Health

The dark reality of melatonin behind India’s USD289 million wild chase for good sleep

Most Indians are sleep-deprived and are turning to melatonin for a better night’s rest. The global melatonin market reached USD2.15 billion in 2022, and India’s sleep aid market is projected to generate USD289 million in revenue in 2024 alone. While melatonin is often considered harmless, everything has a flipside.

We all know about ‘city that never sleeps’. Now, move over to a ‘world that never rests’. You are exhausted but can’t sleep.

What do you call that feeling? According to Juhi Bajaj, a 21-year-old home tutor and devout follower of Instagram sleep coach Cayla Solomon, it’s simply “brain-fried”. Ironically, Bajaj’s WhatsApp status reads “sleeping”, though she hasn’t had a good night’s rest in months – until she caved to the trend sweeping the sleep.