has dissolved. 
  
• Remove from heat and add your melatonin.
  
• Spoon mixture into silicon molds and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to harden.
  
• Remove from molds. Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
  

Notes

Adults should take 2-3 gummies and kids should take 1 gummy at bedtime.

If you find it hard to use all 100 gummies within 2 weeks, try halving or even quartering the recipe to make smaller batches.