15% to 25% of adults and adolescents struggle with sleep disorders, and that might be falling asleep or staying asleep. And oftentimes, parents wonder if melatonin should be used. Before melatonin is used, you should try developing and consistently enforcing a regular bedtime schedule. Oftentimes, that will fix the problem and help children fall asleep and stay asleep better. Pick a bedtime routine that is appropriate for your child’s age and start it about 30 minutes before you want your child to fall asleep. And another thing to consider is blue light that is emitted from electronic devices. This could affect our body’s ability to understand that it’s night time and time to go to sleep, and so experts recommend avoiding the use of electronic devices that emit blue light about an hour prior to going to sleep.

There are a few things to consider when it comes to the use of melatonin, and one is that it’s not approved or regulated by the FDA, and thus, the purity and consistency of what you’re ingesting is not verified. It is not a sleep aid. It should not be used longterm. It can be used in short term instances where a child needs to get back on track maybe after a vacation or illness, and again, it should only be given after you’ve talked with your pediatrician, they’ve said that it’s appropriate for your child, and they’ve talked with you about a schedule and about dosing.

It may also be associated with a few side effects including increased night time bedwetting, increased drowsiness in the morning, it may also affect the development and growth of a child (especially during puberty), and it can interact with other medications that a child is taking. And so, again, these are all good reasons to talk with your pediatrician before giving it to your child. If you have more questions in the future for me, feel free to ask them on our Intermountain Moms Facebook and Instagram pages, and recommend us to your friends and family too.