Melatonin & Heart Health – The Risks
The popular sleep aid is under scrutiny following a large observational study linking chronic use to an elevated risk of heart failure and mortality.
Melatonin has long been regarded as a safe, “natural” supplement for sleep regulation. However, new data presented at the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2025 has prompted health experts to urge caution, particularly regarding long-term, nightly use.
The study was a research abstract. Abstracts presented at American Heart Association’s scientific meetings are not peer-reviewed, and the findings are considered preliminary until published as full manuscripts in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
💔 The Key Finding: An Unforeseen Association
A large, multinational observational study—analyzing the health records of tens of thousands of adults with chronic insomnia over five years—found a significant correlation between long-term melatonin use and serious cardiovascular outcomes.
The most striking statistics were:
- Heart Failure Risk: Individuals whose health records indicated using melatonin for 12 months or more had an approximately 90% higher chance of being diagnosed with incident heart failure over the five-year period, compared to non-users with insomnia.
- Hospitalization & Mortality: Long-term users were also nearly 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure and almost twice as likely to die from any cause during the follow-up period.





