Comparison
Melatonin vs Nicotinamide Riboside
Side-by-side of Melatonin and Nicotinamide Riboside. Every row below is pulled from the compound schema and will update as our data grows. For deeper reads, follow through to each compound page.
Melatonin
Melatonin as a sleep supplement: 0.3-1 mg matches physiological output, 3-10 mg is pharmacological. Shifts circadian phase, shortens sleep latency.
Nicotinamide Riboside
Nicotinamide riboside (NR) is the most-studied NAD+ precursor in humans. Sold as Niagen by Chromadex; raises plasma NAD+ 30-60% at 250-1,000 mg/day.
Effects at a glance
Melatonin
- •Shortens sleep onset latency by ~7 to 12 minutes at physiological 0.3 to 1 mg doses
- •Advances circadian phase when taken 30 to 60 minutes before target bedtime, useful for jet lag and shift work
- •Does not meaningfully increase total sleep time in healthy adults without circadian misalignment
- •Endogenous nighttime production is not suppressed by short-term exogenous supplementation
- •Higher doses (3 to 10 mg) raise plasma levels above physiological range and often increase morning grogginess
- •Effective for delayed sleep-wake phase disorder and reducing jet-lag severity in eastward travel
Nicotinamide Riboside
- •Most-studied NAD+ precursor in human trials; the original Niagen formulation by Chromadex
- •Plasma NAD+ rises 30-60% at 250-1,000 mg/day across multiple human PK trials
- •Martens 2018 reported reduced BP and arterial stiffness at 500 mg/day for 6 weeks
- •Dollerup 2018 found no insulin sensitivity change despite plasma NAD+ rise
- •Tissue NAD+ rise inconsistent; hard clinical endpoints not yet measured
- •Larger human safety database than NMN; comparable mechanistic effects
Side-by-side
| Attribute | Melatonin | Nicotinamide Riboside |
|---|---|---|
| Category | supplement | supplement |
| Also known as | N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine | NR, Niagen, nicotinamide riboside chloride |
| Half-life (hr) ↗ | 0.75 | 8 |
| Typical dose (mg) ↗ | 0.5 | 500 |
| Dosing frequency | daily, 30 to 60 minutes before target sleep time | daily, typically morning |
| Routes | oral, sublingual | oral |
| Onset (hr) | 0.5 | 1 |
| Peak (hr) | 1 | 4 |
| Molecular weight | 232.28 | 255.25 |
| Molecular formula | C13H16N2O2 | C11H15N2O5 |
| Mechanism | Agonist at MT1 and MT2 receptors in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, signaling biological night and promoting sleep-onset gating plus circadian phase shifts. | NAD+ precursor via salvage pathway. Phosphorylated to NMN by nicotinamide riboside kinase (NRK), then converted to NAD+. Substrate for sirtuins, PARPs, and CD38. |
| Legal status | OTC in US; prescription in UK, EU, Japan | OTC dietary supplement |
| WADA status | allowed | allowed |
| DEA / Rx | OTC supplement in US; Rx in UK, EU, Japan, Australia | OTC supplement |
| Pregnancy | Insufficient data; not routinely recommended | Insufficient data at supplement doses |
| CAS | 73-31-4 | 1341-23-7 |
| PubChem CID | 896 | 439924 |
| Wikidata | Q179243 | Q3343054 |
Safety profile
Melatonin
Common side effects
- vivid dreams
- morning grogginess (higher doses)
- headache
- dizziness
Contraindications
- autoimmune disease (theoretical)
- concurrent anticoagulant therapy without monitoring
Interactions
- fluvoxamine: CYP1A2 inhibition raises melatonin levels substantially(major)
- warfarin: possible increased bleeding risk(moderate)
- benzodiazepines and alcohol: additive sedation(moderate)
- antihypertensives: may alter blood pressure response(minor)
Nicotinamide Riboside
Common side effects
- mild GI upset (rare)
- headache (rare)
Contraindications
- pregnancy / lactation (insufficient data)
- active cancer (theoretical, no contraindicating data)
Interactions
- pterostilbene: complementary sirtuin pathway (Basis combination)(minor)
- TMG (trimethylglycine): methylation support during high NAD+ precursor dosing(minor)
Which Should You Take?
Nicotinamide Riboside comes out ahead for most readers on the criteria we weight: 3 catalogued goals, OTC dietary supplement, oral dosing, with a Tier-A outcome catalogued. Melatonin is the right call when one of the conditionals below applies.
- → If your priority is sleep onset or sleep quality, pick Melatonin.
- → If your priority is circadian regulation, pick Melatonin.
- → If your priority is healthspan extension, pick Nicotinamide Riboside.
- → If your priority is energy and stamina, pick Nicotinamide Riboside.
Edge case: Half-lives differ materially (Melatonin ~0.75 hr vs Nicotinamide Riboside ~8 hr). Nicotinamide Riboside reaches steady state faster; Melatonin is easier to dial in if tolerability is uncertain.
Default choice: Nicotinamide Riboside. Lower friction to source, a Tier-A evidence outcome catalogued, and broader goal coverage. Reach for Melatonin only if your priority sits squarely in the goals it owns above.
This verdict is generated from each compound's schema (goals, legal status, evidence outcomes, dosing route). It updates automatically as our compound data evolves; the deeper read sits on each individual compound page.
Common questions
What is the difference between Melatonin and Nicotinamide Riboside?
Melatonin and Nicotinamide Riboside differ in category (supplement vs supplement), mechanism, and typical dosing. See the side-by-side table for full details.
Which has a longer half-life, Melatonin or Nicotinamide Riboside?
Melatonin half-life is 0.75 hours; Nicotinamide Riboside half-life is 8 hours.
Can you stack Melatonin with Nicotinamide Riboside?
Stack compatibility depends on mechanism overlap, legal status, and individual response. Check each compound page for specific interactions and contraindications before combining.
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