Overview
- Researchers from SUNY Downstate reviewed electronic health records of more than 130,000 adults with insomnia, comparing those with at least one year of documented melatonin use to nonusers over five years.
- The analysis associated long-term use with an approximately 90% higher risk of developing heart failure, heart-failure hospitalizations reported at 19% versus 6%, and nearly doubled all-cause mortality.
- Findings were presented at the American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans and remain preliminary, with the AHA and independent experts calling for randomized, controlled trials.
- Regulatory and product-quality concerns add uncertainty, as Germany’s BfR warns of side effects even at low doses and Öko-Test reports frequent mislabeling and variable melatonin content in consumer sprays.
- Clinicians advise prioritizing sleep hygiene and short-term, medically guided use, noting conflicting evidence that small trials in patients with existing heart failure have shown modest benefits.