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(NBC News) -- If you work unusual hours or travel long distances, you know how hard it can be to get eight hours of sleep.
N-B-C's Deanna Lite shows us how melatonin might help you get the rest you need.
Steven Lockley is a sleep researcher who travels often for work.
Dr. Steven Lockley, Sleep Researcher: "I go to scientific conferences and meetings. We have to travel sometimes at short notice, sometimes quite long distances, and often come back quite soon then have to go to a different place."
To help fight jet lag Steven takes melatonin.
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the body at night to help regulate sleep cycles. Many people take the supplement as a way to improve their sleep, but studies on it effectiveness have been mixed.
Now a new study may clear up confusion. The study finds melatonin works best if you take it when your body isn't making it: When you're awake. Researchers studied healthy individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 over three weeks.
Dr. Charles Czeisler, Brigham & Women's Hospital: "In our study, we scheduled individuals to shift the timing of when they slept and woke up each day, as if they were traveling across time zones."
Some of the subjects were given a placebo or fake pill; the others got Melatonin. The results...
Dr. Charles Czeisler, Brigham & Women's Hospital: "We found that if they were given the hormone melatonin at a time when their body was not producing melatonin, it had a significant improvement in their sleep. They actually got an extra half an hour of sleep."
This study is in the journal "Sleep."
Keep in mind that over-the-counter melatonin supplements are not regulated by the government in the same way as prescription drugs. So if you're thinking about using a melatonin supplement, it's a good idea to talk with your doctor first.
