Complementary & Alternative Medicine for Mental Health

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MELATONIN FOR JET LAG AND SLEEP DISORDERS

SUMMARY

WHAT WE KNOW

Melatonin (N-acetyl- 5 - methoxytryptamine) is a neurohormone associated with sleep. Although
the U. S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) questions the evidence, the five
sources that deal with melatonin all recommend it for:

 jet lag and

 shift work adjustment,

Melatonin is a promising treatment for other sleep disorders, especially:

 sleep latency (delay in falling asleep) in older people.

 insomnia in the elderly,

 sleep disturbances in children with neuro-psychiatric disorders, and

 sleep enhancement in healthy people

However, some of the evidence is tentative, and much more study is needed. Uses of melatonin
to

 treat insomnia and

 maintain cognitive capacity (neuroprotection)

are particularly interesting but remain unresolved. Other suggested but unproven uses include:

 circadian sleep disorders [cyclical melatonin deficiency]

 dealing with the side effects of treatment for schizophrenia, particularly tardive

dyskinesia and weight gain,

 benzodiazepine withdrawal,

 high-altitude adjustment,