Melatonin for Children

Melatonin is actually a natural hormone which is secreted by the pineal gland present in the brain. This gland in responsible for controlling our sleep cycle, as it starts secreting melatonin when it becomes dark and lessens the production of this hormone during day time. As the production of melatonin is very important for people to receive the sleep they need, melatonin supplements are used as a method to treat insomnia and sleeplessness, not only in adults but also in children.

Most people know melatonin as a pill that is used by adults to cure jet lag. However, it has become a common practice to give melatonin to children suffering from insomnia or other sleep disturbances too. Moreover, melatonin has found to be effective for inducing sleep in children who have been diagnosed with neurological disorders like ADHD, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, etc. However, debates about the safety of melatonin have been going on for a long time now, and hence, countries like Australia and England are against the idea of giving melatonin to children with sleep problems, and its sale there is illegal. To know more about the benefits as well as the side effects of melatonin, let us explore this topic in more detail.

Melatonin for Children - Benefits

Melatonin has gone through several research studies, however, only a few studies are based on children. Though studies conducted on a few children have reported that it is actually a safe way of promoting sleep in children, most of these studies were based on kids who are suffering from neurological disorders. Autistic children as well as those who are diagnosed with ADHD have difficulty in falling asleep, and in such conditions, melatonin can work wonders. Melatonin for children with autism, ADHD, and even for those who are visually impaired, works, because the production of this hormone is very less and sometimes totally absent in them.

Apart from this, even parents of other children suffering from sleeping problems have said that giving their children small doses of melatonin have helped to ease out the nighttime difficulty of putting their child to sleep. Some have also said that children who take melatonin seem to be fresh and attentive during the day, as they get a good and undisturbed sleep at night. However, even though many people have observed the benefits of melatonin for children, most doctors and sleep specialists are not very keen on prescribing these pills for young children. Let us take a look at the exact reasons for this.

Melatonin Side Effects in Children

Melatonin is a hormone whose sale isn't regulated by the FDA in the United States. The reason why health practitioners do not support the use of melatonin for children with sleep disorders is because no foolproof research has been conducted about the effects of melatonin for healthy children. Medical experts argue that there has been only one research that has proved that consuming melatonin is an effective way of treating sleep problems in children who do not have any disabilities. However, they say that it was only a four-week research comprising 40 children, and there is actually no record of the long term use of melatonin in children. On the other hand, studies conducted by some experts have found that there are some side effects attached to the use of melatonin on children who do not have any health problems. It has been observed that children who are given melatonin from a young age experience vivid dreams or nightmares, and sometimes even drowsiness and tiredness, especially if given high dosages of melatonin.

Moreover, the side effects of melatonin are also observed in children who have neurological problems. Some of the side effects associated with the consumption of melatonin for children with ADHD, autism, etc., include headaches, dizziness, lethargy and sleepiness during the day, irritability, and stomach cramps too. Long-term side effects of melatonin for toddlers and children include delayed puberty, depression, etc. Apart from this, melatonin taken with other medications including that for ADHD, epilepsy, autism, etc., may cause some reaction leading to serious health problems.

Though melatonin for children has its pros and cons, whether it should be given to children still remains a question to be answered. Though in certain conditions, like children with neurological disorders have to be given these medications, it will be good to try to establish proper sleeping patterns with the help of natural ways, especially in kids who do not have any such problems. Although the side effects caused by melatonin are rare, long-term use of these pills may have an effect on kids. Doctors are of the opinion that a child's brain produces significant amounts of melatonin. Due to this reason, and also because the effects of extra melatonin on development are relatively unknown, sleep specialists have cautioned against using it with kids. Moreover, if your child is suffering from sleeping problems or disturbances, consulting a pediatrician before beginning the melatonin dosage will always be better, to avoid health complications in the future.