What to know about melatonin use and heart failure

Long-term use of melatonin supplements may be linked with a higher risk of heart failure, according to new research — but does that mean people taking it as a sleep aid should stop using it now?

In a review of electronic medical records, thousands of adults who had chronic insomnia and took melatonin for a year or longer had a 90% higher chance of heart failure over the next five years, compared with participants who had the same health factors but didn’t take melatonin. Melatonin users were also more than three times as likely to be hospitalized for heart failure and about twice as likely to die from any cause.

But experts suggest holding off on seeing melatonin as a definite danger. The research had significant limitations, was not designed to be able to prove cause and effect, and contradicts previous studies that indicated positives for heart health.

The research also hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed or published in a journal but will be presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025 meeting taking place November 7-10.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/what-to-know-about-melatonin-use-and-heart-failure/ar-AA1PO96b