Melatonin: helping to MEND impaired sleep

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood Vol. 98; no. 3; pp. 216 - 217
• Main Authors: Appleton, Richard E, Gringras, Paul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 01.03.2013; BMJ Publishing Group; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Children & youth; Cultural Influences; Developmental Delays; Drug dosages; Families & family life; General aspects; Humans; Insomnia; Learning Problems; Medical sciences; Melatonin - adverse effects; Melatonin - therapeutic use; Meta Analysis; Miscellaneous; Narcotics; Pharmacology; Prevention and actions; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Short term; Sleep; Sleep Wake Disorders - drug therapy; Visual Impairments; Human; Pediatrics; Melatonin; Sleep; Sleep wake cycle; Child; Public health; Pineal hormone
• ISSN: 0003-9888; 1468-2044
• DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2012-303606

[...]most general practitioners (GP) in Great Britain would not prescribe melatonin, even if it was initiated by the hospital. Efficacy Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of placebo-controlled, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have demonstrated that exogenous melatonin improves sleep, either by reducing the time taken to fall asleep (sleep-onset latency) or by increasing total sleep time (sleep maintenance and sleep efficiency), or both. 2-4 These effects have been observed in typically developing children with delayed sleep-phase syndrome, but appear to be particularly obvious in children with visual impairment, neurodevelopmental disorders, attention deficit and autism spectrum disorders and the elderly.