Could Taking Melatonin Raise Your Risk of Heart Failure?

Night Terrors: Here’s some news that might make you lose some sleep: Long-term use of the popular sleep supplement melatonin could increase your risk of heart failure, according to research recently presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025.

The Study: Researchers found that adults diagnosed with insomnia who’d used melatonin for at least a year had a 90% higher chance of heart failure over the next five years than people with insomnia who don’t take it. Plus, the melatonin users were more than three times as likely to be hospitalized for heart failure and about twice as likely to die from any cause.

The Takeaway: Chronic insomnia is a significant health problem and needs evaluation from a medical provider to pinpoint the underlying cause and develop an effective treatment. Melatonin is a supplement that may help with occasional sleep problems (like jet lag). Supplements aren’t as regulated by the Food & Drug Administration as drugs are, so quality and purity could vary wildly from product to product.

Keep In Mind: The study did not demonstrate a cause-and-effect between melatonin use and heart failure, only an association. The research is also preliminary and hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal. If you’re feeling particularly cautions, it might help to try this to nod-off instead.