Melatonin’s Benefits and Risks as a Therapy for Sleep Disturbances in the Elderly: Current Insights

Oct 21, 2022Nature and science of sleep

Melatonin’s Benefits and Risks for Treating Sleep Problems in Older Adults

AI simplified

Circadian Biology on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Abstract

Melatonin is presented as a safe drug for treating sleep disturbances in the elderly.

Aging is associated with disruptions in the sleep/wake cycle and low-grade inflammation.
Circadian disturbances and inflammation contribute to chronic illnesses such as cancer and metabolic dysfunction.
Robust circadian rhythmicity, especially in sleep, is essential for healthy aging.
Melatonin plays a key role in regulating sleep and synchronizing circadian rhythms.
As an anti-inflammatory agent, melatonin may help reduce oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory responses.

AI simplified

Aging is accompanied by circadian changes, including disruptive alterations in the sleep/wake cycle, as well as the beginning of low-degree inflammation (""), a scenario that leads to several chronic illnesses, including cancer, and metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurological dysfunctions. As a result, any effective approach to healthy aging must consider both the correction of circadian disturbance and the control of low-grade inflammation. One of the most important prerequisites for healthy aging is the preservation of robust circadian rhythmicity (particularly of the sleep/wake cycle). Sleep disturbance disrupts various activities in the central nervous system, including waste molecule elimination. Melatonin is a chemical with extraordinary phylogenetic conservation found in all known aerobic creatures whose alteration plays an important role in sleep changes with aging. Every day, the late afternoon/nocturnal surge in pineal melatonin helps to synchronize both the central circadian pacemaker found in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) and a plethora of peripheral cellular circadian clocks. Melatonin is an example of an endogenous substance that can influence the timing and amplitude of circadian rhythms. Moreover, melatonin is also an excellent anti-inflammatory agent, buffering free radicals, down-regulating proinflammatory cytokines, and reducing insulin resistance, among other things. We present both scientific and clinical evidence that melatonin is a safe drug for treating sleep disturbances in the elderly.

Key numbers

5 mg

Increase in Sleep Efficiency

5 mg of melatonin boosted sleep efficiency during both biological day and night.

12–20%

Insomnia Prevalence

12–20% of individuals over 65 suffer from insomnia.

16.41%

Adverse Effects Rate

16.41% of participants in melatonin trials reported adverse effects.

Full Text

We can’t show the full text here under this license. Use the link below to read it at the source.

View full text (PDF) ↗

Melatonin’s Benefits and Risks as a Therapy for Sleep Disturbances in the Elderly: Current Insights

Abstract

Key numbers

Full Text

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief

Abstract

Key numbers

Full Text

Related papers

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief