Parents have turned to melatonin to give to their children to relax them and to help them sleep better at night. It’s an all-natural supplement that’s worked for many parents who’ve avoided using medications that could be risky, such as Ritalin. However, the increased number of children using melatonin has caused the issuance of a safety warning from health officials in England. There is now believed to be an overuse of melatonin by parents and children.

Key Takeaways:

• When in a dark environment, the human body naturally produces melatonin to assist in the process of falling asleep.
• As a sleep supplement, melatonin has been authorized for those over 55 and hailed as a less addictive choice for assessing the needs of seniors with insomnia.
• The supplement has not been legally approved for any other age group and yet it is routinely prescribed off label, meaning in a way that is not approved by regulation.

“Tens of thousands of children and young people in England are being given the hormone melatonin to help them sleep, prompting concern that the medicine is being handed out too readily with little evidence of its long-term effectiveness or safety.”

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/nov/02/rise-in-melatonin-use-to-help-children-sleep-leads-to-safety-warning