Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2025
Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Connection Between Sleep Disorders and Cognitive Symptoms in Depression
Published on: April 26, 2024
The Effect of Melatonin on Sleep Disorders in Children with Cerebral Palsy A Randomized Clinical Trial
Hamid Reza Goldouzi1, Javad Akhondian1, Mehran Beiraghi Toosi1
1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Insights
Melatonin effectively treats sleep disorders in children with cerebral palsy (CP), reducing the time it takes to fall asleep and increasing sleep duration. This safe and affordable treatment offers significant benefits for affected children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Sleep Medicine
- Developmental Disabilities
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) is a leading cause of childhood physical disability, often accompanied by persistent movement disorders.
- Sleep disturbances are common in children with CP, significantly impacting their quality of life and family well-being.
- Melatonin is increasingly recognized for its safety, efficacy, and affordability in managing sleep issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of melatonin in addressing sleep disorders among children diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
- To determine melatonin's impact on sleep onset latency and overall sleep duration in this pediatric population.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving children aged 2-12 years with CP and sleep problems.
- Random assignment to either an intervention group receiving 3 mg oral melatonin or a control group receiving a placebo (lactose).
- Administration of the study medication 30 minutes prior to bedtime.
Main Results:
- No significant correlation was found between age or gender and the prevalence of sleep disorders in children with CP.
- Melatonin demonstrated a statistically significant positive effect on sleep disorders in children with CP.
- Key improvements included a reduction in the time required to fall asleep and an increase in total sleep duration.
Conclusions:
- Sleep disorders are highly prevalent in children with cerebral palsy, necessitating timely and appropriate interventions.
- Melatonin is an effective therapeutic option for improving sleep onset and duration in children with CP.
- The findings support the use of melatonin as a beneficial treatment for sleep disturbances in this vulnerable population.
Objectives:
Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most common causes of serious physical disability in childhood and is a persistent movement disorder before the age of three. This disorder can negatively affect both the child and their family. In recent years, the use of melatonin as a safe, effective, and cheap drug has been expanding in improving the sleep disorders of these children. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate melatonin's effect on sleep disorders in children with CP.
Materials & Methods:
This double-blind clinical trial was conducted on children aged 2 to 12 years with CP who were referred to the pediatric neurology clinic for sleep problems. The participants were included in the study by convenience sampling. After obtaining informed consent from parents, patients were divided randomly into two intervention (melatonin) and control (placebo) groups. In the intervention group, patients received oral melatonin tablets, and in the control group, patients received a placebo (3 mg oral lactose) 30 minutes before going to sleep.
Results:
The results of this study showed no significant relationship between age and gender with sleep disorders in children with CP (P>0.05). A significant effect of melatonin on sleep disorders was found in children with CP. The greatest effect of melatonin is the time required to start falling asleep. Melatonin was associated with decreased time needed to fall asleep and increased sleep duration.
Conclusion:
The results of the study demonstrated that sleep disorders are prevalent among children with CP. Therefore, proper and timely treatment of these children is crucial. According to the present study's findings, melatonin effectively improves the time of falling asleep and these children's sleep duration.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Management of Insomnia
01:15REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
RBD is significantly associated with...
01:17Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents
Melatonin congeners like ramelteon (Rozerem) and tasimelteon (Hetlioz) selectively bind to melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) and thus mimic the actions of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Tasimelteon is primarily used for non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, common in blind patients. They are also used to treat conditions like insomnia...
01:07Narcolepsy