Sleeplessness is so devastating that chronic insomniacs will do almost anything to get a night’s sleep. But doctors are warning that one of the most popular over-the-counter sleep aids, the hormone melatonin, is being overused and can make insomnia worse over time.
You can hardly blame them, as chronic sleep deprivation wreaks havoc mentally and physically. Mild and short term sleep deprivation is itself enough to make it difficult to keep an even emotional keel. But chronic sleep deprivation can increase the chances of serious illness like heart disease, and in the most severe cases can cause hallucinations. ‘
Melatonin is not regulated in the U.S. and is sold as a supplement in the form of tablets or gummy candies. Doctors say people should take no more than 5 milligrams per night, and should not use the supplement for more than a month or two. But dosages in different brands can vary wildly.
Dr. Michael Breus calls the hormone “the most misused supplement in the world.” He says the substance can help regulate sleep, but it is not effective for putting people to sleep, which is the most common complaint among insomniacs.
In addition, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health has failed to find good evidence for melatonin’s effectiveness, or for its safety in long-term use. They recommend Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as a first-line treatment for insomnia instead.
Melatonin can actually worsen chronic insomnia, and it can have daytime side effects including drowsiness, headache, a lowered body temperature, and nausea.
A Johns Hopkins professor of psychiatry thinks people should use even less of the hormone, recommending no more than three milligrams. He said it is best taken two hours before a person’s planned bedtime.
And if it doesn’t help within two weeks? “Stop using it,” said Luis F. Buenaver.
U.S. health experts expressed alarm earlier this year about overuse of melatonin which they say is connected to increasing overdoses in children. There is apparently a 500 percent increase in children’s overdoses on the substance over the past 10 years.
The Centers for Disease Control said that two children had died from overdosing on melatonin. Both were younger than two years old; children should not be given the substance.
