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Melatonin, nobody was expecting this

Do you have trouble sleeping?

As someone diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease (PD) I know what it is like to be denied the benefits of good sleep and the joy that an alert, rested mind produces.

I am not alone however, and sleep issues are apparently a big thing these days, with many people searching for some way to improve the quality and quantity of their zzzing.

Some people swear by supplementation with melatonin, a hormone created in the brain's pineal gland.

However, recent research has unveiled some scary long-term health-effects that most users have likely been unware of.

Although melatonin is widely available "over the counter" in many countries and is regularly used by many who claim it has helped them sleep more soundly it has now been discovered that it has a dark side, a very dark side.

Perhaps New Zealand's approach of requiring at least a pharmacist's consultation or doctor's prescription for this supplement is a good one because one group of researchers has discovered that regular use doubles your risk of death from heart failure.

But wait, the news gets worse...

Regular melatonin supplementation also boosts hostpitalisations as a result of heart complications by a stunning 3.5 times.

This story on Science Daily has more information on the study.

The effects were noticed on those who took melatonin for a year or more and was an observational trial involving 130,000 people so there's not much margin for error.

I did try melatonin a couple of years ago but it did nothing to address my sleep issues so I discontinued it. My philosophy is "if it's not helping it's likely hurting" and besides which it was yet another expense that I couldn't justify without seeing significant results.

For a very long time, this hormone has been prescribed to people with sleep disorders on the basis that it was safe, with no short or long-term health implications but now that position must surely be reviewed. Given the huge negative impact it appears to have on heart-health one can only wonder how it was considered safe for so long and how many people have suffered bad outcomes as a side-effect of its extended use.

My own solution to the sleep problem remains a steady diet of black and white movies made in the 1950s, usually of the "flim noir" genre. I prop my phone up against a pillow and start one of these movies playing on YouTube then, within a few short minutes, I'm in the land of nod.

Whenever I wake up I simply start the next movie in the playlist and sleep isn't far away.

I really can't believe how many of these sleep-inducing movies were made in the post-WW2 period and how effective they are at shutting down the mind and body.

Sadly, despite their proven effectiveness at creating a state of drowsiness, I still only get a few hours a night before the attempts become futile and I get up. This morning I arose just after 1 am and as I type this column is is 3:30am.

Just about all I can do is take another teaspoon of creatine (proven to assist your brain in functioning when sleep-deprived) and enjoy the peace and quiet that only seems to exist in these small hours of the morning while all around me are asleep.

Carpe Diem folks!

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