Loading...
One third of adults who are 65 or older report substantial sleep disturbance, and some study results suggest that melatonin supplementation is associated with sleep improvement. In this European study, researchers assessed nocturnal melatonin excretion among 517 patients (age, 55 or older) with primary insomnia (difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep for at least 1 month, with substantial functional impairment) and 29 age-matched and 30 younger (age, 20-35) controls without sleep disturbance. The study was supported by a manufacturer of melatonin supplements.
Nocturnal (10 pm-10 am) urinary excretion of the major melatonin metabolite (6-sulfatoxymelatonin) was assessed. Mean urinary excretion of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin was significantly les…