One in five school-aged children and preteens now takes melatonin to fall asleep, according to a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
The hormone is routinely given to an increasing number of children, according to a new study published on Nov. 13, which surveyed around 1,000 parents during the first half of 2023.
“We are not saying that melatonin is necessarily harmful to children,” lead author Lauren Hartstein, a postdoctoral fellow in the Sleep and Development Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder said, according to CU Boulder Today. “But much more research needs to be done before we can state with confidence that it is safe for kids to be taking long-term.”
As a dietary supplement, melatonin is not subject to full regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the outlet noted.
The pineal gland naturally produces melatonin, which regulates circadian rhythm and signals to the body that it’s time to go to sleep, according to CU Boulder Today. Chemically synthesized or animal-derived melatonin is available over the counter in the United States as a dietary supplement and in the form of kid-friendly gummies. Melatonin is a prescription-only drug in many other countries, the outlet noted.
“All of a sudden, in 2022, we started noticing a lot of parents telling us that their healthy child was regularly taking melatonin,” Hartatein said, per CU Boulder Today.
Only 1.3 percent of parents in the U.S. reported their child taking melatonin between 2017 and 2018, according to the outlet. The new study, however, found that approximately 18.5 percent of U.S. children ages five to nine and 19.4 percent of preteens (ages 10 to 13) had used melatonin at least once in the preceding 30 days. About six percent of U.S. preschoolers ages one to four used melatonin during the same period, the study found. (RELATED: Celebrity Couple ‘Kicked Out’ Of Airport After Trying To Sleep During 9-Hour Delay)
A separate study conducted in April found that twenty-two out of 25 melatonin products studied in April contained a different amount than indicated on the label. CU Boulder Today also noted that some scientists have raised concerns that the sleep hormone could affect the timing of puberty, though studies have been inconclusive.
“Parents may not actually know what they are giving to their children when administering these supplements,” Hartstein said, per the outlet.