A new study shows that American parents are giving very young children melatonin to sleep in increasing amounts which has increased the incidence of melatonin poisoning.
Melatonin is a hormone that a body begins producing at four months of age in order to induce sleepiness. It has a reputation for being “natural” but research has shown that it is an endocrine disruptor, meaning it disrupts the body’s natural hormone balance in ways that have yet to be understood.
According to this study, parents are giving children as young as one years old melatonin and some on a daily basis because they are concerned that their children can’t sleep. Doctors point out that the increase in screen time for children can be keeping them from sleeping because melatonin is known to be regulated by light.
The increased use of melatonin has led to a 530% increase in melatonin poisoning and deaths since 2012.
I get it, sleep training a child is hard. Reducing screen time for children is hard. Using melatonin to get your child to sleep instead of doing those hard things is not the answer though.
