Melatonin and quitting smoking: what really changes for your sleep
On this page
- Why quitting smoking disrupts sleep
- What melatonin does, and what it doesn't
- What research says about melatonin and nicotine withdrawal
- The trap nobody tells you about
- Precautions and regulations in France
- Getting your sleep back without supplements
- Easing cravings at the source
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
You’ve stopped smoking and your nights have got worse. Sleep that won’t come, waking up in the night, the feeling of having only half slept. It’s neither a coincidence nor a sign that you’re doing it wrong: disturbed sleep is one of the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, and one of the most underestimated. In this article, Reset Laser looks at what research says about melatonin in this context, and at a dosage trap that very few smokers know about.
🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Sleep problems affect 42% to 50% of people within 36 hours of quitting [1], and predict relapse in the first month [2].
- Research on melatonin and nicotine withdrawal is encouraging but limited: a lead to explore, not an approved stop-smoking aid [4].
- After you quit smoking, your body clears melatonin far more slowly: the same amount becomes noticeably stronger after a week [5].
- ANSES (the French food and health safety agency) advises several groups against these supplements and recommends only occasional use [6].
- Good sleep habits and tackling the physical cravings remain the fundamental levers.
Why quitting smoking disrupts sleep
Nicotine acts on the brain receptors involved in alertness and on the reward circuit. When the supply stops, the system is thrown off balance for a few weeks. Sleep recordings show that within the first 24 to 36 hours without smoking, it takes longer to fall asleep and brief night-time awakenings become more frequent, in 42% to 50% of those affected [1].
This point matters: poorer sleep quality is an independent predictor of relapse in the first four weeks after quitting [2]. In other words, sleeping badly isn’t just uncomfortable; it’s what makes people give in.
The standard aids themselves add a further difficulty: nicotine replacement therapy and some stop-smoking medicines are among the common causes of insomnia and disturbing dreams [1]. So the remedy can make the symptom worse.
We have covered how long this lasts in our article on insomnia after quitting smoking.
What melatonin does, and what it doesn't
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland during darkness. It doesn’t induce sleep the way a sleeping pill does: it signals to the body that night is beginning. Its role is to synchronise the body clock, not to sedate.
Its receptors are also found in brain structures involved in addiction, which explains why researchers are interested in it in the context of withdrawal [3].
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What research says about melatonin and nicotine withdrawal
A placebo-controlled study measured the effect of a single dose of melatonin in smokers deprived of nicotine for ten hours. Compared with the placebo group, participants given melatonin reported less anxiety, tension and restlessness, less irritability and impatience, milder depressive feelings, and a measurable reduction in the urge to smoke [4].
Reaction-time tests showed no drop in performance, which indicates that these effects did not come at the cost of daytime drowsiness [4].
In all honesty, one caveat is needed: this was a study of a single dose in a small number of people. This level of evidence does not allow melatonin to be presented as a stop-smoking aid. It points to a lead, not a solution.
The trap nobody tells you about: your liver changes within a week
Here is the most useful point in this article, and the least well known.
Swallowed melatonin is broken down by a liver enzyme, CYP1A2. Compounds produced by burning tobacco strongly stimulate this enzyme. In a smoker, melatonin taken as a supplement is therefore cleared quickly.
When you stop smoking, this stimulation disappears and the enzyme returns to its normal activity within three to seven days. The same dose of melatonin then produces much higher blood levels: one study measured exposure almost three times higher in people who had not smoked for a week [5].
The practical consequence is simple. An amount that seemed to have no effect on the first night may, a week later, cause grogginess on waking or headaches. If you take melatonin when you stop smoking, this is the point to raise with your GP or pharmacist around day seven.
Precautions and regulations in France
In France, melatonin has two statuses. Below 2 mg per daily dose, it is classed as a food supplement and sold over the counter. From 2 mg upwards, or in prolonged-release form, it is classed as a medicine and requires a prescription.
ANSES, the French food and health safety agency, has also identified situations in which melatonin supplements are not advised: pregnancy and breastfeeding, inflammatory or autoimmune diseases, children and teenagers, and any activity requiring sustained alertness. Medical advice is recommended for people with epilepsy, asthma, mood, behavioural or personality disorders, and for anyone taking medication. The agency recommends limiting these supplements to occasional use [6].
There are interactions with certain medicines, notably oral anticoagulants and sedatives [6]. None of this can be settled by reading an article: it’s a question to ask at the pharmacy.
Getting your sleep back without supplements
The least spectacular levers are the ones that last. Regular bedtimes, daylight exposure in the morning, physical activity during the day but not in the two hours before bed, switching off screens before sleeping, and watching your coffee intake: caffeine is cleared more slowly after you stop smoking, which on its own is sometimes enough to explain sleepless nights.
Our article on fatigue during nicotine withdrawal looks at these adjustments in more detail, and our tips on withdrawal symptoms cover the other effects of cravings.
Easing cravings at the source
Sleep suffers because the physical craving is there. Acting on that craving means addressing the cause rather than the consequence. The laser auricular reflexology offered in Reset Laser centres, which specialise in laser to quit smoking, focuses precisely on this physical side: a session of about one hour in which a soft low-intensity laser stimulates reflex points on the ear, with no medication and no nicotine. Everyone we support benefits from 12 months of support with personalised follow-up, plus a free support session in the event of a relapse. This commitment concerns the means provided and is not a promise of results, as success also depends on each client’s personal determination.
OUR EXPERT’S ADVICE
Bruno Couderc — Practitioner in auricular reflexology and support coaching
« Good sleep habits and dealing with physical cravings remain the fundamental levers for getting restful sleep back after you stop smoking. »
Frequently asked questions
Does melatonin help you quit smoking?
There is no evidence to say so. A controlled study showed reduced anxiety, irritability and urge to smoke during acute withdrawal [4], but with a single dose and a small sample. Melatonin is not an approved stop-smoking aid.
How can I get my sleep back after quitting smoking?
First and foremost through regular sleep times, morning light, physical activity during the day and cutting down on caffeine, which is cleared more slowly after quitting. Sleep problems usually ease within a few weeks. If they persist for more than a month, talk to your GP.
Can I smoke a cigarette after taking melatonin?
Nothing rules it out pharmacologically, but there is no point: burning tobacco speeds up the clearance of melatonin, and the cigarette restarts the craving cycle you are trying to break.
Which vitamins should I take when I quit smoking?
No supplementation is needed as a matter of course. A varied diet is enough. Any supplement should be discussed with a pharmacist or doctor, especially while your metabolism is readjusting.
📚 Sources
- Soreca I. et al., Can exercise alleviate sleep disturbances during acute nicotine withdrawal in cigarette smokers?, 2022. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Ashare R.L. et al., Sleep Disturbance During Smoking Cessation: Withdrawal or Side Effect of Treatment?, Journal of Smoking Cessation, 2017. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Georgakopoulou V.E. et al., Exploring the association between melatonin and nicotine dependence (Review), 2024. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Zhdanova I.V., Piotrovskaya V.R., Melatonin treatment attenuates symptoms of acute nicotine withdrawal in humans, Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 2000. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Ursing C. et al., Influence of cigarette smoking on melatonin levels in man, 2005. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- ANSES, Avis relatif aux risques liés à la consommation de compléments alimentaires contenant de la mélatonine (Opinion on the risks associated with consuming food supplements containing melatonin), referral no. 2016-SA-0209, 2018. anses.fr
Regulatory disclaimer: The support sessions offered in our network of centres are not healthcare, medical care or medical consultations. Our practitioners are not health professionals and do not diagnose or prescribe. Our services are not intended to address or prevent any illness and are in no way a substitute for medical, psychological or psychiatric follow-up prescribed by your doctor.
Contraindications: pregnant women (at any stage), people with a pacemaker or an active implanted electronic device, people undergoing intensive medical treatment (active chemotherapy or radiotherapy), photosensitive people or those taking photosensitising medication, minors without parental consent.
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