Concerns About Melatonin and Heart Health
WASHINGTON — There’s no need to panic over recent headlines suggesting a link between melatonin and heart failure.
This comes after some concerning reports about a preliminary study examining the safety of long-term melatonin use for those struggling with insomnia.
Doctors have long recognized that poor or disrupted sleep can elevate the risk of heart disease. However, experts indicate that this type of observational study can’t definitively prove that melatonin use contributes to heart issues, rather than the insomnia itself.
“We shouldn’t sound alarm bells and advise patients to stop their melatonin,” noted Dr. Pratik Sandesara, an interventional cardiologist at Emory Healthcare, who wasn’t part of the study.
Melatonin is a hormone that our bodies naturally produce to help regulate sleep cycles. Levels tend to rise in the evening as it gets darker, prompting feelings of drowsiness.
Many people opt for synthetic melatonin to aid in sleep or adjust to time zone changes like jet lag.
The preliminary study utilized international electronic health records to track adults diagnosed with insomnia who had a prescription for melatonin, suggesting they had used the supplement for at least a year. Over a five-year period, 4.6% of chronic melatonin users developed heart failure, in contrast to 2.7% of insomnia patients who did not use melatonin, according to the researchers. Though being presented at an American Heart Association meeting, the study has yet to be peer-reviewed.
Interestingly, not all countries require a melatonin prescription. In the U.S., it’s available over-the-counter, which means Americans in the study may have taken the supplements without it being recorded. Additionally, the study did not specify dosages.
Moreover, because U.S. supplements don’t require government approval, the ingredients can vary significantly between brands. The researchers from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University suggested that their findings highlight the need for further research.
Patients with questions about melatonin should consult their doctors, according to Sandesara, who generally recommends it for short-term use, like adjusting to jet lag.
Yancy pointed out that while this study does not establish any dangers associated with long-term melatonin usage, there’s also no concrete evidence supporting its indefinite use.
One critical strategy for improving sleep is to maintain good sleep hygiene, such as ensuring your room is dark. “When we expose ourselves to blue light at night, we’re actually lowering our melatonin levels. That’s just science,” he explained. Sleep issues aren’t merely about feeling tired — they pose real risks.
