What taking melatonin could reveal about your heart health

Taking melatonin for long periods of time could be a sign of underlying heart problems

Taking melatonin for long periods of time could be a sign of underlying heart problems.

Long-term use of the popular over-the-counter sleep aid has been linked to a higher risk of heart failure and early death in adults with insomnia, according to research released Monday.

There’s no evidence that melatonin supplements themselves cause heart problems, the researchers said. But a need to take them on a regular basis to help with falling and staying asleep could be a signal that the body is experiencing cardiac issues.

“Insomnia can increase blood pressure, stress hormones and inflammation,” said Dr. Ekenedilichukwu Nnadi, lead author of the new study and an internal medicine resident at SUNY Downstate/Kings County Primary Care in New York City.

Nnadi and colleagues looked at five years of electronic health records from 130,828 adults, average age 56, finding that people who took melatonin regularly for at least a year were nearly twice as likely to develop heart failure compared to those who didn’t use the supplement, though the actual rates were relatively low: 4.6% of people in the melatonin group developed heart failure, compared to 2.7% among those who didn’t take melatonin.