Overview
- Researchers presented an analysis at the American Heart Association meeting using TriNetX data from about 130,000 adults with chronic insomnia, comparing those with at least one year of recorded melatonin use with matched nonusers.
- Over five years, long-term users had roughly a 90% higher incidence of heart failure, 3.5 times the risk of hospitalization for heart failure, and nearly double the risk of death from any cause.
- Authors and independent experts stressed the findings are observational and preliminary, with limits such as unmeasured over-the-counter use, missing dose and adherence details, and potential confounding by insomnia severity or psychiatric conditions.
- Separately, European testing by Öko-Test reported that many melatonin sprays deviated from label claims and lacked key warnings, raising product-quality and regulatory concerns.
- Use is climbing in India with frequent purchases of 3–10 mg tablets and gummies, while experts advise starting at about 0.3–1 mg for short courses, prioritizing sleep-hygiene strategies, and reviewing chronic users in clinic.