Janjua Irvin, Goldman Ran D
Can Fam Physician. 2016 Apr;62(4):315-7.
A mother brought her 12-year-old son into my office because she is concerned that he has difficulty falling asleep almost every night. Her job involves shift work and she uses melatonin herself to help her fall asleep. She asked if her son could take melatonin. What are the recommendations and considerations for using melatonin in otherwise healthy children and adolescents?
Insomnia is reported in up to a quarter of healthy children and in three-quarters of children with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions, resulting in negative consequences. For children with delayed sleep phase syndrome, melatonin can be a useful treatment together with insomnia evaluation and regular follow-up. For children with otherwise undiagnosed insomnia and healthy sleep hygiene, melatonin use should be considered. While melatonin seems to be safe, there is a lack of evidence for its routine use among healthy children.
一位母亲带着她12岁的儿子来到我的办公室，因为她担心儿子几乎每晚都难以入睡。她的工作需要轮班，她自己服用褪黑素帮助入睡。她问儿子是否可以服用褪黑素。对于健康的儿童和青少年使用褪黑素，有哪些建议和需要考虑的因素？
据报道，多达四分之一的健康儿童以及四分之三患有神经发育和精神疾病的儿童存在失眠问题，这会产生负面影响。对于患有睡眠相位延迟综合征的儿童，褪黑素可作为一种有用的治疗方法，同时要进行失眠评估和定期随访。对于其他未确诊失眠且睡眠卫生良好的儿童，应考虑使用褪黑素。虽然褪黑素似乎是安全的，但缺乏在健康儿童中常规使用的证据。
