Your body usually naturally produces melatonin throughout the night, which helps you fall asleep and stay asleep. "Melatonin essentially provides a signal to your body that it is time to sleep," Dr. Kimberly Fenn, Ph.D., professor of psychology and director of Michigan State University's Sleep and Learning Lab, told Bustle. Shelby Harris, PsyD, director of behavioral sleep medicine at the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center, went even further and called melatonin the "hormone of darkness. It comes out a few hours before we routinely go to sleep, helping induce sleepiness, then peaks throughout the night and drops off a few hours before we naturally awaken in the morning" via (Refinery29).

Unfortunately, because of exposure to artificial light, your body might not get the signal to produce the sleep-inducing hormone. "Light can suppress melatonin production," Dr. Fenn explained, "particularly blue light which is emitted by most devices." If you experience jet lag or insomnia, you might decide to find a high-quality melatonin supplement to help yourself catch some Zs. However, Dr. Fenn said most people probably shouldn't regularly need a supplement (via Bustle).