Neurologic Conditions > Sleep & Wakefulness Disorders

Role of melatonin in the management of sleep and circadian disorders

By Scott Cunningham, MD, PhD

| Updated October 26, 2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Key takeaways
2. Putting it into practice
3. Why this study matters
4. Study design
5. Results and conclusion
6. Original source

Key Takeaways

• Patients with psychiatric disorders and sleep/circadian abnormalities benefit from melatonin treatment.

Putting It Into Practice

In most patients with psychiatric disorders and sleep disturbances, a mutation in the circadian clock regulatory gene, decreased endogenous secretion, and/or decreased endogenous secretion secondary to exogenous factors are causal.

In addition to improving sleep disturbances, melatonin has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.

Why this study matters

Sleep disorders are more common than not in all psychiatric disorders. Based on the collective literature, the dosing and timing of administering exogenous melatonin should be determined for the underlying psychiatric disorder.

Study design

The literature was searched for studies involving patients with psychiatric disorders and sleep/circadian abnormalities.

Results and conclusion

Exogenous melatonin has been shown to affect sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency, and sleep quality.

Specifically, exogenous melatonin has been shown to be effective in patients with autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and neurocognitive disorders.

Additional, well-designed studies are needed to demonstrate the dosing and time of exogenous melatonin in neurocognitive disorders, which likely have different requirements than affective and anxiety disorders.

Original Source

Moon E, Kim K, Partonen T, et al. Role of melatonin in the management of sleep and circadian disorders in the context of psychiatric illness. Current Psychiatry Reports 2022; doi.org/10.1007/s11920-022-01369-6.

Read the full article on Current Psychiatry Reports.