The short answer
It is best not to mix melatonin and alcohol. Both make you drowsy, and alcohol breaks up your sleep in the second half of the night, often right around the 3am wake up.1,2 In one study, an evening drink also lowered the body's own melatonin.3
Sleep experts recommend against drinking alcohol when you take melatonin.4 If you are having trouble sleeping, the simplest step is to skip alcohol, not to add more melatonin.
Why people reach for both
Many people enjoy a glass of wine at night. It feels like part of the wind down. I understand that. But if you are drinking alcohol, it is not a good idea to combine it with any sleep aid, and that includes melatonin. It matters most if it happens every night.
The problem is that alcohol feels like it helps you sleep, but it changes how you sleep. Here is what happens.
What alcohol does to your sleep
- The first half of the night. Alcohol can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply at first.2
- The second half of the night. As your body clears the alcohol, sleep becomes lighter and more broken. People wake more often, and dream sleep is thrown off.2
- Your own melatonin. In a study of young adults, a drink in the evening lowered the body's melatonin by about 19 percent.3
- Breathing. Alcohol relaxes the throat muscles. It can make snoring and sleep apnea worse.5
So a drink and a melatonin can make you feel drowsy at 10pm, then leave you wide awake at 3am.
Why mixing them is a bad idea
If you take melatonin with alcohol, you complicate one drug by adding another. For someone who really wants to work on their sleep, mixing them is not the best path.
Both melatonin and alcohol slow down your nervous system. Together, they can make you more drowsy than you expect, make it harder to wake up, and make breathing problems during sleep worse.4 In 2024, the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement industry group, released voluntary guidelines that suggest melatonin labels warn against mixing it with alcohol.6
Wine, hot flashes, and the 3am wake up
For women over 40, there is a second reason to be careful. Alcohol is a common trigger for hot flashes and night sweats.7 Add the broken sleep in the second half of the night, and an evening glass of wine can set up the exact pattern many women are trying to fix: waking at 3am, warm and wide awake.
If that sounds like you, try a few weeks without alcohol in the evening and see if your nights change. Read more in why you keep waking up at 3am.
If you had a drink tonight
My advice is not to combine them. If you do have a modest drink earlier in the evening, keep your routine steady. Go to bed at your usual time, and take your melatonin at the same time every night, not later and not more. A steady routine sets you up best for regular sleep.
- Never take extra melatonin to make up for alcohol. More melatonin will not fix broken sleep.
- Skip melatonin on nights you drink more than a small amount. Experts recommend against mixing the two.4
- Do not drive or do anything that needs you to be alert if you feel drowsy.
- Drink water and finish your drink well before bed.
- Do not make it a habit. If you need a drink to fall asleep most nights, talk to your doctor.
For more on timing, read how long melatonin lasts. For dose limits, read how much melatonin is too much.
Talk to your doctor first if
- You snore loudly or stop breathing in your sleep.
- You have liver disease.
- You take sleep medicine, anxiety medicine, or other medicine that makes you drowsy.
- You drink most nights to help you sleep.
- Your sleep trouble has lasted more than a few weeks.
Where Driffly fits
A low dose for a steady routine
Melatonin works best as part of a steady routine, at the same time each night. That is why I chose a low dose for Driffly: 1 mg, the same amount behind the European Union's approved melatonin sleep claim,8 with valerian root, lavender, chamomile, and hibiscus to support a calm wind down.*
- 1 mg of melatonin, the same in every strip.
- Melts on your tongue. No water and no sugar.
- Do not take Driffly with alcohol or other sleep aids.
Every order comes with a 30 night money back guarantee.
Common questions about melatonin and alcohol
Can I take melatonin after drinking alcohol?
It is best not to. Both make you drowsy, and together they can make it harder to wake up and worsen breathing problems in sleep.4 If you drank tonight, skip the melatonin and keep your usual bedtime.
How long after drinking can I take melatonin?
No study has set a safe waiting time. Experts recommend avoiding the combination, so the safest choice is to skip melatonin on nights you drink.4
Does alcohol cancel out melatonin?
Alcohol can lower the melatonin your body makes. In one study, an evening drink lowered it by about 19 percent.3 It also breaks up sleep later in the night, which works against what melatonin is meant to do.2
Why do I wake up at 3am after drinking wine?
As your body clears alcohol, sleep becomes lighter and more broken in the second half of the night.2 In women over 40, alcohol can also trigger night sweats and hot flashes.7
Can I take melatonin with a glass of wine at dinner?
My advice is not to combine them. If you have a modest drink earlier in the evening, keep your routine steady and never take extra melatonin. If you are unsure, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Sources
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Melatonin: What You Need To Know.
- Ebrahim IO, Shapiro CM, Williams AJ, Fenwick PB. Alcohol and sleep I: effects on normal sleep. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 2013;37(4):539-549.
- Rupp TL, Acebo C, Carskadon MA. Evening alcohol suppresses salivary melatonin in young adults. Chronobiology International. 2007;24(3):463-470.
- Sleep Foundation. Melatonin and alcohol. Medically reviewed article.
- MedlinePlus. Obstructive sleep apnea, adults. US National Library of Medicine.
- Council for Responsible Nutrition. Formulation, labeling, and packaging of melatonin-containing dietary supplements for sleep support. Voluntary guidelines. 2024.
- Mayo Clinic. Hot flashes: diagnosis and treatment.
- European Commission. Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods (melatonin: reduction of time taken to fall asleep, at least 1 mg per portion). 2012.
Tyler Smith, RN, BSN, BA is a registered nurse and the founder of Driffly. He writes and reviews the articles in the sleep education hub. About Tyler
The author is the founder of Driffly, which sells the product mentioned in this article. This article is for education and is not medical advice. *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.