Summary:
- Melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep, has been increasingly prescribed for young children in recent years, despite limited evidence on its long-term safety and effectiveness for this age group.
- The study found that melatonin use among children under 5 years old has tripled in the United States between 2006 and 2018, with the highest increase seen in children under 1 year old.
- Experts caution that melatonin is not approved for use in young children and that its long-term effects on child development are still unknown, emphasizing the importance of exploring non-pharmacological sleep interventions before considering medication.