What is melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone that’s produced in the brain. Your body produces more melatonin when it’s dark and less when it’s light.

Melatonin maintains your circadian rhythm, which is your internal 24-hour clock. Your circadian rhythm helps control when you fall asleep, how long you sleep and when you wake up.

Who is melatonin for?

Melatonin is used to help people who have trouble sleeping – for example, because of jet lag or shift work. It can also be used to help with sleep problems in children aged 2 years and older, including autistic children.

Melatonin is usually used for autistic children who’ve tried positive bedtime routines and other strategies but have found that these haven’t worked on their own.

What is melatonin used for?

Melatonin is used to help people with sleep difficulties, including autistic children with sleep problems.

There are different types of melatonin. Some can help autistic children fall asleep faster, and some can help them sleep for longer or wake up fewer times in the night.

When children get more sleep or better-quality sleep, this might also help to improve their daytime behaviour.

Where does melatonin therapy for autistic children come from?

Melatonin therapy comes from research that started in the 1990s. This research showed that some autistic people have reduced melatonin levels. Researchers looked at whether melatonin supplements would help with sleep difficulties for autistic people.

What is the idea behind melatonin therapy for autistic children?

Many autistic children have sleep problems, particularly problems with falling asleep and not sleeping for long at night. These problems can have many causes, including anxiety, medical conditions and sleep habits. In some autistic children, low levels of melatonin might contribute to the problems.

The idea is that melatonin supplements will raise children’s melatonin levels. This might help children feel more drowsy and ready for sleep at an appropriate time.

What does melatonin therapy involve?

Children can take melatonin as a pill to swallow or to put under their tongue or in the inside of their cheek to dissolve.

Melatonin is usually taken daily just before bedtime. It usually takes about 30-60 minutes to work, but the exact timing and dose should be managed by a doctor.

Does melatonin help autistic children?

Here’s what the research suggests:

• Melatonin supplements help some autistic children fall asleep faster.
• Prolonged-release melatonin can help some children sleep for longer or wake up fewer times in the night.
• Melatonin might improve daytime behaviour in some autistic children. This is probably because children are sleeping better at night.
• Families have improved quality of life when children sleep better.
• Melatonin in certain forms is safe and helpful in the long term.

Melatonin can have some side effects including nausea, headaches, morning sleepiness, bedwetting and mood changes.

Further research is needed to look at the long-term effects, benefits and risks of different types of melatonin. Research is also needed to work out whether autistic children’s sleep problems are caused by low melatonin levels.

Who can prescribe melatonin?

If you’re interested in melatonin for your child, see your GP or paediatrician. These health professionals can prescribe the right dose and give you information about melatonin and any possible side effects or interactions with other medicines. They’ll also monitor your child while they’re taking melatonin.

It’s also a good idea to have a sleep assessment first to identify your child’s specific sleep problem and make sure the dose and timing of melatonin is adjusted for it.

Where can you find a doctor who prescribes melatonin?

It’s best to speak to your child’s GP or paediatrician about melatonin.

In some cases, your child’s GP or paediatrician might refer you to a sleep specialist, especially if your child has complex medical needs or severe sleep problems.

How are parents involved in melatonin therapy for autistic children?

You need to ensure your child takes the medicine as prescribed by your child’s doctor, including at the specified time before bed. You also need to monitor its effects.

Your doctor might recommend that melatonin therapy is combined with bedtime routines and other strategies, so you might need to help your child with these too.

How much does melatonin cost?

The cost depends on the melatonin brand and dosage.

Therapies and supports for autistic children range from behavioural therapies and developmental approaches to medicines and alternative therapies. When you understand the main types of therapies and supports for autistic children, it’ll be easier to work out the approach that will best suit your child.