Researchers Warn That Long-Term Use of Melatonin Tied to Increased Risk of Heart Failure
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jan 09, 2026 15 hours, 14 minutes ago
Medical News: Growing Concern Over a Popular Sleep Aid
Melatonin has quietly become one of the world’s favorite sleep helpers, especially for people struggling with stubborn insomnia. Many see it as natural, harmless and even heart-friendly. But a new study from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, New York urges caution, warning that taking melatonin night after night for years may carry serious hidden cardiac risks. This
Medical News report highlights data drawn from a massive international health database.
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Major study links long-term melatonin use to sharply higher heart failure risk
How Researchers Studied the Risks
Scientists used the TriNetX Global Research Network, which contains electronic medical records from millions of adults worldwide. They selected more than 130,000 adults diagnosed with insomnia who had no history of heart failure. Half of them—65,414—took melatonin for at least a year. The other half did not take melatonin at all.
To ensure differences in health did not skew the results, researchers carefully matched the two groups based on age, sex, medical history, medications, weight measurements and lab results. After matching, both groups were nearly identical at the starting line, making comparisons fair and reliable.
Sharp Spike in Heart Failure Cases
Over five years, the results dramatically favored non-users. About 4.6% of melatonin users developed heart failure, compared with 2.7% in the control group. That represents an 89% increase in risk.
Worse still, heart failure hospitalizations were nearly three times higher in people taking melatonin long-term—almost 19% compared to 6.6% among non-users. The pattern did not stop there. Melatonin users also showed a doubling in death risk, with 7.8% dying during the five-year period versus 4.3% in the comparison group.
Findings Held Up Under Stricter Testing
When researchers limited the analysis to people who filled at least two melatonin prescriptions spaced months apart, the risks barely changed, suggesting the danger is strongly linked to continued use.
What It Means for Everyday Users
Although melatonin is sold over the counter in many countries, the study suggests long-term daily use should not be dismissed as harmless. The researchers stress the need for randomized clinical trials but warn doctors and patients not to assume supplements are risk-free simply because they are available without a prescription. The conclusion: Long-term melatonin use may raise serious heart risks, including hospitalization and death, and users should carefully weigh benefits and harms while the medical field works to clarify its true safety profile.
The study findings were published as an abstract in the peer reviewed journal: Circulation.
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/circ.152.suppl_3.4371606
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Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/supplements
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/cardiology
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