Melatonin: Is it Safe?

Melatonin is a common natural hormone that parents use to help children struggling with sleep or bedtime routines. But is it safe? Robert Schoumacher, MD, director of the Le Bonheur Sleep Center, offers this advice:

First, parents should discuss their child's sleep problems with their pediatrician. Then, they can decide on the correct path of behavior modification, or whether it's necessary to see a sleep specialist.

Using medications to help your infant, toddler or child sleep should be a last resort. Using a drug or supplement to solve a child's sleep problems almost never makes sense. In fact, the worst mistake a parent can make is to provide a supplement without medical advice to do so.

Melatonin is a hormone that naturally occurs in the body and is safe to use when recommended by a physician or sleep specialist. When administered as a drug, melatonin restructures the circadian rhythm, also known as the body's "clock." Sometimes children, most commonly infants and toddlers, can reverse their days and nights. In these cases, melatonin can be very beneficial. However, the administration of the drug and the time it is given to the child is critical due to the fact that if given at the wrong time, it can actually make the child's sleep problems worse.

The bottom line: If your child's sleeping behavior is causing problems, talk to your pediatrician. There are excellent methods of behavior modifications to help promote good bedtime and sleep routines. Once those practices have been implemented and other options have been discussed with your pediatrician, melatonin can be effective in addressing sleep, but should only be administered under a doctor's supervision.