“Sleep is key to healthy growth, development and behavior, so it’s no surprise that parents are using melatonin supplements to help their children,” says Dr. Nia Heard-Garris, associate professor of pediatrics at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.
A recent Northwestern study found that among children younger than 14, one in five regularly takes melatonin.
“We want to make sure we’re not using melatonin as a tool to solve a bigger problem.”
Heard-Garris, a pediatrician and mother at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, admits that she’s also had trouble getting her baby to sleep, which is sometimes a struggle in itself.
In a discussion with Northwestern Now, she outlined three steps parents can and should take before using melatonin:
1. Bedtime routine without screen time
“Families could stop using screens an hour or two before bed, dim the lights, set a bedtime each night, avoid noisy cars, use earplugs or eye masks, and help children to calm down from routine. This includes bathing, listening to music, reading or singing.”
2. Minimize distractions on weekends and holidays
“Weekends, holidays, and daylight saving time changes can also disrupt parents. If there are distractions in your child’s sleep schedule, try to deviate from your child’s normal sleep duration by no more than one to two hours .»
3. Talk to your doctor
“If these suggestions don’t help, talk to your child’s pediatrician or healthcare provider for further help. They may then recommend melatonin, a referral to a sleep specialist, or further medical testing to get to the root cause.”
2023-12-14 18:39:00
make-sure-childrens-use-of-melatonin-is-not-an-aid-to-a-larger-problem