Sleep & circadian
Minutes between lights out and actual sleep; melatonin trials shorten it by about seven.
Not yet investigated
Minutes between lights out and actual sleep; melatonin trials shorten it by about seven.
This star is on the map because the show intends to take the question apart properly — the trials, how it is actually tested, whether the thing sold is the thing studied. That work is not done yet, and nothing here should be read as a conclusion. When the investigation is published it will appear on this page.
What we are reading
Gathered for the investigation and not yet written up. Each note says what the paper does and does not show.
19 trials, 1683 subjects. Sleep latency fell by 7.06 minutes (95% CI 4.37–9.75) — this is the source of the 'about seven minutes' figure. The authors say plainly the absolute benefit is smaller than other insomnia drugs, and argue for melatonin on its side-effect profile rather than its effect size.
69 studies, 17,319 patients, 20 drugs ranked. Orexin receptor antagonists came top for sleep latency, wake after sleep onset and sleep efficiency. Useful counterweight: it also states the long-term adverse effects of ALL these medications are unclear.
Also in Sleep & circadian
The letter
The full citation list for each investigation, the studies that didn't make the episode, and any corrections — sent the morning it publishes.
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