Raising children brings many joys, but sleep deprivation is not one of them. So it’s no surprise that moms and dads are willing to go to some drastic measures – in the form of sleeping pills – when it comes to tucking their kids into bed for the night.
New survey results from Doctor Sleep show that 79% of parents gave their children substances to help them sleep: 66% used melatonin, 35% used Benadryl and 20% turned to prescription sleep aids. Others reported using everything from herbs and over-the-counter medications to CBD, THC and even alcohol.
Millennial and Gen Z parents were the most likely to give their children drugs to help them sleep, with 84% and 83%, respectively, saying they had done so.
“Parents are frustrated, they’re tired, they have so many things to juggle… and a child who has trouble sleeping just accumulates it,” says Dr. Nilong Vyasa pediatrician, public health specialist and certified sleep expert who works closely with Sleep Doctor, which surveyed 1,201 parents in April.
Children need sleep for physical and mental health. Research shows that sleep plays an important role in brain development, mood, cognition, resilience, language and memory. Sleep Foundation. Parents need sleep for many of the same reasons, including mood, brain function, immunity, and reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. recent trainingto avoid increasing stress levels.
Parents typically miss out on vital rest when their children don’t nap, and 25 to 50 percent of children (40 percent of teenagers) suffer from sleep problems such as sleep apnea and nightmares, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Bye insomnia affects 25% of children and 35% of adolescents.
And yet Vyas tells Luck“Ideally it’s better to change [bedtime] behavior and change it so that the child can learn to fall asleep on his own, without any supplements.”
But isn’t melatonin safe?
Melatonin, a. hormone produced by the brain in response to darkness, serves to regulate the body’s natural sleep and wakefulness patterns. cycle called the circadian rhythm. It is sold as a supplement that is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, often in the form of colorful gummies, and when taken by children can cause possible side effects, including drowsiness, headaches and increased bedwetting.
Taking too much may cause vomiting, severe drowsiness, and slurred speech. And according to Recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is why nearly 11,000 children (more than half ages 3 to 5) ended up in the emergency room after taking melatonin unsupervised between 2019 and 2022.
Additionally, an evaluation of 25 types of chewable melatonin supplements by the Cambridge Health Alliance, published last year. in YAMA, found that almost all products were inaccurately labeled, with actual amounts of the hormone ranging from 74% to 347% of the labeled amount. One product did not contain detectable levels of melatonin but contained more than 31 mg of CBD, so there is no data to support its use in children.
“It’s like the wild, wild west with melatonin supplements,” says Vyas, who doesn’t recommend them for the families she works with.
“Many studies have shown positive improvement with melatonin in children with neurodiversity, children with circadian rhythm disorders, delayed sleep phase syndrome, and jet lag—several indications,” she says. “But there is not enough research to make general recommendations.”
It’s also not a good idea, she adds, because of the way melatonin works: in a feedback loop, meaning that if it comes from an external source, the body slows down its natural production and more and more supplements are needed. . .
“It can also have a paradoxical reaction: Many children will take it and then wake up at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning,” she says.
The Sleep Doctor survey found that children 4 to 7 years old were given melatonin more often than any other age group, followed by children 8 to 12 years old and 1 to 3 years old; but 2% gave it to a child under six months and 3% to a child from six to 11 months. Additionally, while most parents (97%) gave melatonin to their child more than once, 21% said they did it about 10 times, and 13% said it was at least 50 times. And 45% of parents say their doctor recommended it.
For Vyas, this isn’t surprising given the combination of desperate parents and a “huge lack of knowledge about sleep habits” among doctors, who might look for studies on melatonin for children and find nothing – and who might just assume it’s safe. given that it is unregulated and available.
Other sleep aids—and how to avoid them
The use of Benadryl (diphenhydramine), an antihistamine that has the side effect of sedation, is not recommended by health care professionals except in very rare cases (for example, to help with jet lag).
“It is indicated and tested for children with allergies, so if you use it outside of these parameters, you are using it off-label and it has its own side effects,” she says, warning that in some cases Benadryl may have the opposite effect and make the child “fully aroused.” Using it at night, she warns, “creates a false ability to fall asleep.”
Prescription sleeping pills such as Ambien (zolpidem), Sonata (zaleplon), and Restoril (temazepam, a highly addictive benzodiazepine) should not be used in children. But according to the survey, parents prescribed them to their children, with 64% saying it was on the recommendation of a doctor. In fact, 13% of parents said they had given prescription sleep aids 50 or more times; 4% gave it to a child under six months, 11% to a child from six to 11 months, and 16% to a child from 1 to 3 years.
“Ambien is dangerous to use even for adults because it has so many unpleasant side effects,” says Vyas. “It has been tested and indicated for short-term use in adults, but many people become so dependent on it that it is difficult to sleep without it… It is used chronically, on a daily basis, in place of good sleep habits and hygiene.”
What does this look like for children? “Consistency in a routine is key,” she says, as well as following your baby’s sleep cues so he can fall asleep when his body needs it most.
Also:
- No screens: Minimize blue light stimulation from screens at least two hours before bed to promote natural melatonin production in the body.
- Play outside: Exposure to daylight and sunset helps regulate baby’s circadian rhythm.
- Lead by example: Teach your child to fall asleep on his own.
- Get help: Work with a sleep coach to target problem areas.
“Everyone wants a quick solution… but parents cannot be blamed as they get caught in a vicious circle,” says Vyas. “Breaking bad habits is hard work, but it can be done—and you’ll be setting your kids up for good sleep habits for the rest of their lives.”
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