Melatonin is a widely publicized 'magical drug'. Claims of its use include regulation of sleep, circadian rhythm, mood, immune system and reproduction, anti-aging, protection against cancer, and treatment of AIDS. This article reviews the evidence of its use in sleep disorders. Its possible indications and adverse effects are discussed.published_or_final_versio

Chung, KF

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Title Melatonin use in sleep disordersAuthor(s) Chung, KFCitation Hong Kong Practitioner, 1997, v. 19 n. 12, p. 669-672Issued Date 1997URL http://hdl.handle.net/10722/45309Rights Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong LicenseMelatonin Use In Sleep DisordersK F Chung,* MBBS (HK), MRCPsych (UK), FHKAM (Psych)Department of PsychiatryThe University of Hong KongSummaryMelatonin is a widely publicized "magical drug ". Claims of its use include regulation of sleep, circadianrhythm, mood, immune system and reproduction, anti-aging, protection against cancer, and treatment of AIDS. Thisarticle reviews the evidence for its use in sleep disorders. Its possible indications and adverse effects arediscussed. (HK Pract 1997; 19:669-672)Melatonin^ TJT ^  JL * * & tfflIntroductionMelatonin is secreted by thepineal gland in the brain. It is alsopresent naturally in some foods. It hasbeen widely publicized to have healthbenefits, including regulation of sleep,circadian rhythm, mood, reproduction,tumor growth, immune response, andeven aging. Articles on melatoninappear in newspapers, books andmagazines. A recent cover story inNewsweek boosted melatonin as a hotsleeping pill which is both natural andcheap'. In the US, sale of melatoninis estimated at 200 to 350 milliondollars annually.2 Melatonin can bebought without a prescription as adietary supplement in Hong Kong.General practitioners may come acrosspatients who seek their opinions onthis widely publicized "magical drug".The author reviews here the recentscientific evidence on this topic anddiscusses the use of melatonin in sleepdisorders.Physiology, pharmacologyand adverse effectsMelatonin secretion increasessoon after the onset of darkness and itslevel is highest at 2-4 a.m. Itssecretion is suppressed by a sufficientintensity of light (e.g. 2500 lux for 2hours). However, light of domesticintensity e.g. 200-300 lux applied for30 minutes could also partiallysuppress melatonin secretion.3 Mela-tonin level is highest in childhood; and* Address for correspondence: Dr K F Chung, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong.669Melatonin Use in Sleep Disorders;LEfrom puberty, there is a seculardecline.4 Physiological consequencesof this decline in human remainunclear.The nocturnal peak in melatoninsecretion matches the trough of bodytemperature and the peak in sleeppropensity in healthy individuals.5Nevertheless, suppression of melatoninsecretion with adrenergic antagonistshas not been shown to have majoreffects on sleep. In both nocturnal anddiurnal animals, melatonin secretionoccurs at night-time rather than at thetime of sleep.3 The evidence suggeststhat melatonin synchronizes sleep-wakefulness with the light-darknesscycle. It plays a role in the timing ofsleep but does not directly inducesleep.Exogenous melatonin has a veryshort half-life of half-an-hour. It isexcreted wi th in 2-4 hours afteringestion.6 This is in contrast to thenormal melatonin profile which lastsfor 10-14 hours from early evening tothe next morning. When exogenousmelatonin is given to healthy adults, itproduces a time-dependent hypnoticeffect7 (latency to maximum hypnoticeffect varies from about 4 hours whenmelatonin is given at noon to 1 hourwhen melatonin is taken at 9 p.m.).The hypnotic effect can be producedby variable doses of melatonin (as lowas 0.3 mg).8 The bioavailability oforally administrated melatonin varieswidely.6 The usual oral dose (1 to5 mg) that can be bought over thecounter results in a 10 to 100 timeshigher serum melatonin concentrationthan that of the physiological night-time peak. The mechanism underlyingits hypnotic effect is closely linked tomelatonin's hypothermic property.9Besides the hypnotic effect,melatonin also possesses a time-keeping property. When given in theearly morning, melatonin can shift thebody clock later and when melatoninis taken in the late afternoon or earlyevening, it can shift the body clockearlier.3 This time-keeping propertywill be further elaborated under thesection on its use in circadian rhythmsleep disorders.When melatonin is used, subjectss h o u l d pay a t t e n t i o n to thepreparation's purity and its adverseeffects. A few recent editorialspublished in scientific journals havevoiced concerns about melatonin'ssafety.2'10, 11 If the melatonin is derivedfrom animal pineal glands, it cantransmit viruses from the animal tohuman. Contaminants in melatoninduring its manufacturing process maygive rise to sensi t ivi ty reaction.Although studies on rodents havefound low toxicity of melatonin onshort term use,12 no large scale andlong term studies have been done inhuman. Arendt studied 386 subjectstaking 5 mg of melatonin for 7 days toalleviate jet lag symptoms.13 The sideeffects reported by the subjects weresleepiness (8.9%), headache (2.9%),giddiness (2%), and nausea (0.9%). Inother studies, melatonin is reported todisturb sleep pattern,14 worsen orprecipitate depression, inhibit fertility,suppress sex drive, cause hypothermiaand retinal damage.2 Cerebral andcoronary vasoconstriction induced bymelatonin has also been reported inanimal studies.2 It is not yet clear howcommon the adverse effects are.Nevertheless, subjects on long termmelatonin should receive regularmonitoring.Use of melatonin in sleepdisordersInsomniaInsomnia is a very commoncomplaint . Its prevalence incommunities varies from 13.4-48%15The primary diagnoses amongst 216insomnic patients according to theInternational Classification of SleepDisorders (ICSD)16 are sleep disorderassociated wi th mood disorder(32.3%), p s y c h o p h y s i o l o g i c a linsomnia (12.5%), delayed sleep phasesyndrome (7%), inadequate sleephygiene (6.2%), and sleep disorderassociated with anxiety disorder(5.4%) 17 Previous studies havereported that patients with primaryinsomnia (includes psychophysio-logical insomnia, sleep state mis-perception and idiopathic insomnia inthe ICSD) have a lower peak melatoninconcentration than age-matchedcontrols.18, 19 Melatonin has also beenused in patients with primary insomniaand the results are mixed. A fewstudies have found that melatonin canimprove sleep initiation, maintenanceand quality.20-21 On the other hand,Ellis22 and James23 both reported thatmelatonin was not superior to placeboin improving sleep in patients withprimary insomnia.In view of the diagnostic hetero-geneity in patients with insomnia, thetasks of the family physician arecareful evaluation and accuratediagnosis of the complaint. At present,treatment of primary insomnia withmelatonin should not be recommendeduntil there is further evidence of itsefficacy from clinical trials.670Hong Kong Practitioner 19 (12) December 1997UPDATE ARTICLEKey messages1. Melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland and its level peaks at 2-4 a.m.2. Melatonin synchronizes sleep-wakefulness with the light-darkness cycle and possibly other circadianrhythms. It does not directly induce sleep.3. Preliminary evidence supports the use of melatonin in the treatment of jet lag and sleep phasesyndromes.4. The efficacy of melatonin in primary insomnia patients and shift workers is not adequately documentedby clinical trials. Its routine use is not recommended.5. Use of low dose (1-5 mg) of melatonin is recommended. Beware of the preparation's purity and itsadverse effects. Regular monitoring by a clinician is recommended.Circadian rhythm sleep disorders Sleep phase syndromesJet lagJet lag is a common problem forair travelers after a flight throughseveral time zones. Disturbed sleep,loss of mental efficiency, and tirednessduring the day are commonly reportedin the first few days after the air travel.The symptoms are considered to bedue to desynchronisation of circadianrhythms, such as the sleep-wake cycle,with local time and due to lack ofsleep. Melatonin has been usedsuccessfully to reduce the symptoms ofjet jag in previous studies.24'25 Forwestwards flight (e.g. Hong Kong toLondon), 5 mg of melatonin can begiven postflight for 4 days at localbedtime. When traveling eastwards,the same dose of melatonin can betaken preflight for 3 days at the lateafternoon and for 4 days postflight atlocal bedtime.In the ICSD, sleep phasesyndromes consist of advanced sleepphase syndrome, delayed sleep phasesyndrome, irregular sleep-wake patternand non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder.They are disorders in which the sleeponset and wake times are respectivelyadvanced (e.g. desired bedtime from7 p.m. - 2 a.m.); delayed (e.g. desiredbedt ime from 4 a.m. - noon) ;disorganized; or chronically delayedfor 1 -2 hour daily, in relation to theconventional social sleep and waketimes (e.g. midnight - 8 a.m.).Insomnia, difficulty in awakeningspontaneously and excessive sleepi-ness are common complaints becauseof the mismatch between the desiredand the conventional social sleep andwake times. Melatonin has been usedsuccessfully in delayed sleep phasesyndrome26 and in blind subjects27 orbrain damaged children28 with irregularsleep-wake pattern or non-24-hoursleep wake disorder. Melatonin 5 mgcan be given at the socially desirablebedtime (e.g. 10 p.m.) to stabilise thesleep onset time. Relapses have beenreported when melatonin is stopped.Shift workThere is very few published dataon the use of melatonin in shift work.One preliminary report described shiftworkers taking melatonin at the desiredbedtime (6-7 a.m.) during their 7 daysof night shift.29 The subjects reportedthat melatonin use could improve sleepand on-shift alertness. Nevertheless,there is a concern by some researchersthat wrongly timed melatonin mayinduce sleepiness at work.671Melatonin Use in Sleep DisordersUPDATE ARTICLEConclusionStudies on the clinical use ofmelatonin are very limited. This canbe explained by a lack of financialsuppor t f rom pha rmaceu t i ca lcompanies. Melatonin is presentnaturally in foods and hence nobodycan claim the product license. Whencompared to the revenue frommelatonin sales, the resources used inmelatonin research is meagre.In conclusion, there is preliminaryevidence to support using melatonin inthe treatment of jet lag and circadianrhythm sleep disorders. In patientswith primary insomnia and for shiftworkers , me la ton in is not yetrecommended for clinical use until itsefficacy and safety issues are moreclearly defined. •References1. Cowley G. Melatonin. Newsweek 1995 Aug14:466-469.2. Lamberg L. Melatonin potentially useful butsafety, efficacy remain uncertain. JAMA 1996;276:1011-1014.3. Arendt J. Melatonin and the mammalian pinealgland. London: Chapman & Hall, 1995.4. Waldhauser F, Weiszenbacler G, Frisch H, etal. Fall in nocturnal serum melatonin duringprepuberty and pubescence. Lancet 1984;1:362-365.5. Akerstedt T, Froberg JE, Friberg W, el al.Melatonin excretion, body temperature andsubjective arousal dur ing 64 hours of sleepdeprivation. Psychoneuroendocrinology 1979;4:219-225.6. Waldhauser F, Waldhauser M, Lieberman HR,et al. Bioavailabilty of oral melatonin inhumans. Neuroendocrinology 1984;39:307-313.7. Tzischinsky O, Lavie P. Melatonin possessestime-dependent hypnotic effects. Sleep 1994;17:638-645.8. Zhdanova IV, Wurtman RJ, Morabito C, et al.Effects of low oral doses of melatonin, given 2-4 hours before habi tual bedtime, on sleep innormal young humans. Sleep 1996; 19:423-431.9. Hughes RJ, Badia P. Sleep-promoting andhypothcrmic effects of dayt ime me la ton inadministration in humans. Sleep 1997;20:124-131.10. A r e n d t J . Melatonin. BMJ 1996:312:1242-1243.11. But ler RN. A wake-up ca l l for caut ion.Geriatrics 1996:51:14-15.12. Sugden D. Psychopharmacological effects ofmelatonin in mouse and rat. J Pharmacol ExpTher 1983:222:587-591.13. Arendt J. Clinical perspectives for melatoninand its agonists. Biol Psychiatry 1994;35:l-2.14. M i d d l e t o n BA, S tone BM, A r e n d t J .Mela ton in and f ragmented sleep patterns.Lancet 1996:348:551-552.15. Weyerer S, Di l l ing H. Prevalence andtreatment of insomnia in the community: resultsfrom the Upper Bavarian Field Study. Sleep1991:14:392-398.16. Diagnostic Classification Steering Committee,Thorpy M J , c h a i r m a n . I n t e r n a t i o n a lclassification of sleep disorders: diagnostic andcoding manual. Rochester, MN: AmericanSleep Disorders Association, 1990.17. Buysee DJ, Reynolds III CF, Kupfer DJ, et al.Clinical diagnoses in 216 insomnia patientsusing the International classification of sleepdisorders (ICSD), DSM-IV and ICD-10categories: a report from the APA/NIMH DSM-IV Field Trial. Sleep 1994:17:630-637.18. Attrnburrow MEJ, Dowling BA, Sharpley AL,et al. Case-control study of evening melatoninconcentration in primary insomnia. BMJ 1996;312:1263-1264.19. Hajak G, Rodenbeck A, Staedt J, et al.Nocturnal plasma melatonin levels in patientssuffering from chronic primary insomnia. JPinealRes 1995:19:116-122.20. Haimov I, Lavie P, Laudon M, et al.Melatonin replacement therapy of elderlyinsomniacs. Sleep 1995;I8:598-603.21. Garfinkel D, Laudon M, Nof D, et al.Improvement of sleep quality in elderly peopleby controlled-release melatonin. Lancet 1995;346:541-544.22. Ellis CM, Lemmens G, ParkesJD. Melatoninand insomnia. Sleep Res 1996:5:61-65.23. James SP, Sack DA, Rosenthal NE, et al.Melatonin administrat ion in insomnia.Neuropsychopharmacology 1990;3:19-23.24. Arendt J, Aldhous M, Marks V. Alleviationof jet lag by melatonin: preliminary results ofcontrolled double blind trial. BMJ 1986;292:1170.25. Petrie K, Conaglen JV, Thompson L, et al.Effect of melatonin on jet lag after long haulnights. BMJ 1989:298:705-707.26. DahlitzM, Alvarez B, Vignau J, et al. Delayedsleep phase syndrome response to melatonin.Lancet 1991:337:1121-1124.27. Folkard S. Arendt J, A l d h o u s M, et al.Melatonin stabilises sleep onset time in a blindman w i t h o u t e n t r a i n m e n t of cort isol ortemperature rhythms. Neurosci Lett 1990; 113:193-198.28. Jan JE, Espezel H, Appleton RE. Thetreatment of sleep disorders with melatonin.Dev Med Child Neurol 1994;36:97-107.29. Folkard S, Arendt J, Clark M. Can melatoninimprove shift workers' tolerance of the nightshift? Some preliminary findings. ChronobioInt 1993:10:315-320672

Melatonin use in sleep disorders

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