"It's bedtime!". How frequently do we tell children? Despite this, children frequently struggle to fall asleep or lack quality rest. Melatonin can be helpful; yet there are currently no unified and genuinely effective guidelines for the use of melatonin in children with sleep disorders, and the available indications are frequently incomplete or contradictory. Hence, the international journal Sleep Medicine Reviews published the novel joint study by the University of Pisa and the IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, which provides operational recommendations on the dose, time of administration, and duration of treatment for maximum efficacy. The findings suggest melatonin should be given three hours before the desired bedtime — earlier than commonly practiced. The optimal dose ranges between 2 and 4 mg per day, with treatment lasting several weeks. "Melatonin is a natural substance that our body produces under normal conditions and, among its many functions, assists in the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle", explains Professor Ugo Faraguna of the University of Pisa and the IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, co-author of the study. "In this study, we have illustrated that the timing of administration is essential and should be customized; however, it is generally recommended that it be administered a few hours earlier than the package insert indicates", she stated. "When taking melatonin as a medication or supplement, it is important to be particularly careful, especially in children, as the number of available therapies is significantly lower than that of adults", Faraguna says. "However, despite the increasing widespread use of melatonin in pediatrics, there has been a lack of shared guidance on the amount to administer, the timing of administration in relation to bedtime, and the duration of therapy. The solutions we present address this gap by providing a realistic and provable framework for clinicians and families".