CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Poisonings in children involving the sleep aid melatonin have increased dramatically in the U.S., officials said.
Just last year, poison control centers reported getting more than 52,000 calls about children taking too much melatonin. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says over the last decade, these incidents have increased by 530%.
During that time, two children — a 3-month-old and a 13-month-old — died. Most cases involved children 5 years old and younger who accidentally get into bottles of melatonin.
The melatonin industry is a booming business. According to the Nutrition Business Journal, sales grew 42.5% last year, raking in a whopping $687 million.
WCNC Charlotte's VERIFY team found that 56% of Americans have reported having trouble sleeping since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of them turning to supplements, like melatonin, to help them rest.
A 2013 analysis found that, on average, people with insomnia fell asleep about seven minutes faster with melatonin than with a placebo.
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