The purpose of this study is to examine the effect that melatonin lotion has on sleep quality, the nervous system, and mental health. Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the brain that regulates sleep and might improve depression and anxiety symptoms. The goal is to determine whether melatonin in lotion form is an effective treatment for young adults with inadequate sleep and might improve mental health. Participants will fill out surveys, wear an actigraph (a wrist-worn device that measures sleep), wear a heart rate monitor (a strap worn around one's chest), and provide nightly saliva samples during treatment weeks. In one of the two treatment weeks, participants will receive a lotion that contains melatonin. During the other week they will receive a control treatment that will be lotion with no melatonin, and there will be a week in between with no treatment at all.
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Sleep disturbance
Timeframe: Measured pre-treatment, at end of placebo week, and at end of active treatment week (3 weeks total)
Anxiety
Timeframe: Measured pre-treatment, at end of placebo week, and at end of active treatment week (3 weeks total)
Depression
Timeframe: Measured pre-treatment, at end of placebo week, and at end of active treatment week (3 weeks total)
Total sleep time
Timeframe: Two weeks of data separated by a one week period
Sleep efficiency
Timeframe: Two weeks of data separated by a one week period
Normalized high frequency power of heart rate variability
Timeframe: Two weeks of data separated by a one week period
Anxiety by momentary ecological assessment
Timeframe: Three times per day for two weeks of data separated by a one week period
Mood by momentary ecological assessment
Timeframe: Three times per day for two weeks of data separated by a one week period
Salivary alpha-amylase
Timeframe: Daily at bedtime for two weeks of data separated by a one week period