{"id":1977,"date":"2025-11-07T12:04:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T17:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.madischu.com\/?p=1977"},"modified":"2025-11-07T12:04:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T17:04:18","slug":"melatonin-supplements-and-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.life360coach.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/07\/melatonin-supplements-and-risks\/","title":{"rendered":"Melatonin Supplements and Risks"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Potential risks associated with long-term melatonin use among adults with chronic insomnia were highlighted in a recent preliminary study presented at the American Heart Association\u2019s Scientific Sessions 2025
\nLed by Dr. Ekenedilichukwu Nnadi, a chief resident at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, the observational analysis examined over 130,000 patients, half of whom had documented chronic melatonin use (defined as a year or longer, including prescriptions or self-reported). None had prior heart failure or used prescription sleep aids at baseline.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>Key findings include a 90% increased relative risk of developing heart failure within five years for long-term users<\/strong> (4.6% incidence vs. 2.7% in non-users), a 3.5-fold higher likelihood of heart failure hospitalization (19% vs. 6.6%), and nearly double the all-cause mortality rate (7.8% vs. 4.3%). ahajournals.org<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>The study emphasizes association rather than causation. Chronic insomnia itself may contribute to these effects through inflammation, elevated nighttime blood pressure, or stress hormone dysregulation.<\/strong> newsroom.heart.org<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>The research highlights regulatory gaps: U.S. melatonin supplements are unregulated, with actual doses varying significantly (up to +478% or -83% from the labels), unlike the stricter prescription-only rules in the UK, EU, and Australia. nytimes.com<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span> Nnadi cautions against assuming “natural” equals safe, especially for nightly, multi-year use.
\nHe calls for randomized trials to clarify mechanisms, such as their impact on heart rhythm or metabolism.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>Experts like Columbia University’s Marie-Pierre St-Onge note melatonin’s lack of FDA approval for chronic insomnia treatment and urge short-term use only.<\/strong> washingtonpost.com<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>
\nSleep specialist Dr. Muhammad A. Rishi recommends starting with 0.5\u20131 mg doses, limiting the duration to 1\u20133 months, and consulting a physician for persistent issues, as insomnia may signal underlying conditions such as sleep apnea or depression.
\nThe Council for Responsible Nutrition echoes this, advising that professional guidance is necessary for long-term sleep troubles.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>
\nNew Details from Additional Research<\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>While the study raises alarms, it aligns with growing scrutiny of melatonin’s real-world safety.
\nHazard ratios from the abstract confirm the risks: 1.90 for incident heart failure, 3.47 for hospitalization, and 1.80 for mortality,<\/strong> even after adjusting for confounders like age, comorbidities, and multiple prescriptions. ahajournals.org<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span> Confounding factors<\/strong>\u2014such as users having more severe insomnia, co-occurring depression\/anxiety, or polypharmacy with other sedatives\u2014could explain much of the link. <\/span><\/span><\/span>newsroom.heart.org<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span>Contrasting evidence<\/strong> suggests that melatonin’s antioxidant properties may benefit individuals with established heart disease. A 2023 meta-analysis of 10 trials (n=1,200) found that short-term use (up to 3 months) reduced systolic blood pressure by 3.5 mmHg and improved endothelial function in hypertensive patients.
\nAnimal studies suggest cardioprotective effects against ischemia-reperfusion injury, but human data is limited to small, controlled settings with pharmaceutical-grade doses\u2014not the variable OTC products in Nnadi’s cohort.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>Recent U.S. trends amplify concerns: CDC data shows melatonin-related emergency visits rose 530% from 2019\u20132022, often from overdoses or accidental ingestion, particularly in children.
\nA 2024 FDA warning highlighted inaccurate labeling in 25% of tested supplements, potentially leading to unintended high exposures that disrupt natural hormone rhythms over time.
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>Experts urge caution without panic: NBC reports cardiologists view chronic use as a “red flag” for unmanaged insomnia rather than melatonin toxicity, recommending cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as first-line treatment, which cuts heart risks by 40% in meta-analyses. <\/strong>nbcnews.com<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> For at-risk groups (e.g., those with hypertension), monitoring heart rate variability via wearables during use is recommended.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Read<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
What stimulates normal melatonin secretion in the human body?<\/div>\n


\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>Sources<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. American Heart Association. “Long-term use of melatonin supplements to support sleep may have negative health effects.” November 2025. <\/span>https:\/\/newsroom.heart.org\/news\/long-term-use-of-melatonin-supplements-to-support-sleep-may-have-negative-health-effects<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Nnadi, E. et al. “Abstract 4371606: Effect of Long-term Melatonin Supplementation on Incident Heart Failure, Heart Failure Hospitalization, and All-Cause Mortality in Adults With Insomnia.” <\/span>Circulation<\/span><\/span>. November 2025. <\/span>https:\/\/www.ahajournals.org\/doi\/abs\/10.1161\/circ.152.suppl_3.4371606<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. NBC News. “What taking melatonin could reveal about your heart health.” November 2025. <\/span>https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/health\/health-news\/taking-melatonin-reveal-heart-health-rcna241132<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  4. News-Medical.net. “Long-term use of melatonin supplements linked to higher risk of heart failure and death.” November 2025. <\/span>https:\/\/www.news-medical.net\/news\/20251103\/Long-term-use-of-melatonin-supplements-linked-to-higher-risk-of-heart-failure-and-death.aspx<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  5. The New York Times. “Is Melatonin Bad for Your Heart? Here’s What to Know.” November 2025. <\/span>https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/11\/05\/well\/melatonin-heart-health-study.html<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  6. The Washington Post. “New study links melatonin and heart failure. Don’t panic, experts say.” November 2025. <\/span>https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/health\/2025\/11\/03\/melatonin-heart-failure-sleep-aid\/<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Drugs.com. “Long-Term Melatonin Use for Insomnia Tied to Higher Risk for Heart Failure, Death.” November 2025. <\/span>https:\/\/www.drugs.com\/news\/aha-long-term-melatonin-insomnia-tied-higher-risk-heart-failure-127448.html<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  8. Powers Health. “Long-Term Melatonin Might Harm Heart Health, Study Says.” November 2025. <\/span>https:\/\/www.powershealth.org\/about-us\/newsroom\/health-library\/2025\/11\/03\/longterm-melatonin-might-harm-heart-health-study-says<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  9. Wang, Y. et al. “Effects of melatonin supplementation on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.” <\/span>Hypertension Research<\/span><\/span>. 2023. <\/span>https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41440-023-01275-5<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  10. Cardinali, D. et al. “Melatonin and cardioprotection against ischemia\/reperfusion injury.” <\/span>Antioxidants<\/span><\/span>. 2022. <\/span>https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-3921\/11\/3\/543<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  11. CDC. “Notes from the Field: Melatonin Poisoning \u2014 United States, 2019\u20132022.” <\/span>MMWR<\/span><\/span>. 2024. <\/span>https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/mmwr\/volumes\/73\/wr\/mm7306a3.htm<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  12. Irish, L. et al. “The role of sleep hygiene in promoting public health: A review of empirical evidence.” <\/span>Sleep Medicine Reviews<\/span><\/span>. 2015. <\/span>https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S1087079214001255
    \n<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Potential risks associated with long-term melatonin use among adults with chronic insomnia were highlighted in a recent preliminary study presented at the American Heart Association\u2019s Scientific Sessions 2025 Led by Dr. Ekenedilichukwu Nnadi, a chief resident at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, the observational analysis examined over 130,000 patients, half of whom had documented chronic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[110,24],"tags":[128],"class_list":["post-1977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sleep","category-the-endocrine-system","tag-melatonin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.life360coach.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.life360coach.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.life360coach.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.life360coach.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.life360coach.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.life360coach.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1977\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.life360coach.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.life360coach.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.life360coach.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}