🌙 What to Use Instead of Melatonin to Help You Sleep (Without Sabotaging Your Fertility)

Dr. Alyssa Brooks McPeak
Jul 24
3 min read

If you're trying to get pregnant, you’ve probably been told that sleep is essential for your hormones—and it’s true. But if you’re relying on melatonin to fall asleep, you may be unknowingly disrupting the very hormonal balance you're working so hard to support.

Let’s break down why melatonin isn’t the best long-term solution for fertility, and what to try instead.

🚫 Melatonin & Fertility: The Hidden Connection

Melatonin is a hormone your body naturally produces to regulate your sleep-wake cycle. But when you take it as a supplement—especially in high doses—it can do more harm than good for your reproductive health.

Here’s how melatonin supplements can affect your fertility:

Suppress estrogen production – Estrogen is essential for ovulation and for thickening the uterine lining to support implantation.
Delay or disrupt ovulation – Studies show that excess melatonin can interfere with your cycle’s natural rhythm.
Disrupt natural hormone signaling – Taking melatonin long-term can throw off your body’s own hormonal feedback loops, including cortisol and thyroid hormones.
Decrease LH (luteinizing hormone) – This hormone triggers ovulation; too much melatonin may suppress its surge.

💡Bottom line: Melatonin should be used with caution if you're trying to conceive—and it's often not necessary when other gentle, natural tools are available.

🌿 Natural Alternatives to Melatonin That Support Sleep and Fertility

The goal is to support your body’s own production of melatonin while calming your nervous system. Try these instead:

🧠 Magnesium Glycinate

Calms the nervous system
Supports GABA (your brain’s relaxation neurotransmitter)
Helps reduce nighttime anxiety
- How to use: Take 200–400 mg about 60 minutes before bed.

🌼 Chamomile or Tulsi (Holy Basil) Tea

Naturally calming herbs that reduce cortisol
Help prepare your body for deep rest
- How to use: Brew a cup of herbal tea after dinner to signal wind-down time.

🍄 Reishi or Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

Adaptogens that calm the nervous system and support deep sleep
Also support adrenal health and hormone balance
- How to use: Try as a tea or in a powder added to warm milk before bed.

🌿 L-Theanine

An amino acid found in green tea that promotes relaxation without drowsiness
- How to use: Take 100–200 mg with your nighttime magnesium supplement.

🌸 CBD or Full-Spectrum Hemp Oil (check for fertility-safe brands)

Helps calm an overactive nervous system
- How to use: Use under the guidance of a practitioner to ensure it's right for you.

🌙 The Power of a Nighttime Routine

Even the best supplement won’t help if your nervous system is still wired from the day. Your hormones thrive on rhythm—so let’s get back to the basics.

Here’s a simple fertility-friendly bedtime routine:

🕕 6:00–7:00 PM – Eat dinner (your last meal of the day should include protein, fiber, and healthy fat to stabilize blood sugar)

🛁 7:30 PM – Take a warm bath with Epsom salts or do gentle stretching

📵 8:00 PM – Turn off screens, lower the lights, and sip on calming herbal tea

📖 8:30 PM – Read, journal, or meditate

🛏️ 9:30–10:00 PM – Lights out for deep, restorative sleep

Sleep is when your body detoxes, repairs, and balances hormones. Prioritizing natural rhythms and avoiding excess hormone disruptors like melatonin helps your body do what it was designed to do—get pregnant and stay pregnant.