Melatonin: PART 2 -The "Media Scare"

🧠💤 Melatonin & Heart Failure? Let’s Look Closer Before Panicking.

You may have seen scary headlines this week claiming that melatonin could increase your risk of heart failure by 90%.Before you toss your melatonin bottle, let’s look at what the science actually says — and why these headlines don’t tell the whole story.

⚠️ What really happened

A study presented at the American Heart Association Conference (not yet peer-reviewed) looked at medical records of people with insomnia.Those who had a prescription for melatonin were more likely to have been diagnosed with heart failure later on.

Sounds alarming, right? But here’s what’s missing.

🧩 1. Correlation ≠ Causation

Just because two things happen together doesn’t mean one causes the other.Example: People who carry lighters are more likely to get lung cancer.Does that mean lighters cause cancer?Of course not — smoking does. The lighter is just associated with it.

This melatonin study falls into the same trap — people who take melatonin long-term often have chronic insomnia, stress, obesity, or other conditions that already increase their risk for heart disease. The melatonin isn’t the cause — it’s just a marker of people struggling with poor sleep and health.

📊 2. The data was low-quality

Let’s break that down:

• It used electronic health records, not direct follow-ups.

• Only prescription melatonin was counted — most people buy it over the counter!→ That means many “non-users” were probably actually taking melatonin.

• There was no information on dose, quality, or adherence.OTC melatonin can vary up to 400% in potency depending on the brand.

• No control for sleep apnea, stress, or baseline heart health — all major confounders.

Without randomized control trials (RCTs), these observational studies can only suggest patterns, not causes.

❤️ 3. What most research says

Contrary to this one study’s headlines, much of the literature actually shows neutral or protective cardiovascular effects of melatonin:

• Studies have found melatonin reduces oxidative stress, supports mitochondrial health, and may protect the heart during ischemic injury (Tobeiha et al., J Pineal Res, 2022).

• Other trials show improvements in blood pressure regulation, inflammation, and even sleep quality in heart patients.

So, the overwhelming evidence doesn’t support melatonin being dangerous to the heart — quite the opposite.

💤 4. The real risk may be… insomnia itself

Chronic insomnia is linked to:

• Higher cortisol

• Elevated blood pressure

• Increased inflammation

• Greater cardiovascular risk

People taking melatonin long-term often have the worst sleep problems — so it’s no surprise their health outcomes aren’t great. Melatonin use might just be a symptom of underlying issues, not the cause.

🧬 5. The bottom line

• This study was observational, uncontrolled, and not peer-reviewed.

• It cannot prove melatonin causes heart failure.

• The data quality was low, and the population (chronic insomnia patients) already had high risk.

• Dozens of previous studies show melatonin supports sleep, stress regulation, and heart health.

• So no, melatonin isn’t suddenly dangerous — but self-prescribing or guessing your dose isn’t ideal either.

💡 What you can do

If you’re using melatonin — or struggling with sleep, fatigue, or stress — our medical team can help personalize your care.We use evidence-based dosing, pharmaceutical-grade formulations, and evaluate your full hormone, stress, and cardiovascular profile to get your sleep and recovery optimized safely.

👉 Schedule your consult today to see if melatonin or other natural hormone-based therapies could help you.

📚 References

1. American Heart Association. AHA Scientific Sessions 2025: TriNetX Melatonin Study Summary.

2. Tobeiha, M., et al. “Evidence for the Benefits of Melatonin in Cardiovascular Pathology.” Journal of Pineal Research, 2022.

3. Healthline. “Taking Melatonin Could Raise Your Risk of Heart Failure, Study Finds.” Nov 2025.

4. Washington Post. “Experts Urge Caution About Melatonin Headlines.” Nov 2025.