Nov 7 • Sleep
That melatonin study doesn't prove what the headlines claim
You've probably seen alarming headlines about melatonin increasing heart disease risk by nearly 200%. Here's what the preliminary research actually shows. An extensive observational study presented at the American Heart Association conference found associations between long-term melatonin use and increased rates of heart failure and mortality in people with chronic insomnia.
Although the dataset is substantial (comprising around 130,000 adults), it has significant methodological limitations. Most critically, the study suffers from exposure misclassification; since melatonin is available over the counter in the U.S., many actual users were likely classified in the non-melatonin group.
The research also cannot account for confounding by indication (people taking long-term melatonin likely have more severe insomnia or psychiatric conditions, each tied to cardiovascular risk) or protopathic bias (early heart failure often causes fragmented sleep, prompting melatonin use before diagnosis).
The authors themselves acknowledge these are preliminary, associational findings from a conference abstract, not peer-reviewed evidence of causation. If you're using melatonin chronically, this is a reasonable time to reassess and address root causes, such as sleep apnea and stress management, first. Supports restful sleep through stress pathway optimization and GABA support without hormonal disruption or dependency risk.
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That melatonin study doesn't prove what the headlines claim
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