A new study has found that taking melatonin for a long time may increase the risk of heart problems. The research will be presented at the American Heart Association’s meeting and shows that people who used melatonin for a year or more had higher chances of heart failure and even death compared to those who did not use it.
Melatonin is a hormone that helps control sleep. Many people take it as a supplement to treat insomnia or help them fall asleep faster. It is sold over the counter and is often seen as safe. But this new study suggests that using it for too long could be risky.
Researchers looked at the medical records of more than 130,000 adults who had insomnia. About half of them took melatonin for at least one year, while the others did not. Both groups were similar in age, gender, weight, and other health factors.
The results showed that people who used melatonin for a long time were almost 90% more likely to develop heart failure. They were also about three times more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure and nearly twice as likely to die from any cause than those who didn’t take melatonin.
However, the study’s lead author, Dr. Ekenedilichukwu Nnadi, said that this research does not prove that melatonin directly causes heart disease. The data did not include details about the doses people took or whether melatonin actually helped them sleep better.
Other experts also warned that more research is needed. Dr. Joyce Oen-Hsiao from Yale School of Medicine said that people who took melatonin might have had severe sleep problems that made their health worse in other ways.
Doctors are advising people to use natural ways to improve sleep, such as turning off screens before bed, doing breathing exercises, or eating foods like pistachios that can naturally help the body make melatonin.
Health experts say people who already have heart problems or other health conditions should talk to their doctor before using melatonin regularly.
They also encourage more studies to understand how long-term use of this sleep supplement affects the heart.
