Melatonin and heart health: Study raises questions about long-term use, but experts urge caution before drawing conclusions

It's frustrating not being able to fall asleep. So, people turn to a popular supplement melatonin.

It’s the natural hormone your body makes. Darkness makes it go up and tells your body to sleep. Daylight makes it go down to stay awake. which was presented at the American Heart Association conference in New Orleans, is making headlines, suggesting adults with insomnia using melatonin for at least a year, are more likely to have heart failure, or die from any cause.

We asked Tulane preventive cardiologist Dr. Keith Ferdinand for his interpretation.

“But that doesn't prove that the melatonin caused it. These patients may have had other reason for their disordered sleep. Having disordered sleep can actually increase blood pressure, increase abnormal heart rhythms, and may be one of the unde