Being a parent brings a lot of joy, but Sleepless is not one of them. So it’s no surprise that moms and dads are willing to take some drastic measures – in the form of sleeping pills – when it comes to getting their babies to sleep through the night.
New survey results from Sleep Doctor revealed that 79% of parents have given their children medication to help them sleep—with 66% using it melatonin, 35% used Benadryl and 20% switched to prescription sleep aids. Others report using everything from herbal and over-the-counter aids to CBD, THC, and even alcohol.
Millennial and Gen Z parents are more likely to give their children medication to help them sleep, with 84% and 83% respectively saying they have done so.
“Parents are desperate, tired, they have to juggle so many things… and a baby who has trouble sleeping adds on top of that,” Dr. John said. Nilong Vyasboard-certified pediatricians, public health specialists and sleep specialists are working closely with Sleep Doctor, which conducted the survey of 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, cognitive performance, resilience, language and memory. Sleep foundation. Parents need sleep for many of the same reasons, including mood, brain activity, immunity, reduced risk of heart disease and stroke, and according to one study recent researchto avoid an increase in emphasize level.
As a rule, parents miss out on vital rest time when their child is not sleeping – and 25 to 50% of children (40% of teenagers) are affected by sleep problems such as sleep apnea and night terrors, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. while insomnia affects 25% of children and 35% of adolescents.
However, Vyas told Luck“The ideal is change [bedtime] behaviors and modify them so that children can learn to sleep independently without the need for supplements.”
But is melatonin safe?
Melatonin, one Hormonal created by the brain in response to darkness, it regulates the body’s natural sleep cycle, called circadian rhythm. It is sold as a dietary supplement not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration, often in colorful gummy form, and when taken by children, possible side effects include sadness. increased sleepiness, headaches and bed-wetting.
Taking too much can cause vomiting, extreme drowsiness, and slurred speech. And according to one recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is why about 11,000 children (more than half between 3 and 5 years old) ended up in the emergency room after taking unsupervised melatonin between 2019 and 2019. 2022.
Furthermore, a review of 25 melatonin gummy supplements by Cambridge Health Alliance, was published last year in JAMA, found that almost all of the products were incorrectly labeled, with the actual amount of hormones ranging from 74% to 347% of the labeled amount. A product containing no detectable levels of melatonin but containing more than 31 mg of CBD, has no data to support its use in children.
“It’s like the Wild West out there with melatonin supplementation,” says Vyas, who discourages its use for the families she works with.
“Many studies have shown positive improvements with melatonin for children with neurodiversity, those with circadian rhythm disorders, delayed sleep phase syndrome and jet lag — to name a few,” she says. signal”. “But there hasn’t been enough research to make general recommendations.”
It’s also not a good idea, she adds, because of the way melatonin works: on a feedback loop, meaning if it’s supplied from an external source, the body slows down its natural production. naturally and more and more supplements are needed. .
“Plus, it can cause paradoxical reactions, which means many children will take the medicine and then wake up at 3 or 4 a.m.,” 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 those 8 to 12 years old and 1 to 3 years old; but 2% are given to children under six months old and 3% are given to children between six and 11 months old. Furthermore, while most parents (97%) gave their children melatonin more than once, 21% said they did so about 10 times, and 13% said at least 50 times. And 45% of parents said it was doctor’s advice.
That’s not surprising to Vyas, considering the combination of desperate parents and “severe ignorance about sleep habits” on the part of doctors who might seek help. Studies on melatonin for children haven’t found much—and those who have have assumed it’s safe, since it’s unregulated and readily available.
Other sleep aids – and how to avoid them
The use of Benadryl (diphenhydramine), an antihistamine with a sedative side effect, is not recommended by medical professionals except in very rare cases (e.g. to help relieve jet lag).
“It is indicated and tested for children with allergies, so if you are using it outside of those parameters you are using it off-label and it is not without its side effects,” she says. on its own,” she says, warning that, in some cases, Benadryl can have the opposite effect and leave a child “completely hysterical.” Using it every night “creates a false possibility of falling asleep,” she warns.
When it comes to prescription sleep aids, such as Ambien (zolpidem), Sonata (zaleplon), and Restoril (temazepam, a highly addictive benzodiazepine), they are all clearly not for use in children. But according to the survey, they were given to their children by parents, with 64% saying they were recommended by a doctor. In fact, 13% of parents said they had been prescribed sleep aids 50 times or more; 4% for children under six months old, 11% for children 6 to 11 months old and 16% for children 1 to 3 years old.
“Ambien is even dangerous for adults to use, having a lot of unpleasant side effects,” Vyas said. “It has been tested and recommended for short-term use in adults, but many people become so dependent on it that they have difficulty sleeping without it… It is used regularly, daily, in place of routine Get used to good sleep and hygiene.”
What does that look like for children? “Consistency in routine is important, as is monitoring your child’s sleep cues so they can fall asleep when their body needs it most,” she says.
Also:
- No screen: Minimize blue light stimulation from screens at least two hours before bed to help the body produce natural melatonin.
- Play outside: Exposure to daylight and dusk helps regulate your child’s circadian rhythm.
- Set an example: Teach your child to sleep independently.
- Get help: Work with a sleep coach to resolve issues.
“Everyone wants a quick solution… but you can’t blame parents because they are falling into a vicious cycle with it,” Vyas said. “It’s hard to break bad habits, but it can be done — and then you’re setting your child up for good sleep habits for the rest of their life.”
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