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If you often find yourself reaching for melatonin gummies to help you sleep, you may want to take a step back. New research suggests that chronic use of melatonin supplements could be a warning sign of heart failure among people with insomnia. The research, which is scheduled to be presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association and has not been peer reviewed, relied on electronic health record data. For the study, researchers looked at data for more than 130,000 people who had been diagnosed with insomnia and categorized them into groups based on whether or not they had been prescribed melatonin and for how long they'd taken the supplement. Among those who had used melatonin, more than 65,000 had used it chronically, meaning for more than a year. And those who were taking melatonin for at least a year were almost twice as likely to experience heart failure in the next five years compared to those who did not use melatonin. Melatonin is hormone that the body makes on its own naturally and is also found in some foods. It plays a major role in regulating your sleep and waking cycle, and supplements containing melatonin are a popular over-the-counter sleep aid, as TODAY.com explained previously. While melatonin supplements are generally safe, they don't work for everyone and can come with side effects. And, as the new research suggests, using melatonin supplements frequently may be a sign that underlying health issues, like heart failure, are going untreated. Those in the melatonin group were also more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure and to die from any cause within five years compared to those who were not taking melatonin. “Melatonin supplements are widely thought of as a safe and ‘natural’ option to support better sleep, so it was striking to see such consistent and significant increases in serious health outcomes, even after balancing for many other risk factors,” Dr. Ekenedilichukwu Nnadi, lead author on the new research and an internal medicine resident at SUNY Downstate/Kings County Primary Care in New York City, said in a press release. Do Melatonin Supplements Cause Heart Failure? The study does not prove that melatonin directly causes heart issues. Instead, the need to take melatonin frequently on a long-term basis may be a sign that underlying health issues are hidden or not being managed well. “Insomnia can increase blood pressure, stress hormones and inflammation,” Nnadi told NBC News. Another limitation of the research is that the data, which includes patients in multiple countries, only captures those who received a prescription for melatonin supplements. These supplements are also available over-the-counter in the U.S., so the research likely doesn't represent the full picture of melatonin use in the U.S. And it's not clear how well the results would apply to those who use melatonin only for the occasional bout of sleep trouble. For those who have a hard time getting consistent, good sleep, experts told TODAY.com previously that supplements generally shouldn't be your first option. Melatonin can come in handy for people dealing with jet lag or night shift work, for example,, Naima Covassin, Ph.D., sleep disorder expert and assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told TODAY.com recently. But it shouldn’t be used to treat ongoing insomnia. “There have been quite a few clinical trials, and most of them fail to find melatonin is better than a placebo,” Philip Richard Gehrman, Ph.D., an associate professor of clinical psychology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, told TODAY.com previously. “If it has any effect as a sleeping pill, they are very modest,” Gehrman said. Instead, evidence-based treatments for insomnia include cognitive-behavioral therapy, lifestyle changes and, sometimes, prescription medication. And, in general, experts have told TODAY.com again and again that you should consult a doctor before adding a new supplement to your regimen — and to check in if it becomes a frequent habit. While they may seem harmless or "natural," supplements can have unintended consequences and may even interact with prescription medications.
