{"id":382490,"date":"2025-11-16T07:22:24","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T07:22:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/382490\/"},"modified":"2025-11-16T07:22:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T07:22:24","slug":"this-common-supplement-may-increase-your-risk-of-heart-failure-according-to-cardiologists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/382490\/","title":{"rendered":"This Common Supplement May Increase Your Risk of Heart Failure, According to Cardiologists"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sleep<\/a> may not come easily these days for many reasons, such as workplace burnout<\/a>, wanting to raise happy kids<\/a> and your never-ending to-do list. You\u2019re not alone, either, with 12 percent of Americans experiencing chronic insomnia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Considering sleep is crucial for many reasons<\/a>\u2014including its effects on your mood, energy levels, immune system and even your eyes\u2014sacrificing it is simply not an option.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a supplement that\u2019s been a game-changer for many of us with sleep concerns. It\u2019s called melatonin, and it\u2019s a hormone your body produces to promote the sleep-wake cycle. But unfortunately, according to a large 2025 review by the American Heart Association<\/a>, taking it long-term may lead to heart failure. Further, \u201clong-term\u201d is defined by one year in this study, which arguably isn\u2019t all that long. Pretty terrifying, right?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not addressing your sleep issues or going cold turkey on melatonin isn\u2019t a surefire solution, however, especially when it comes to heart health. After all, a consistent sleep routine can reduce your risk of heart disease. Some cardiologists would even say that sleep is the most overlooked heart-healthy habit<\/a>, and for many, melatonin helps.<\/p>\n

Related: <\/strong>Cardiologists Say This Bedtime Is Linked to Lower Heart Attack Risk<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The study\u2019s data and potential explanations add extra complexity, so Parade turned to cardiologists for a better understanding. Ahead, those cardiologists share how long-term melatonin use may increase heart failure risk, how worried to be and their recommendations.<\/p>\n

\ud83e\ude7a<\/a>SIGN UP for Parade\u2019s health newsletter with expert-approved tips, healthy eats, exercises, news & more to help you stay healthy & feel your best self<\/strong><\/a>\ud83d\udc8a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"How Long-Term Melatonin Use May Increase Heart Failure Risk<\/p>\n

To be clear, the study is a case of correlation, not causation. In other words, we don\u2019t know for sure if taking melatonin daily for a year directly raises heart failure risk.<\/p>\n

Further, cardiologists note that the mechanism or connection between the two\u2014if there is one\u2014isn\u2019t fully understood, but they have theories.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is possible that the higher dosage of exogenous melatonin may overstimulate specific chemical receptors in the heart, which can lead to abnormal cardiac remodeling, increasing the risk of congestive heart failure,\u201d says Dr. Bradley Serwer, MD<\/strong><\/a>, an interventional cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution<\/a>. \u201cWe may speculate that there are alternations in the circadian rhythms<\/a> or issues with labile blood pressures as a result of the supplemental medication.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are three other possible explanations. One is a confounding variable. \u201cPeople with severe, chronic insomnia (and often stress, depression<\/a>, pain or sleep apnea) are more likely to take melatonin and already carry higher cardiometabolic risk,\u201d says Dr. Sam Setareh, MD<\/a>,<\/strong> a staff cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, senior clinical researcher at the National Heart Institute and director of clinical cardiology at Beverly Hills Cardiovascular.<\/p>\n

Related: <\/strong>The One Daily Habit Cardiologists Say Is Quietly Raising Your Risk of Heart Disease<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The second possibility he mentions is that taking melatonin at suboptimal times or in higher doses could worsen circadian alignment, autonomic tone and blood pressure<\/a> patterns. Taking higher doses than necessary could be more common than we\u2019d think, too, since over-the-counter melatonin can vary widely in dose and purity.<\/p>\n

Last but not least, \u201cInteraction with unrecognized sleep apnea is common, raises heart failure risk, fragments sleep and may drive supplement use,\u201d Dr. Setareh says.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a lot of big words to essentially say this: Heart health and sleep health are closely intertwined in many ways, and melatonin use may or may not factor into this.<\/p>\n

If You Take Melatonin, How Worried Should You Be?<\/p>\n

Yes, the finding sounds bad\u2014but remember that it’s a case of correlation, not causation. What level of concern feels accurate? \u201cConcerned enough to re-evaluate routine [and] nightly use, but not panicked,\u201d is Dr. Setareh\u2019s response.<\/p>\n

He adds that the size and consistency of the study justify caution, especially in people who have other risk factors for heart failure, such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, kidney disease<\/a> or other conditions.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the fact that medications and supplements have real health effects, even if this isn\u2019t one of them. \u201cThis study raises several clinical concerns,\u201d Dr. Serwer says. \u201cWe must always consider that every medication we consume has a risk and a benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related: <\/strong>Can You Get Hooked on Melatonin? Experts Share the Truth About This Popular Supplement<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Cardiologists\u2019 Recommendations for Melatonin Use<\/p>\n

Given those insights, what do cardiologists suggest people do?<\/p>\n

Dr. Serwer encourages non-pharmacologic options for insomnia, such as meditation<\/a>, exercise, avoiding caffeine, avoiding bright lights before bed and addressing any mental health concerns. He adds that short-term usage of melatonin hasn\u2019t been shown to have adverse consequences yet, so taking it for a shorter period or less often could be a safer option.<\/p>\n

Dr. Setareh\u2019s suggestion is similar: \u201cFor most users, I advise shifting from chronic nightly dosing to short-term, situational use (jet lag, shift transitions) and, if still needed, using the lowest effective dose\u2014often one milligram taken two to three hours before bed\u2014with periodic attempts to taper off.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to melatonin use, popping one of those gummies nightly might be harmful long-term\u2014and you don\u2019t have to give it up completely. The data found is discouraging, but it\u2019s only a start. Being mindful of your use is vital.<\/p>\n

\u201cMelatonin isn\u2019t a \u2018vitamin for sleep,\u2019\u201d Dr. Setareh says. \u201cUntil we have peer-reviewed, prospective data with adjudicated outcomes, treat it as a short-term aid, keep doses low and focus on durable, evidence-based strategies that improve sleep<\/a>\u2014and heart health\u2014without adding risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Up Next:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Related: 13 Weird Ways Your Body Tells You That You Need More Sleep<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Next up: <\/strong>\u2018I Have Chronic Insomnia\u2014Here\u2019s Everything I Do When I Can\u2019t Sleep\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Sources<\/p>\n

This story was originally reported by Parade<\/a> on Nov 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the Health & Wellness<\/a> section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sleep may not come easily these days for many reasons, such as workplace burnout, wanting to raise happy…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":382491,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[22189,182963,59028,94108,210,14038,182962,1182,182961,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-382490","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-american-heart-association","9":"tag-bradley-serwer","10":"tag-cardiologists","11":"tag-chronic-insomnia","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-heart-failure","14":"tag-national-heart-institute","15":"tag-nutrition","16":"tag-sam-setareh","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115558177177503019","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=382490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382490\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/382491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=382490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=382490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}