One of the nurses asked me if I wanted a sleeping pill. I declined. However, given my pattern of sleeping only one or two hours at a time, I’ve been thinking it would be nice to sleep through an entire night. Still, before I add yet another drug to the cocktail of meds I’ve been on this year, I think it would be a good idea to do some research first.
I asked a nurse what I’d most likely be given if I asked for a sleeping pill. She said a doctor would determine that but most likely I’d be given melatonin.
I’ve heard of melatonin. I’ve heard about it but what do I really know about it? What I’d heard, at least my recollection of it, was that it’s a naturally occurring hormone, one that our body already produces, hence there are no side effects. Something like that. How accurate was my impression? Time to do some research.
I found two sources of information on sleeping aids. That’s good enough for me to get started.
- Sleep aids: Understand over-the-counter options, Mayo Clinic
- Melatonin, Wikipedia
The Mayo Clinic article describes melatonin thusly,
The hormone melatonin helps control your natural sleep-wake cycle. Some research suggests that melatonin supplements might be helpful in treating jet lag or reducing the time it takes to fall asleep — although the effect is typically mild. Side effects can include headaches and daytime sleepiness.
That sounds alright and doesn’t contradict what I already thought I knew about melatonin.
The Wikipedia article reiterates the various short term uses of melatonin and adds this disclaimer, “Evidence of its benefit for this use, however, is not strong.” Wikipedia cites the following article to support this claim,
Brasure M, MacDonald R, Fuchs E, Olson CM, Carlyle M, Diem S, et al. (2015). “Management of Insomnia Disorder[Internet]”. AHRQ Comparative Effectiveness Reviews. 15(16): EHC027–EF. PMID 26844312.
“Evidence for benzodiazepine hypnotics, melatonin agonists in the general adult population, and most pharmacologic interventions in older adults was generally insufficient”Evidence for benzodiazepine hypnotics, melatonin agonists in the general adult population, and most pharmacologic interventions in older adults was generally insufficient
It seems to me that scientific support for melatonin as a sleep aid is dubious and mostly anecdotal. I did notice one additional caution in the Wikipedia article.
Its use is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding or for those with liver disease.
Given the liver issues I am dealing with, my conclusion is that melatonin is not the sleeping aid for me.
An internet search is one way to research a topic. Another way is to simply ask my doctor. Since I’ve been transferred from the hospital back to rehab the other day I’ve relented and allowed the nurse to give me a sleeping aid. I asked the rehab doctor what the sleeping pill was and I learned that it’s called atarax. So now I have a new topic to look up.