"i am a 66 year old woman and have been taking melatonin since 1990&#039;s.  i started taking it for sleep  since i had to get up early. there was never any side effects. i started out with 3 mg. then went up from there. i always knew my limited because to much was creating just the opposite  effects. i am now at 6 mg. and am doing fine.  as we get older the meletonin that our bodies create, diminishes.  also, sleeping without a light or having a very faint night lite, is best. when getting up to go to the bathroom, do not turn on lights for lights depletes the meletonin in your body. i use a colored night light.  and may i suggest just turning off your computers and phones so they won&#039;t interrupt your sleep."