Calls to Poison Control About Children Taking Too Much Melatonin Have Risen Dramatically in the Last Decade
The number of calls to Poison Control about children that involve the sleep aid melatonin has risen dramatically in the last decade, with an especially large jump in cases during the pandemic. Last year alone, the U.S. poison control centers received 52,563 calls about children consuming worrisome amounts of the melatonin, according to a new report release on June 2 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Melatonin is a hormone produced by the brain in response to darkness; it helps with the timing of circadian rhythms, the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. Most melatonin dietary supplements are made synthetically (from chemicals rather than derived from humans or animals), according to the Sleep Foundation.According to the foundation, there is no official recommended melatonin dose for adults or children, but the…