Nearly 1 in 5 adolescents now using melatonin to sleep, researchers say
The findings were based on information from the parents of 993 children ages 1 to 14.
Regular use of melatonin to help kids sleep has become “exceedingly common,” with nearly 1 in 5 adolescents (19 percent) using it, according to research published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
But in addition, younger children — including about 6 percent of preschoolers ages 1 to 4 and 18 percent of elementary school kids 5 to 9 - are being given melatonin by their parents as a sleep aid, most often as gummies or chewable tablets, the study found.
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The findings were based on information from the parents of 993 children ages 1 to 14. In its natural form, melatonin is a hormone produced in the brain that regulates a person's sleep-wake cycles. More melatonin is produced and secreted when it is dark, prompting sleepiness, and less when it is light, signaling the body to be awake.
Those who still have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep sometimes turn to a melatonin supplement, which can be purchased over-the-counter without a prescription.
Because melatonin is considered a dietary supplement, it is not as tightly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration as medications. The researchers also warned that the actual amount of melatonin in a supplement has been shown to vary greatly from the dosage indicated on the label.
The American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents to discuss sleep issues with their child's pediatrician before trying melatonin and to consider melatonin use by children only as a short-term aid to help establish good bedtime routines or reset sleep schedules after school breaks or summer vacations.
The researchers, however, found that kids' use of melatonin usually was not one time but regular, with preschoolers having taken the supplement for 12 months, elementary schoolchildren for 18 and adolescents for 21.
The study also noted that little research has been done on the long-term safety of melatonin use by kids.