Introduction
Melatonin has long been considered a harmless, go-to sleep aid. But a recent observational study presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2025 suggests there may be a link between long-term use of Melatonin and increased risk of heart failure and hospitalisation.
Before you panic and toss your sleep supplements, let’s unpack the findings, what they mean (and don’t mean), and how you can manage sleep and heart health confidently.
What the Study Found
In adults with insomnia, those who used melatonin (prescription or documented use) for at least one year had a ~90% higher risk of developing heart failure over a 5-year period compared with insomnia patients who did not use melatonin.
Hospitalisation for heart failure was nearly 3.5 times higher in the melatonin-user group vs non-users (19.0% vs 6.6%)
All-cause mortality in the melatonin group was about 7.8% vs 4.3% in non‐users over five years.
Important caveat: The study is observational. It does not prove that melatonin caused the heart problems. Researchers note underlying insomnia, other health conditions, unrecorded use of melatonin (especially over-the-counter) and dosage details were not fully captured.
How to Interpret These Findings
What this could mean
Using melatonin for a long period (a year or more) may signal chronic sleep disruption, which itself is a known risk factor for cardiovascular issues.
It raises the possibility that melatonin use is a marker, not the cause, of increased heart risk. The insomnia or underlying health condition might be responsible.
It highlights a lack of strong long-term safety data for melatonin in the context of cardiovascular health.
What this does not mean
It does not show that short-term melatonin use is unsafe.
It does not mean everyone taking melatonin will develop heart failure.
It does not account for dosage, exact duration, formulation, or other health behaviours.
It does not replace medical advice — discuss with your physician before altering your treatment.
What Sleep and Heart Health Experts Recommend
Focus on good sleep hygiene: Regular bed/wake times, cool dark room, minimal blue light before bed, limiting caffeine and alcohol. These foundational behaviours remain key.
Use melatonin short-term or as recommended by your doctor — for example, for jet lag, shift change, or acute insomnia — rather than indefinite nightly use. Experts emphasise caution with ongoing use.
If you’ve been using melatonin nightly for many months or more than a year, especially if you have other risk factors (heart disease, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, diabetes), consult a sleep specialist or cardiologist.
Evaluate the root cause of your insomnia or sleep trouble — addressing underlying sleep disorders or lifestyle factors may reduce the need for ongoing supplements.
Keep your doctor informed about all supplements and over-the-counter sleep aids — many melatonin products are not regulated the same way as prescription medications in various countries.
Why the Blog Could Trend & Be Indexed Fast
The topic is timely: This research is fresh (November 2025) and touches on two major public concerns — sleep aids and heart health.
It has strong share-potential: Many people take melatonin, so there’s a large audience interested in real guidance rather than sensational headlines.
It bridges health, lifestyle and supplement use, making it relevant for multiple search queries and broad SEO appeal.
Use of keywords such as “long-term melatonin use”, “heart failure risk”, “insomnia sleep aid safety”, “melatonin cardiovascular study” will help it rank for both short-tail and long-tail queries.
Including a FAQ section, structured headers (H2/H3), relevant keywords, semantic variations (sleep supplement risk, melatonin heart health, insomnia treatment guidance) boosts on-page SEO.
Encouraging internal linking (to other sleep or heart health articles), and use of schema markup for the FAQ section further enhances indexing and rich results eligibility.
Use of a compelling image with alt text and a descriptive filename aids the image search component of SEO.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Does this study mean I should stop taking melatonin now?
No — the study is observational and does not prove melatonin causes heart failure. If you are taking melatonin short‐term under a doctor’s guidance and you are otherwise healthy, there’s no immediate reason to stop. However, if you’ve been on it long‐term, it’s worth reviewing with your physician.
Q2: How long is “long‐term” use in this context?
In the study, “long‐term” was defined as use of melatonin for at least one year in people diagnosed with insomnia.
Q3: What heart-related risks were observed?
The users of melatonin in the study had a significantly higher rate of new heart failure diagnosis (~90% higher risk), higher hospitalisations (~3.5x), and higher all‐cause mortality (~2x) compared with non-users over 5 years.
Q4: I only take melatonin occasionally — is that safe?
The evidence does not address occasional or short‐term use. The risk appears linked to chronic, continuous use in this population. Nonetheless, you should follow best practices for sleep hygiene and consult a healthcare provider if you use it frequently.
Q5: What other ways can I improve my sleep without relying on melatonin every night?
Maintain a consistent sleep schedule (same bed and wake times).
Make your sleep environment dark, cool and quiet.
Avoid screens/blue-light 1–2 hours before bed and limit caffeine/alcohol.
Engage in regular physical activity (earlier in the day).
If insomnia persists, consult a sleep specialist — there may be an underlying disorder.
Q6: Does melatonin have any proven benefits for heart health?
Preclinical and smaller human studies have suggested potential cardioprotective effects of melatonin (e.g., antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-ischemic). But those findings do not yet extend clearly to long‐term supplement use in general populations.
Q7: What should people with heart disease or high heart risk do?
If you have known cardiovascular disease, heart failure risk factors, or persistent insomnia, don’t self-medicate with melatonin long-term. Instead, involve your cardiologist and sleep specialist to review all medications and supplements, evaluate sleep quality, and monitor heart health.
Published on : 8th November
Published by : AP
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