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Tag: melatonin

  • What to know about melatonin use and heart failure

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    (CNN) — Long-term use of melatonin supplements may be linked with a higher risk of heart failure, according to new research — but does that mean people taking it as a sleep aid should stop using it now?

    In a review of electronic medical records, thousands of adults who had chronic insomnia and took melatonin for a year or longer had a 90% higher chance of heart failure over the next five years, compared with participants who had the same health factors but didn’t take melatonin. Melatonin users were also more than three times as likely to be hospitalized for heart failure and about twice as likely to die from any cause.

    But experts suggest holding off on seeing melatonin as a definite danger. The research had significant limitations, was not designed to be able to prove cause and effect, and contradicts previous studies that indicated positives for heart health.

    The research also hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed or published in a journal but will be presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025 meeting taking place November 7-10.

    “Melatonin supplements are widely thought of as a safe and ‘natural’ option to support better sleep, so it was striking to see such consistent and significant increases in serious health outcomes, even after balancing for many factors,” Dr. Ekenedilichukwu Nnadi, lead research author and chief resident in internal medicine at SUNY Downstate/Kings County Primary Care in Brooklyn, said in a news release.

    However, “while the association we found raises safety concerns about the widely used supplement, our study cannot prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship,” Nnadi said. “This means more research is needed to test melatonin’s safety for the heart.”

    Naturally occurring melatonin in the brain is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in response to darkness, to help the body wind down for sleep.

    The melatonin in supplements can be extracted from the pineal glands of animals or synthetically produced via a chemical process.

    In the United States, because melatonin is sold as a dietary supplement, manufacturers aren’t subject to the level of scrutiny involved in the US Food and Drug Administration’s safety measures and approval processes for drugs. This means melatonin supplements can contain significantly more of the active ingredient than advertised or necessary, as well as harmful hidden additives.

    Chronic insomnia, experienced by 10% of the global population, is defined by taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep or fall back to sleep up to three times weekly for more than three months. It can lead to problems with memory, daytime energy, mood, thinking and concentration, work or school performance, and one’s social life.

    A doctor can help one determine whether insomnia is occurring on its own or because of an underlying factor, such as a medical condition or stressful life circumstance, and therefore determine the best ways to treat it — whether that’s adjusting your sleep routine, undergoing therapy for mental or emotional distress or cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, taking medication, or treating a medical condition.

    Melatonin use and heart health

    Melatonin supplements are often marketed as a safe sleep aid, but there hasn’t been sufficient data on long-term safety for cardiovascular health, the authors said.

    The research team assessed more than 130,000 adults with health records in the TriNetX Global Research Network, a large international electronic database. They were about 55 years old on average, and 61.4% were women. Participants with melatonin use documented in medication entries in their health records for more than a year were classified as the melatonin group, whereas those without any record of melatonin use were in the “non-melatonin group.”

    These factors lend themselves to a few important limitations, the authors and independent experts pointed out.

    The database includes patients in countries that require a prescription for melatonin, such as the United Kingdom, and those that don’t, including the United States — so the control group may unknowingly include adults who take melatonin without a prescription, which wouldn’t be reflected in their medical records, Dr. Carlos Egea, who wasn’t involved in the research, said in a statement provided by the Science Media Centre. Egea is president of the Spanish Federation of Sleep Medicine Societies.

    The researchers also didn’t have details on the severity of participants’ insomnia or whether they had any mental health issues, both of which can influence melatonin use and heart health risks, Nnadi said.

    Insomnia has been associated with a higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Disrupted circadian rhythms — our body clocks in which melatonin plays a role — and insufficient sleep have been linked with greater odds of cardiovascular issues including heart failure.

    Other limitations include a lack of information on dosage, the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry, said in a statement. “Decades of consumer experience and multiple clinical studies indicate that low-dose, short-term supplementation is safe for healthy adults when used as directed,” the association added.

    The research challenges previous studies, including a March analysis of four studies that found melatonin supplementation improved heart failure patients’ quality of life and cardiac function, Egea said.

    Melatonin is also an antioxidant, and antioxidants help protect against damage to DNA by oxidative stress, an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body.

    Before you take sleep aids

    Many people turn to melatonin as a short- or long-term solution to sleep woes. But for some people, the supplement has been linked to various side effects including headaches, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, stomach aches, confusion or disorientation, tremors, low blood pressure, irritability, mild anxiety and depression.

    Before resorting to supplements, “speak to your doctor first about, for one, getting a proper diagnosis for your sleep difficulty and then discussing the appropriate course of treatment,” Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, director of the Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research in the department of medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, said in the American Heart Association news release. “People should be aware that (melatonin) should not be taken chronically without a proper indication.”

    Healthy sleep hygiene involves limiting light exposure, screen time and consumption of food and alcohol in the few hours before bed. Your bedroom should be dark, cool and quiet.

    If you still choose to supplement melatonin, pharmaceutical grade melatonin is best, experts told CNN in a 2022 report — look for a stamp showing that the independent nonprofit US Pharmacopoeia’s Dietary Supplement Verification Program has tested the product.

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    Kristen Rogers and CNN

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  • Chronic Melatonin Use May Raise Risk of Heart Failure, Study Suggests

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    Melatonin is a well-known go-to sleep aid, but researchers are still teasing out the supplement’s side effects, especially as long-term use becomes increasingly common. And now, a preliminary study out today suggests taking melatonin for more than a year may be linked to heart problems and early death.

    Researchers studied the medical records of people with chronic insomnia, finding that those who were prescribed melatonin for at least a year were more likely to develop heart failure and more likely to die from any cause. The study has important limitations, the authors note, but the findings are motivation for scientists to look further into melatonin’s potential health risks.

    “These findings challenge the perception of melatonin as a benign chronic therapy and underscore the need for
    randomized trials to clarify its cardiovascular safety profile,” the researchers wrote in the study.

    A hidden danger?

    Our bodies naturally produce melatonin. Among other things, the hormone helps regulate our sleep-wake cycle.

    In some countries like the U.K., officials have approved a synthetic version of melatonin for treating insomnia in people over 55, while in the U.S., melatonin is widely available over-the-counter as a supplement. Using melatonin for a night or two—say to beat jet lag— seems to be generally safe for adults (although not necessarily for children). But scientists know little about its long-term safety, particularly when it comes to the heart.

    The authors analyzed data from the TriNetX Global Research Network, a large, international database containing tens of thousands of medical records. They specifically focused on adults diagnosed with chronic insomnia who were prescribed melatonin for a year or more—some 60,000 people. They then compared this group to similar people who had insomnia but who were not prescribed the sleep aid.

    Over a five-year follow-up period, about 4.6% of melatonin patients developed heart failure, compared to 2.7% of non-melatonin patients—almost double the odds. People on melatonin also had a higher risk of being hospitalized for heart failure and were nearly twice as likely to die in general.

    Caveats and caution

    The team’s findings are set to be presented this week at the American Heart Association’s annual Scientific Sessions conference, but it carries some significant limitations.

    The study is still preliminary, and it hasn’t gone through the typical peer review process. It is also observational and retrospective, meaning it can only demonstrate a correlation between chronic melatonin use and heart disease. And though the authors did try to control for important variables like where a patient lived, there are potential pitfalls in the data.

    The database used in the study covers multiple countries, including places like the U.S. where melatonin is widely available over the counter. As a result, the authors admit that it’s entirely possible that some patients who weren’t prescribed melatonin were taking the supplement regardless, muddying the findings.

    This research is far from a smoking gun proving the dangers of chronic melatonin use. But studies like this can build the case for more definitive research—ideally randomized and controlled trials—to find out for sure.

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    Ed Cara

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  • 9-year-old died when mom gave her melatonin and left her in hot car, TX cops say

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    The girl’s mother has been charged with murder more than three months after her daughter’s death.

    The girl’s mother has been charged with murder more than three months after her daughter’s death.

    Getty Images/iStockphoto

    A 9-year-old girl who died in a hot car while her mother worked for eight hours had been given melatonin to help her sleep, Texas authorities say.

    When 36-year-old Gbemisola Akayinode went to check on her daughter after her shift ended July 1 in Harris County, the 9-year-old did not respond to her commands, according to a criminal complaint.

    Akayinode, according to the court documents, thought her daughter was pretending to sleep. It wasn’t until she opened the door when she found her daughter “a shade of blue with no signs of life,” the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said.

    The mother began screaming for help, and her co-workers called 911, authorities said. Her daughter was taken to a hospital, where Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said she was pronounced dead.

    “A 9-year-old, beautiful little girl has lost her life,” Gonzalez said during a news conference, McClatchy News reported in July.

    Now, Akayinode is charged with murder in the death of her daughter, court records show. She was jailed Oct. 19 on $500,000 bail.

    Authorities said July 1 was the second consecutive day Akayinode left her daughter in her vehicle as she worked an 8-hour shift.

    On June 30 after they returned home, the girl was given melatonin to help her sleep, according to the sheriff’s office.

    Akayinode equipped her daughter with “packed food, rechargeable fan, a muffin, water and ice cubes” as she took her to work again July 1, leaving back windows partially down. She also gave her another dose of melatonin, and she said she watched her begin to fall asleep before starting her work shift.

    After leaving her daughter at 5:35 a.m., Akayinode did not return until 1:53 p.m., according to the court documents. By then, it was too late.

    The 9-year-old had a body temperature of 108 degrees and died of hyperthermia, a medical examiner ruled, authorities said.

    It was 99 degrees outside the day of the girl’s death, with Akayinode’s car reading 97.4 degrees three hours later after the sun already went down, investigators said.

    Akayinode later told a friend she was unable to check on her daughter because she was “working a lot,” according to the court records.

    “I’m sorry, I know what I did,” she told her friend, according to authorities.

    Interviewed by investigators, Akayinode said it was the fourth time she had left her daughter in her car while she worked. She said she was unable to pay for day care, but she planned on returning the 9-year-old to day care after she received her next pay check, investigators said.

    Deputies said Akayinode blamed her daughter’s death on her new ADHD medication, which she was given the morning of her death along with the melatonin.

    Hot car deaths

    More than 1,000 children have died in hot cars since 1998, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

    “About 37 children a year die from heatstroke, either because they were left or became trapped in a car. During the summer, that’s about two children every week killed in a hot car.”

    Hot car deaths are most common in the summer, but they can happen at any time, according to the administration. The first “vehicular heatstroke” of the year typically happens in March.

    “Leaving a window open is not enough — temperatures inside the car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes, even with a window cracked open,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

    If you see a child alone in a vehicle, officials said you should make sure the child is responsive and if not, immediately call 911.

    Mike Stunson

    Lexington Herald-Leader

    Mike Stunson covers real-time news for McClatchy. He is a 2011 Western Kentucky University graduate who has previously worked at the Paducah Sun and Madisonville Messenger as a sports reporter and the Lexington Herald-Leader as a breaking news reporter. 

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    Mike Stunson

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  • Is CBN Right For You

    Is CBN Right For You

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    Sitting at the crossroads of THC and CBD – CBD helps with sleep and pain. Could it be right for you?

    Marijuana is been proven a benefit to the medical world and the American Medical Association, Health and Human Services, the American College of Physicians and the Food and Drug administration all support increasing it’s reach and for more research.  It has been shown to be particularly helpful with chronic pain, nausea, and sleep. The cannabis plant provide a variety of cannabinols, including CBD, marijuana and CBN. But the medical question is CBN right for you? It sits at the crossroads between CBD and THC can be useful with health issues.

    RELATED: Science Says Medical Marijuana Improves Quality Of Life

    Like CBD and THC, CBN is among the 100+ molecules in the cannabis plant. When THC is heated and exposed to CO2 (oxygen), it converts to CBN. The compound is said to have a mild psychoactive effect, slightly more so than CBD but much less than THC. Specifically, it is said to have a sedating effect on most users and to have promising sleep aid applications, similar to melatonin (among other potential uses).

    Photo by Bacsica/Getty Images

    The marketing of CBN as a dietary supplement may be viable, provided that no unapproved health claims are made and could be nationally legal as long as they have a THC concentration of 0.3% or less. Unlike CBN and like THC, CBN is legal in some states, but not federally. The FDA likes to point out that the 2018 Farm Bill explicitly preserved FDA’s authority to regulate products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds under the Food Drug & Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) and section 351 of the Public Health Service Act. But the marketing of CBN as a dietary supplement may be viable nonetheless, provided that no unapproved health claims are made.

    RELATED: What Is CBG And Is It Legal?

    Unlike CBD, CBN not been approved as a drug, and FDA itself has acknowledged “parts of the cannabis plant that do not contain THC or CBD might fall outside the scope of the [drug exclusion rule].” As with CBG, if CBN is approved as a drug at some point down the line, it also seems likely that the drug exclusion rule would not apply: this is because the rule contains an exception for substances marketed as foods or dietary supplements prior to any FDA clinical investigation. People are already marketing CBN products as foods and dietary supplements.

    Photo by Adrianna Calvo via Pexels

    But the question is still, is CBN right for you? With regards to sleep, it is can be a bit stronger than CBD alone. While melatonin is a known as a good over the counter sleep aid, it doesn’t work for everyone.

    A clinical study looked into sleep improvements from 15 mg of CBD with or without 15 mg of CBN compared with 5 mg of melatonin. In the study, all groups reported improved sleep quality, and there were no significant differences between products. Since this study didn’t look at CBN alone, it isn’t a direct comparison. But it seems to indicate that products containing an equal amount of CBD and CBN are similarly effective to melatonin for sleep. And adding a CBD/CBN product to melatonin didn’t provide any added benefit.

    RELATED: Science Says Medical Marijuana Improves Quality Of Life

    CBN use showed relief in muscle and joint pain conditions with inflammation. Limited studies show The study also noted that pain relief was better when CBD and CBN were used together.

    So CBN can be helpful if you need a little extra in over the counter help.

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    Amy Hansen

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  • Thousands of children are landing in the ER after ingesting melatonin without supervision

    Thousands of children are landing in the ER after ingesting melatonin without supervision

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    Melatonin products have become increasingly popular among U.S. adults and a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 11,000 children have landed in the emergency room in recent years after ingesting it while unsupervised.File video above: Chronic misuse of melatonin creating health concernsMelatonin is a hormone produced by the brain in response to darkness and regulates the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm. Melatonin supplements, often sold as flavored gummies, can help someone struggling to fall asleep due to jet lag or sleep-wake disorders commonly seen in shift workers.For the new report, researchers from the CDC and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission identified cases involving children age 5 and younger who were taken to the emergency department between 2019 and 2022 after ingesting melatonin without supervision.Based on nearly 300 identified cases, the researchers estimated that 10,930 emergency department visits occurred during that time period, accounting for about 7% of all ER visits in the U.S. for unsupervised medication exposures in infants and young children.More than half of accidental ingestions involved children between 3 and 5 years old and the majority of visits did not involve additional medications.While the type of melatonin ingested was not specified during most visits, the report shows that children had almost always swallowed the product. Based on emergency department visits where the dosage form was specified, researchers estimated that melatonin gummies were involved in nearly 5,000 cases.Melatonin is a supplement and is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A recent study published in the journal JAMA found that 25 products labeled as melatonin gummies contained dangerous levels of the hormone while other contained no melatonin and contained only cannabidiol, or CBD.”These discrepancies in ingredients or strength could pose additional risk” to children, the CDC researchers wrote.Among emergency department visits with documentation of the melatonin container, about three-quarters involved bottles — suggesting that young children were able to open the bottles or that the bottles were not closed properly.The researchers said it is important for adults who take these products and live in homes with young children to consider buying melatonin products with child-resistant packaging.Meanwhile, the surveillance data used in the report comes with limitations, including a lack of “narrative” information recorded during emergency department visits. For example, the intended age of a melatonin product was not specified in nearly half of visits, therefore the involvement of a specific product type might be higher than reported.Analyzing cases of unsupervised melatonin ingestion in young children during emergency department visits also underestimates the frequency of melatonin ingestions by children 5 and under, the researchers said.The use of melatonin by U.S. adults soared since the early 2000s, the CDC noted. The rise coincided with a 420% increase in emergency department visits for unsupervised melatonin ingestion by infants and young children between 2009 and 2020.The new report says that the vast majority of unsupervised melatonin ingestions did not result in hospitalization.However, more research is needed to determine if supervised use of melatonin for children is safe or needed. The use of melatonin appears “to be safe for most children for short-term use,” according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, a department of the National Institutes of Health, but it points out that it is unclear how much melatonin is suitable for children and whether its benefits outweigh its possible risks.In general, melatonin side effects documented in children include drowsiness, headaches, agitation and increased bed-wetting or urination in the evening, according to the NCCIH. There is also the potential for harmful interactions with drugs sometimes prescribed for children’s allergic reactions.The researchers for the latest study did not specify whether the children included in the surveillance data experienced any side effects.Parents should always consult their pediatrician before giving their children melatonin, according to Dr. Cora Collette Breuner, a professor in the department of pediatrics at Seattle Children’s Hospital at the University of Washington.”I also tell families, this is not something your child should take forever. Nobody knows what the long-term effects of taking this is on your child’s growth and development,” Breuner previously told CNN.”Taking away blue-light-emitting smartphones, tablets, laptops and television at least two hours before bed will keep melatonin production humming along, as will reading or listening to bedtime stories in a softly lit room, taking a warm bath, or doing light stretches.”CNN’s Sandee LaMotte contributed to this report.

    Melatonin products have become increasingly popular among U.S. adults and a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 11,000 children have landed in the emergency room in recent years after ingesting it while unsupervised.

    File video above: Chronic misuse of melatonin creating health concerns

    Melatonin is a hormone produced by the brain in response to darkness and regulates the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm. Melatonin supplements, often sold as flavored gummies, can help someone struggling to fall asleep due to jet lag or sleep-wake disorders commonly seen in shift workers.

    For the new report, researchers from the CDC and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission identified cases involving children age 5 and younger who were taken to the emergency department between 2019 and 2022 after ingesting melatonin without supervision.

    Based on nearly 300 identified cases, the researchers estimated that 10,930 emergency department visits occurred during that time period, accounting for about 7% of all ER visits in the U.S. for unsupervised medication exposures in infants and young children.

    More than half of accidental ingestions involved children between 3 and 5 years old and the majority of visits did not involve additional medications.

    While the type of melatonin ingested was not specified during most visits, the report shows that children had almost always swallowed the product. Based on emergency department visits where the dosage form was specified, researchers estimated that melatonin gummies were involved in nearly 5,000 cases.

    Melatonin is a supplement and is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A recent study published in the journal JAMA found that 25 products labeled as melatonin gummies contained dangerous levels of the hormone while other contained no melatonin and contained only cannabidiol, or CBD.

    “These discrepancies in ingredients or strength could pose additional risk” to children, the CDC researchers wrote.

    Among emergency department visits with documentation of the melatonin container, about three-quarters involved bottles — suggesting that young children were able to open the bottles or that the bottles were not closed properly.

    The researchers said it is important for adults who take these products and live in homes with young children to consider buying melatonin products with child-resistant packaging.

    Meanwhile, the surveillance data used in the report comes with limitations, including a lack of “narrative” information recorded during emergency department visits. For example, the intended age of a melatonin product was not specified in nearly half of visits, therefore the involvement of a specific product type might be higher than reported.

    Analyzing cases of unsupervised melatonin ingestion in young children during emergency department visits also underestimates the frequency of melatonin ingestions by children 5 and under, the researchers said.

    The use of melatonin by U.S. adults soared since the early 2000s, the CDC noted. The rise coincided with a 420% increase in emergency department visits for unsupervised melatonin ingestion by infants and young children between 2009 and 2020.

    The new report says that the vast majority of unsupervised melatonin ingestions did not result in hospitalization.

    However, more research is needed to determine if supervised use of melatonin for children is safe or needed. The use of melatonin appears “to be safe for most children for short-term use,” according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, a department of the National Institutes of Health, but it points out that it is unclear how much melatonin is suitable for children and whether its benefits outweigh its possible risks.

    In general, melatonin side effects documented in children include drowsiness, headaches, agitation and increased bed-wetting or urination in the evening, according to the NCCIH. There is also the potential for harmful interactions with drugs sometimes prescribed for children’s allergic reactions.

    The researchers for the latest study did not specify whether the children included in the surveillance data experienced any side effects.

    Parents should always consult their pediatrician before giving their children melatonin, according to Dr. Cora Collette Breuner, a professor in the department of pediatrics at Seattle Children’s Hospital at the University of Washington.

    “I also tell families, this is not something your child should take forever. Nobody knows what the long-term effects of taking this is on your child’s growth and development,” Breuner previously told CNN.

    “Taking away blue-light-emitting smartphones, tablets, laptops and television at least two hours before bed will keep melatonin production humming along, as will reading or listening to bedtime stories in a softly lit room, taking a warm bath, or doing light stretches.”

    CNN’s Sandee LaMotte contributed to this report.

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  • Best Hacks To Fall Asleep Faster

    Best Hacks To Fall Asleep Faster

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    Stress, worry, an overly full stomach, noises….all conspire to steal shuteye from even the soundest sleepers. An estimated 50 million to 70 million people struggle with sleeping and almost everyone has issues no and again.  A good night is important to your health, especially since if you eat well and exercise, you lose less fat when you’re not getting enough sleep. The National Sleep Foundation, along with a multi-disciplinary expert panel, issued its recommendations that most working adults need between 7-9 hours a night.  So here are the best hacks to fall asleep faster!

    Pretend to be in REM sleep

    This idea is a little out there, but it makes some sense. REM is short for rapid eye movement, signaling that super deep sleep where our eyes move behind our eyelids and we rest deeply. Lay down comfortably in bed and try to avoid thinking about anything. Close your eyes and follow the random patterns that appear behind your eyelids.

    RELATED: Just 16 Minutes Of Sleep Loss Can Harm Work Concentration The Next Day

    According to Lifehacker, you should know you’re on your way to sleeping once you start to see complete images, which is super trippy but sounds like solid advice.

    Guided Imagery

    Recalling a serene memory or imagining a peaceful setting can help reduce the stressors of the day to prepare your mind and body for sleep. Take slow, deep breaths and focus on sensory details, including sights, sounds, and smells to immerse yourself in an imagined space. You may find it helpful to use a pre-recorded soundtrack to direct your thoughts. Guided imagery soundtracks are widely available online.

    Sleep during the night

    cbd for sleep
    Photo by Ivan Obolensky via Pexels

    Sleeping at night is very important, offering benefits long naps and mid-day sleeps are unable to provide. Sleeping during the day is harder and it may also disrupt your circadian rhythms, which have been associated to heart conditions, weight gain, cognitive impairments, and more.

    Eat foods that contain melatonin

    Master Chef Cooking GIF by Boomerang Official - Find & Share on GIPHY

    RELATED: How Using Marijuana Can Effect Your Sleep Patterns

    Don’t go to bed hungry or full, and perhaps eat foods that promote the development of melatonin, the hormone that regulates your wakefulness. Foods containing tryptophan, such as chicken, eggs and cod, are good for sleep since they promote the development of this hormone.

    Make sure your room is sleep proofed

    Shark Tank Mark GIF by ABC Network - Find & Share on GIPHY

    One of the best ways to ensure you sleep like a baby is having a room that’s dark, quiet, and comfortable, allowing you to make the most out of the hours you spend in bed. If redesigning your room is too much work, you can always use comfortable earplugs and a sleep mask. Avoid doing any type of work in your bed to it is a relaxing, fun place.

    May any and all of these work of you, sweet dreams.

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    Sarah Johns

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  • 88% Of Melatonin Gummy Products Inaccurately Labeled, Some Included CBD – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

    88% Of Melatonin Gummy Products Inaccurately Labeled, Some Included CBD – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

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    Are you in the dark about what’s actually in that melatonin product that you may have been taking? A study described in a JAMA research letter published on April 25 found that 22 of 25 melatonin gummy products analyzed had labels that did not accurately represent the contents of the products. That’s a whopping 88% if them. In fact, the actual levels of melatonin in the products ranged from 74% to 347% of what was listed on the labels. And while five of the products did list cannabidiol (CBD) on their labels—yes, that CBD—the actual levels of CBD ranged from 104% to 118% of what was indicated on the label. So, that gummy in your tummy may have a lot more or a lot less of what you are thinking that you are getting. That’s not the kind of news that will make you sleep better at night.

    Data have shown that an increasing number of Americans have been using melatonin products to sleep or relieve stress or both. As I covered for Forbes in February 2022, a study found that melatonin supplement use had increased over four-fold among Americans from 2000 to 2018. Such dietary supplements aren’t very closely regulated. They are typically sold over-the-counter and don’t go through the same U.S. Food and…

    Original Author Link click here to read complete story..

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    MMP News Author

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  • Could Melatonin Ease Self-Harm in Kids?

    Could Melatonin Ease Self-Harm in Kids?

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    By Steven Reinberg 

    HealthDay Reporter

    MONDAY, March 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) — For depressed or anxious children, taking melatonin may afford a good night’s sleep and, as a result, lower the odds they will harm themselves, new research suggests.

    The risk of self-harm increased before melatonin was prescribed and decreased by about half after kids started taking the supplement, the study found. Teen girls suffering from depression or anxiety were the most likely to benefit.

    “This suggests that melatonin might be responsible for the reduced self-harm rates, but we cannot rule out that the use of other psychiatric medications or psychotherapy may have influenced the findings,” said senior researcher Sarah Bergen, from the department of medical epidemiology and biostatistics at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

    “Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone, and we believe the findings are due to improved sleep,” she said.

    The study can’t prove that melatonin caused the drop off in self-harm, only that there appears to be a link.

    Of the more than 25,000 young people in the study, 87% had psychiatric disorders in addition to sleep problems.

    “Melatonin was probably only one part of their treatment package,” Bergen said. “We found that controlling for antidepressant use did not appreciably alter the results, but it’s possible that other medications or psychotherapy are contributing to the observed findings.”

    For the study, her team identified nearly 25,600 Swedish youngsters between 6 and 18 years of age who were prescribed melatonin.

    Most had at least one psychiatric disorder. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders, depression or autism spectrum disorder were the most common. Girls were about five times more likely to harm themselves than boys, the study authors noted.

    Self-harm can include cutting or burning oneself, breaking bones, and other behaviors that can cause injury or lead to suicide attempts.

    “Melatonin has no serious side effects and is not addictive, so using it to improve sleep in children and adolescents could be an important intervention strategy leading to reduced self-harm behaviors in this population,” Bergen said.

    An expert who reviewed the findings agreed that the reduction in self-harm seen in the study is a result of better sleep.

    “If you improve sleep, your anxiety or depression, your suicidal ideations, your self-injurious behavior all become less,” said Dr. Sanjeev Kothare, director of the division of pediatric neurology at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Queens, N.Y.

    Kothare said melatonin can help improve sleep if used correctly.

    “One has to take one to three milligrams of melatonin one hour before sleep onset for best efficacy,” he said. “It should not be repeated the same night as it will not work. You should not be taking more than 3 to 5 milligrams because it can be harmful.”

    With or without melatonin, practicing good sleep habits makes a big difference, but Kothare said it can be hard for kids to stick with it.

    The keys to getting a good night’s sleep include winding down by 9 p.m. with no phones, tablets, TV or computers. At 10 p.m., you can take some melatonin if needed to help get to sleep, Kothare said.

    This pattern should become the norm for weekdays and weekends, with no daytime napping, he advised.

    “Take away the naps, and maintain similar schedules on weekdays and weekends. Don’t take caffeinated drinks after two o’clock in the afternoon and dim the lights at night,” he advised. “Use melatonin judiciously and take away all the gizmos when it’s sleep time.”

    The findings were published online March 23 in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

    More information

    To learn more about melatonin, visit the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

     

    SOURCES: Sarah Bergen, PhD, department of medical epidemiology and biostatistics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden; Sanjeev Kothare, MD, director, division of pediatric neurology, Cohen Children’s Medical Center, Queens, N.Y.; Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, March 23, 2023, online

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  • Weighted Blanket Coziness Promotes Sleep by Releasing Melatonin

    Weighted Blanket Coziness Promotes Sleep by Releasing Melatonin

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    Oct. 6, 2022 — The comfort of feeling cozy and safe with the help of a weighted blanket may help promote sleep by inducing a release of melatonin, a hormone associated with sleep, a study of young, healthy participants suggests.

    “We all know if we want to relax a bit or we need support from others, it’s really good if they give us a hug,” says Christian Benedict, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology at Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden.

    “And I think this is somehow similar with a weighted blanket because the blanket activates our sensory system, and this system conveys information to the brain where it impacts certain structures that play a role in the regulation of melatonin,” he says. 

    “So the body feels ready — now I’m protected so I can relax — and that signals back to the brain that we are ready to initiate sleep, which is why it boosts the melatonin signal,” Benedict says. 

    The study was published online on Monday in the  Journal of Sleep Research.

    Melatonin Increases Higher With Heavier Blanket

    The study involved 26 young men and women who don’t have  insomnia. Participants underwent two experimental sessions — the first visit to the laboratory to serve as an “adaptation” night and the second for the experiment. The adaption night was to help participants adjust to the experimental setting, the authors say. Saliva was collected every 20 minutes between 10 and 11 p.m. while participants’ sleepiness was also assessed every 20 minutes using the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale both before the lights went off and between 7 and 8 a.m. the next morning. 

    Duration of sleep was also recorded using a special  wearable device that measures many physiological indicators of sleep. 

    The researchers said they focused on “total sleep duration as an outcome” for this study, noting that increases in melatonin in the saliva samples they collected were greater between 10 and 11 p.m. when participants used the weighted blanket. 

    There was also an initial but short-lived increase in oxytocin levels when participants used the weighted blanket compared to the light blanket, but it was not statistically significant, the researchers said. (Oxytocin is the so-called “love” hormone that controls aspects of human behavior including childbirth and lactation.)

    But differences in measures of sleepiness between the two blanket conditions were not different.  There also weren’t  any significant differences in total sleep time when participants used the weighted blanket compared to the light blanket. 

    But as Benedict points out, people have a variable response to melatonin. For example, children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might have  some benefit from it, as well as older people who no longer produce enough  melatonin on their own. 

    Overall, most  studies suggest that melatonin itself doesn’t promote sleep. Melatonin prepares the body and brain for the biological event of night, which includes sleep, but it works through a relatively powerful placebo effect: People believe melatonin will help them sleep and believing it makes it so, Benedict says. 

    And  just because the body makes its own melatonin, it’s not necessary safe to use melatonin supplements, Benedict says. For example, if people are eating and have a lot of melatonin in their system, the melatonin tells the pancreas to stop making insulin in response to food as it normally would. As a result, they run the risk of having high blood sugar levels, which, over time, can be harmful. There is also a risk of children getting into their parent’s melatonin stores, and melatonin can prove extremely harmful to children. 

    Weighted blankets are widely available and are sold for therapeutic reasons. People should test the blankets before settling on one; if a blanket is too heavy, the effect may be suffocating instead of feeling cozy and safe. 

    Benedict also cautions that heavy blankets sold for therapeutic reasons are not cheap — in Scandinavia they cost up to $250 — so doctors might still want to recommend them for their patients with insomnia provided they can afford the blanket. Alternatively, people could consider buying more than one light blanket and pile the weight on as needed, he suggests. 

    “Our study is the first to suggest that weighted blankets may result in a greater release in melatonin [but] future studies should investigate whether the stimulatory effect on melatonin secretion remains when using a weighted blanket over more extended periods of time,” the study authors write. 

    It is not clear whether the increase in melatonin observed in the study is therapeutically useful, they said. 

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