I've used a melatonin supplement as a sleep aid for over a year. I take one tablet at night before going to bed, and have found it helps me sleep more regularly, with less waking up in the middle of the night.
Unfortunately, I may have to stop that. A new report says melatonin can be a two-edged sword.
New research has linked long-term melatonin use with a significantly increased risk of heart failure, hospitalization and death.
An observational study from the American Heart Association (AHA) examined five years of health records of 130,828 adults with insomnia, half of whom used melatonin for at least one year. The other half did not take the supplement.
People who were prescribed other sleep medications or already had confirmed heart failure were excluded from the analysis.
The researchers found that long-term melatonin use in those with chronic insomnia was linked to a 90% increased chance of incident heart failure compared to non-users.
Additionally, participants who filled at least two melatonin prescriptions at least 90 days apart had an 82% higher risk of developing heart failure compared with those who did not use melatonin, according to the observational study.
A secondary analysis revealed that participants who took melatonin were nearly 3.5 times as likely to be hospitalized for heart failure and twice as likely to die.
There's more at the link.
What I found particularly depressing was that this study deliberately excluded people who "already had confirmed heart failure". That would include me, after two heart attacks. If melatonin increased cardiac risks to the extent reported in people with healthy hearts, what about folks like me with unhealthy ones?
I know a number of people who use melatonin as I do - some of them recommended it to me. It does work as a sleep aid, in my experience. However, no matter how effective it may be in the latter capacity, if it's going to add to the stress on my heart, I'm going to have to stop using it.
Have any readers had experiences that might bear out this report? If so, please tell us about them in Comments.
Peter
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