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
22 comments:
California’s “Useful Idiots”
With Proposition 50, voters handed the keys of redistricting back to the very politicians the independent commission was created to restrain. The so-called “Election Rigging Response Act” was sold as a way to “fight back” against Republican gerrymandering in Texas, but make no mistake, this was no act of resistance. It was an act of surrender.
Once upon a time, California prided itself on being the antidote to partisan manipulation of what was created at that time, known as the the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, a rare, voter-approved firewall against any political map-rigging. It was transparent, balanced, and it was independent! And it was run by ordinary citizens not politicians who decided how district lines were drawn. It was made to “Leveling the playing field” with Texas. But since when does California, the self-proclaimed bastion of fairness, justify one bad act by pointing to another? That’s like saying, “Texas cheats, so now we get to cheat too.” How stupid is that!
Now, these Democrats control not just the legislature, but also the Governorship, and most local governments — they also control the map itself. Every district can be tailored to preserve their dominance, it will silent the opposition, and make “Elections” little more than just being plain Formalities.
So what do ya know? Well it now appears that the REAL beneficiary of Proposition 50 is not the the Democrat Politicians who will be running for the newly created seats, but our Good Ole Friend Gavin Newsom, who has made himself a new list of donors for HIS Presidential campaign and access to large out-of-state donors likely to now fund a National campaign
known as the “Gavin Newsom Presidential Fundraiser”
So. Let’s face it, when one party faces NO real challenge, then corruption festers. And accountability dies. The voices of independents and moderates vanish. Prop 50 is more than a political maneuver — it’s the moment California officially gave up on pluralism.
The tragedy? The “useful idiots” who voted for it think they were saving democracy. In truth, they buried it under the weight of partisan arrogance.
A somewhat different (less alarming) take here: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/taking-melatonin-reveal-heart-health-rcna241132
Dead link
All the links work for me. Try again?
From my reading, the issue isn't melatonin, but the insomnia which may be connected to undetected heart issues.
in other words, people with undetected heart disease can't sleep so they take melatonin. Yes there is a correlation, but so is the one between apartment rent and GPA.
I used to take melatonin a couple times a week, sometimes every night. For me, it didn’t always work - I’d still be tossing and turning.
Now I just put up with lack of sleep. I also cut out the nightly glass of wine with dinner. Alcohol can cause some people to have interrupted sleep patterns. mostly it seems to have helped me. Generally, pain or discomfort keeps me awake, so I just read a little when I can’t sleep.
Southern NH
Try Z-Factor from Relief Factor (www.relieffactor.com)....not Melatonin based...and not a drug.
I had read somewhere that the amount in the usual pills is actually about 10x what's needed for an effect.
Assuming it affects you at all. It doesn't seem to change my sleep patterns, so I stopped using it.
Can you really trust any of these reports? Looks like they all have agendas, paid for by some pharma group, no such thing as true peer review everyone is on the take.
I've had good luck with Harrelson's Own CBN Gummies
I tried melatonin for a little while and found it counterproductive to my sleep efforts and gave up on it after a couple of week. As with any drug, You Millage May Very.
Paul, I think you might have your wires crossed. It's as much a drug as straight melatonin (both are available over the counter as "supplements") and Relief Factor lists melatonin as a main ingredient...
Sleep Aid
My sleep aid is two 500 mg Acetaminophen taken with gin and tonic. The quinine helps with leg cramps and the gin helps me fall asleep quickly. Three hours of sleep follows until Mr. Bladder demands attention.
My now retired cardiologist cleared this as safe so long as the gin was restricted to one shot and no other alcohol is consumed during the day.
I've been taking melatonin for about 30 years. I was searching for this study, but I just get the articles about it. I did end up getting a study about the cardio-protective effects of melatonin titled:
Cardioprotective Role of Melatonin in Acute Myocardial Infarction
Then I remembered the many podcasts and videos I've watched about Melatonin (often suggesting high doses for various reasons), and yeah- I don't believe this crap. I wanted to read it to see if I could figure out why it's wrong but it is probably not worth my time. I did notice in the article they talk about prescriptions- who get prescriptions to melatonin? And if all the people in the study got this prescription, well, maybe its like the crappy D2 pills people get by prescription instead of D3 when they get a script for vitamin d.
Interesting; I actually take one glass of Manischewitz wine at night an hour or so before bed, and it both helps me sleep and keeps me regular. Other wines keep me awake. I think it has to do with the quercetin found in Concord grapes, with is a natural anti-inflammitory.
OT, sorry and thankyou, is your wife writing any more of her tactical romance series? If so, when is the next release date? I have read all them through Between Two Graves and think they are a lot of fun. I am sorry to read about your heallth issues, and I hope it all heals well.
Correlation is not causation. The report I read suggested that poor sleepers with undiagnosed heart disease were more likely to use products such as melatonin. Of course, another story I read last year pointed out that melatonin is a hormone and, since we don't know everything, the smallest dose possible should be used.
Sorry, no help here. I don't take anything, I just suffer through.
Correlation does not equal causation. Perhaps people who take melatonin have another common factor leading to heart problems... To definitively connect melatonin with heart failure science needs to show the physiologic mechanism connecting the two. What exactly does melatonin do to lead to heart problems. We see this a lot where statistics are used instead of actual science showing direct cause and effect.
I cannot take melatonin. I have terrifying, realistic, vividly colored, neon colors, very very bad dreams, I would cry, scream, yell and sweat, fight, my heart racing and beating hard like a drum. My husband would wake me and Hold me until I felt safe. I would be shaking, trembling, sweating, he said my eyes were wide and scared looking. I was absolutely worse than terrified. I never had dreams like that before, and have not had any since I stopped taking melatonin.
You haven't mentioned whether or not you have tried Chamomile tea, a drop of lavender oil(aroma therapy), or a warm cup of milk (tryptophan). Glycine is another amino acid that affects sleep patterns. Another thing that helps me is a good hot shower before bed to relax all my achy joints.
When was the last time you had them check your magnesium levels? Low magnesium levels not only mess with your sleep but is just as dangerous as low potassium levels.
How about sleep apena? Does Dorothy report you gasping for air when you sleep? Do you nap during the day?
How dark is your room? Any electronics in the room such as TVs, computers, etc? How hot or cold is it? Animals jumping on and off the bed? Lots of thing to consider if you have poor sleeping patterns.
Echoing what others wrote, and, from the article, "our study cannot prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship".
As with many health issues, the question to ask is what the trade-offs are. Are the negative effects of chronic sleep issues worse than long-term use of melatonin? I've been using melatonin as a sleep aid for longer than a year. I think I'll continue doing so, since the quality of life benefit is significant.
- jed
Post a Comment