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Melatonin for sleep disturbance in children with neurodevelopmental disorders: prospective observational naturalistic

Hani F Ayyash1, Phillip Preece, Richard Morton

  • 1Integrated Paediatrics, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Mental Health Foundation Trust, A Member of Cambridge University Health Partners, Winchester Place, Peterborough, PE3 6AP, UK.

Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics
|May 5, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Melatonin effectively treats sleep disturbances in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Lower doses (2.5-6 mg) benefit most children, with higher doses offering marginal additional sleep improvement.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Limited evidence exists on optimal melatonin dosage for pediatric sleep disturbances.
  • Neurodevelopmental disorders often co-occur with significant sleep issues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy and safety of melatonin in children with neurodevelopmental disorders and sleep disturbances.
  • To determine effective melatonin doses for improving specific sleep parameters.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 45 children with neurodevelopmental disorders received melatonin with dose adjustments based on response.
  • Sleep diaries were used to track sleep onset delay, total sleep hours, and nighttime awakenings.

Main Results:

  • Melatonin significantly improved total sleep hours, reduced sleep onset delay, and decreased nighttime awakenings (p=0.001).
  • Low (2.5-3 mg) and medium (5-6 mg) doses were effective for 38% and 31% of children, respectively.
  • No serious adverse events were reported during treatment.

Conclusions:

  • Melatonin is a safe and effective treatment for sleep disturbances in children with neurodevelopmental conditions.
  • Doses exceeding 6 mg/night provided additional benefits for only a small subset of patients.
Abstract

Keywords:
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderautism spectrum disorderchildrenintellectual disabilitymelatoninsleep

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